Despite those concerns, customers around the country continued to clamor for a new store near them. Julie Merrill created a Facebook page to persuade Trader Joe’s to come to Utah. She attracted nearly 4,000 fans to her page. In June 2012 Julie Merrill heard the news that Trader Joe’s was coming to her state. She described her reaction to the local ABC affiliate, “I was psyched… oh my gosh!”71 Deb Sussman waited in line for hours on November 30, 2012 when the Salt Lake City, Utah store finally opened. She told reporters, “I have written over 50 letters to get them to come here.”72 Many people thought that Merrill or Sussman would be the first customers to enter when the Salt Lake City location opened its doors for the first time. That was not the case. David Stinson walked in first when the store’s captain, Rory Violette, cut a giant lei at the entrance and welcomed customers into the store at eight o’clock in the morning. Stinson had camped out overnight to be first in line, having arrived at four o’clock the previous afternoon!73