Pasadena Village will be hosting author Patty Civalleri on Thursday, June 16, as she discusses the book, “Becoming Trader Joe: How I Did Business My Way and Still Beat the Big Guys,” that she co-wrote with Joe Coulombe, who started the food chain Trader Joe’s in Pasadena more than 50 years ago.
Coulombe actually wrote a “how I did it” history of Trader Joe’s in the early 2000s, according to the Los Angeles Times, and in it he described the clever end-runs, deep research and influences that powered his store and made it the national chain that it is now.
In 2007, Coulombe gave the book to his long-time friend Leroy Watson, an original Trader Joe’s employee, with instructions to do whatever he wanted with it, the LA Times said. Eleven years later, Watson approached Civalleri and asked for her advice.
“I read the book and fell in love,” Civalleri told the Times’ culture critic Mary McNamara in 2021. “Joe’s voice was in every sentence.”
With Coulombe’s blessing, Civalleri edited the manuscript, added some images and pitched it to her agent. The new book was published in June 2021.
In “Becoming Trader Joe,” Coulombe laid down a blueprint for other business owners to follow to build their own unique shopping experience that customers love and a work environment that employees love being a part of.
During her talk on Thursday, Patty Civalleri will share “the lessons Coulombe learned by challenging the status quo and rethinking the way a business operates,” said a Pasadena Village announcement.
Thursday’s talk begins at 6 p.m. at Flintridge Center, Suite 117, 236 W. Mountain Street in Pasadena. Attendance is $10 per person, which includes snacks, wine and other beverages.
Pasadena Village requires those who attend in-person gatherings be fully vaccinated, or have had a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours.
For more information, call Pasadena Village at (626) 765-6037. Seating will be limited so register early.
