There's something about Trader Joe's that inspires the creative spirit. This "neighborhood grocery store" known for its "value, adventure and tasty treasures" was the subject of a video titled, "If I made a commercial for Trader Joe's," that first appeared January 27, 2009 on YouTube. It has already been viewed over 9,000 times. The auteur, posting under the name "carlsfinefilms," used a Treo to surreptitiously film many of the products Trader Joe's carries in their natural environment (aisles and shelves of the store). He manages to capture the ambience of the place in a nearly 3-minute piece that is cut to a Trader Joe-ized version of an Art Garfunkel song (if you can believe the comments appearing below the video on the YouTube page).
>>> Earworm Warning <<<
Props for creativity! Props for playfulness!
This isn't the first time Trader Joe's has benefited from publicity generated outside the store. Deana Gunn and Wona Miniati, two women who love food, cooking, and Trader Joe's, wrote and self-published a cookbook devoted to their favorite grocer.
"Cooking with All Things Trader Joe's" has already sold 20,000 copies since its first printing in November 2007. It can be found online and is also sold at Borders, Barnes & Noble, Waldenbooks, most independent bookstores, but not in Trader Joe's.
And one more thing... If what Mr. CarlsFineFilms said was true about how this is an "unauthorized commercial for Trader Joe's shot on my Palm Treo before I accidentally ran over it with my car," then I hope Palm sees this post and offers him a replacement before he runs off and joins the world of iPhone, BlackBerry or Android users.
Update: Thanks to Miles who wrote in to let me know:
That song is a version of the classic Antonio Carlos Jobim song - "Waters of March" . 
