Hoping to fill a commercial hole created by the sudden February closure of Pacific Market, Rohnert Park officials are lobbying another homegrown grocer, G&G Supermarkets.
The talks were initiated as part of an aggressive effort to boost the city's economy.
City officials approached the two-store company soon after Pacific Market shut, leaving the shopping plaza on Golf Course Drive without an anchor tenant and with nine vacant storefronts.
"They were very interested," Councilwoman Pam Stafford said.
While the discussions remain in the preliminary stage, two meetings have been promising, she said.
"They were good, very good, very encouraging," Stafford said. "Now the ball's in their court."
G&G officials said the site is an appealing one.
It "is similar to our Santa Rosa and Petaluma locations in that it is a very intimate location that is close to its customer base," said TeeJay Lowe, chief executive officer.
But factors, such as consumer demand and the real estate and credit markets, "would have to be in sync for us to take on that business venture," he said.
Residents and merchants at the Mountain Shadows Plaza shopping center also have urged city officials to make a pitch to the Trader Joe's chain.
"I've heard that a lot," Stafford said. "It's a great idea but they're not going to come."
The city first approached Trader Joe's several years ago when a Commerce Boulevard Rite Aid drugstore left, but it wasn't interested, Stafford said.
Still, Mountain Shadows business owners are circulating a petition urging officials to again ask the company to locate there. The city approached Trader Joe's again last month but got nowhere, said Interim Assistant City Manager John Dunn.
"They sent us a form letter saying they appreciate our interest but they're ... looking at dozens if not hundreds of sites across the country," he said.
Still, other businesses are eyeing the site, city leaders said.
"There's two other people that I've talked to who are very interested," said Mayor Gina Belforte, who declined to identify the companies.
She said the city will do all it can to ease the way for prospective tenants.
"We understand that time is money, so what we're trying to do is have the process go as smoothly as possible," she said.
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