BY CATHY JETT

Susan Wolff has been a fan of Trader Joe's ever since her brother took her to one in California years ago.

The Stafford County woman has made a point of shopping at the quirky specialty grocery chain whenever possible, and said she'd love to see one open in the Fredericksburg area.

"Wegmans would not suffer, especially if TJ was off Route 610," she wrote in an email submission to The Free Lance-Star's annual Wish List.

She wasn't alone.

"T.J.'s," as the Monrovia, Calif.-based chain is affectionately called, once again topped the Wish List of retailers and restaurants that nearly 200 readers said they'd like to see open in this area in 2013. The top five choices in an online poll on fredericksburg.com also included, in order, Cheesecake Factory, Harris Teeter, Whole Foods and P.F. Chang's.

Several readers said they regularly drive to either Northern Virginia or Richmond to shop at Trader Joe's, which is known for its low-cost, yuppie-friendly staples such as organic blue agave sweetener, and exotic yet affordable luxuries. Double creme brie with truffles, anyone?

Michele Roshioru, for example, shops at the Trader Joe's near Dulles Airport and the one next to Short Pump Town Center in Richmond, every other month or so, even though it's inconvenient for her.

"My family tries to eat all natural, and we love Trader Joe's and their prices," she wrote. "There have been many articles about Stafford County being in the top 10 of the richest counties in the country, but we still don't have a Trader Joe's."

Sue Hopwood had another reason for wanting to see a T.J.'s open here. The company was recently ranked 24th on glassdoor.com's fifth annual Employees' Choice Awards, a list of the 50 Best Places to Work.

"I think adding retailers who would, in turn, provide better job opportunities for the people in our area is a great way to compile our wish list," she said.

Some of the other companies who made glassdoor.com's list included an Apple store and REI, with tied for ninth place in the Wish List poll.