Trader Joe's opening Garden City store

Trader Joe's will open the doors of its new location at The Gallery at Westbury Plaza this morning in typical Trader Joe's style -- with leis, a steel-drum band and plenty of food tastings.

The festivities begin at 8 a.m. celebrating the new 13,000-square-foot store, located on Old Country Road in Garden City. The specialty supermarket is the second retailer to open its doors in the new 330,000-square-foot shopping plaza, among other marquee names such as Bloomingdale's Outlet store, Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th, The Container Store and the Shake Shack.

Adding to the area's selection of specialty stores, a Fairway Market, Long Island's second, is set to open Wednesday in the nearby Roosevelt Raceway Center.

Striving for a local ambience, the new Trader Joe's store has been decorated with murals and hand-painted signs reflecting the area's history and landmarks.

"It gives the store a real neighborhood feel," store captain Christopher Fry said about the artwork produced by Trader Joe's staff.

Depictions of planes flown from the historic Roosevelt Field airfield by pioneering pilots such as Charles Lindbergh and others adorn the walls. Another mural features Long Island's surrounding landmarks, including Old Westbury Gardens, the Castle Gould of the Sands Point Preserve, the Nassau Coliseum and, in the distance, the Statue of Liberty with a Trader Joe's bag.

In keeping with the aviation theme, the painted cows above the dairy section all sport aviator helmets and goggles.

Trader Joe's fans will find the same merchandise selection available in its other stores, including some 2,000 items under Trader Joe's private label, the company said.

"We've been getting lots of calls, lots of people checking out the store to see if we're open," Fry said.