A Trader Joe’s manager wanted to connect to Harlem through art. Then came the backlash

The newest New York branch of the popular supermarket chain Trader Joe’s is facing harsh criticism online for its interior design.

On July 25, Trader Joe’s opened on 125th Street in Manhattan’s historically black neighborhood of Harlem – the same building that will house the new headquarters of the National Urban League.

Tracy-Ann Reeves is store manager of the new location and says she wanted the store’s interior to reflect the neighborhood it is entering.

“We’re really proud of the signs and murals in the store so we can connect to the community,” Reeves tells TODAY.com. “We spent a lot of time in Harlem, just walking around and looking at pieces in parks and all around the neighborhood.”

For nearly a month, hordes of customers streamed in and out of the building to see the decorations created specifically for the new location, but it was two signs near the entrance that attracted significant—and negative—attention online.

“You can open a store in Harlem, but you don’t have to do all of this,” wrote Harley Geffner (@gnarlyheffner) on X shortly after the opening.

The post shows the two signs: one welcoming visitors to Trader Joe’s and one printed diagonally along the escalator that reads “Uptown Love.” The signs use a graffiti-style font – a nod to the art form that has both positive and negative connotations in the black community.

More than 3.2 million views later, hundreds of people shared their thoughts.

“I think this is really cool,” wrote one X user. “Kind of racist but a nice gesture lol.”

Another compared the signs to Australian Raygun’s controversial performance at the Paris Olympics and the subsequent discussion about cultural appropriation: “If that Australian breakdancing lady was a grocery store.”

“Gentrification of your neighborhood in style”, wrote someone else.

The images were also posted on Reddit, where they received similar criticism.

One Redditor asked, “Why do advertisers think black people need elements of hip hop in everything they consume? I bet they would appreciate the aesthetic of a mom and pop store just as much as anyone else.”

Someone else wrote, “It’s the graffiti font from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” comparing the sign to the title card of the ’90s sitcom. Others said it reminded them of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or the online game Subway Surfers, both of which use urban graffiti imagery.

Another Redditor called it “Trader Jamal’s.”

Trader Joe’s has been criticized before for its alleged racial insensitivity. In 2020, a Change.org petition seen by NBC News called on the company to rename its product lines with culturally specific names such as Trader José’s (Mexican food) and Trader Ming’s (Asian cuisine), gathering thousands of signatures, according to the news outlet.

In response, people who wanted to keep the labels started several counter-petitions, although they have far fewer signatures. Trader Joe’s issued a statement at the time saying it was reconsidering the labels, but then reversed course and said it would keep them, citing customer approval as the reason.

Similar to these labels, there are some who have defended the Harlem signs.

“Is it bad that I kind of like it?” asked one X user.

“I think it looks good and especially great that they hired a black artist to do it,” wrote another.

“They hire local artists for each store to do the graphics and store signs. Since this one is in Harlem, I’m not surprised. My store in Boston has MBTA trains on the wall,” wrote one X-user. “Have you never been to Trader Joe’s?”

A representative of the grocery chain tells TODAY.com that each store in the neighborhood selects its own artwork and that almost all of the art in the store was created by employees.

“We are pleased to have a store in this area,” the representative writes.

Reeves says she avoids social media and was unaware of the emerging online discussion.

“I’ve worked every day since we opened and not a single customer has come up to us and said they were bothered by these signs,” continues Reeves, who says she has been with the company for decades.

She says the Harlem store is her third opening and her first as manager. “I immigrated from Jamaica over 30 years ago and lived in New York the whole time,” she adds.

Reeves said Trader Joe’s employees designed most of the other store signs and product labels. In addition, the company commissioned Creative Art Works, a public arts employment program for teens and young adults, to create two murals for the store that can be seen behind the cash registers.

In 2023, the children completed their work and created two colorful murals, one of which also included a graffiti motif.

“These are all New York kids who grow up here and participate in the summer program,” Karen Jolicoeur, executive director of Creative Art Works, tells TODAY.com by phone.

She adds that Trader Joe’s asked the children to help paint a mural representing Harlem and its culture.

“They were very generous to the children and enthusiastic about the whole process,” says Jolicoeur.

“You know, I’m focusing on the positive because even if it’s not to everyone’s taste, it’s art,” Reeves added of the now-viral sign. “We stand behind it.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com.