A long-hoped for wish from thousands of folks is coming true.

Trader Joe’s, the legendary supermarket chain, is opening a store in Huntsville at MidCity District.

Mayor Tommy Battle confirmed the news Wednesday in his annual State of the City Address.

“Huntsville has been waiting for a long time for this one,” he said. “As Huntsville’s most requested retailer for the past 10 years, we are excited to officially announce – Trader Joe’s is opening a new store in Huntsville.”

For two years, RCP Companies has been trying to attract the retailer to MidCity District. The quest, which included an “Open Letter to Trader Joe’s” in July 2018, ended with Wednesday’s announcement.

“We’re really excited about the mayor’s announcement and even more excited about the community’s positive response,” said RCP Business Development Manager Nadia Niakossary. “The MidCity team is thrilled and honored to bring Trader Joe’s to the Huntsville market. Trader Joe’s is a top-of-the-line grocer to have, and their presence will lead the growing lineup of retailers at MidCity.

“People in Huntsville have been wanting this one for a long time and this will be great for workforce recruitment and retainment as Huntsville continues to proactively grow.”

A date for the construction of Trader Joe’s has not yet been released.

MidCity is a mixed-use district that, when complete, will have 350,000 square feet of retail, dining, and entertainment space; approximately 400,000 square feet of high-tech office space; 1,400 residential units; and approximately 650 hotel rooms.

A little more than two years ago, MidCity launched a Facebook campaign to lure the retailer, including the “Open Letter to Trader Joe’s” from RCP Companies.

The letter opens “Dear Captain Dan Bane & The Trader Joe’s Crew:

“You may have noticed a blitz on your website recently. That’s because the phenomenal people

of Huntsville, AL, want you to hear loud and clear how passionate we are about bringing Trader

Joe’s here.”

The letter to Trader Joe’s Chairman/CEO Dan Bane and his “crew” touts the city’s history, technology, education, rankings in national publications and lifestyle while also dropping a couple names that have joined the area, such as Jeff Bezos, Facebook and Toyota-Mazda.

It closes: “So this is an open letter to you, Captain Bane, and your outstanding Trader Joe’s Crew to set sail to Huntsville, the star of Alabama, and anchor down at MidCity. We’ll take care of the mini-lobster here.

“Over & Out,

“Your friends at MidCity Huntsville”

Consider the request answered and granted.