PEACHTREE CITY, GA — Sometimes, a new store can be the biggest story in a town. Such was the case of the long-awaited grand opening of a Trader Joe’s in Peachtree City Monday morning.

The eager crowds gathered in the rain and created long lines that wrapped around The Avenue shopping center as people waited to get into the new store.

Police were out in force to keep traffic flowing and the shoppers safe. According to Peachtree City Police Lt. Chris Hyatt, this sort of thing has occurred previously, like when the first Chick-fil-A arrived in town.

He says social media indicated it would be a big event, and the Peachtree Police Department posted a map with the recommended routes for best access.

“It was anticipated to be high traffic. We had property management hiring police officers for security purposes,” Hyatt said.

Peachtree City police adds that traffic will be monitored to analyze if travel patterns need to be changed in the near future.