Opening a new Trader Joe’s in St. Louis County is not in the plans, the grocery chain said, but that could change.

Trader Joe’s Senior Vice President of Real Estate Angus Armstrong responded to a letter from the Affton Community Involvement Association, which asked the grocery store to open a fifth St. Louis location in Affton or South County.

In his letter, Armstrong wrote: “We are currently considering a number of markets where we would like to pen further Trader Joe’s stores. St. Louis County is not currently in our plan, however, we will consider this region and the municipalities you have mentioned in our next review.”

Follow the fight for Trader Joe's on Affton-Shrewsbury Patch's Facebook page.

Armstrong’s letter did not address the 1,000+ signatures gathered over the last month on a petition aimed at bringing a Trader Joe’s to South County.

Larry Stone, chairman of the group that wrote the original letter, said he would not let the store’s response discourage him.

“We’ve created an awareness,” Stone said. “Maybe it’s just me being an optimist, but I think we should use this open door to continue the efforts. There is a definite passion out there. I can’t see it do anything but exponentially grow.”

Carol Boss, the woman driving the petition campaign to bring Trader Joe’s to South County, agreed that Armstrong’s letter should not end resident’s efforts.

“I still read positive into it,” Boss said. “That was not a ‘no.’ To me, that was much more of a, ‘Oh, cool, we’ll think about it.’”

A Patch community in New York is going through the same process with Trader Joe's.

Here's Armstrong's letter:

Mr. Larry C. Stone

Affton Community Involvement Association 

Re: Trader Joe's - St. Louis County, MO 

Thank you for your letter of September 9, 2012 addressed to Dan Bane.  As I handlethe real estate for Trader Joe's, Dan has asked me to respond. 

We are currently considering a number of markets where we would like to open furtherTrader Joe's stores. St. Louis County is not currently in our plan, however, we willconsider this region and the municipalities you have mentioned in our next review. 

Thanks for your kind words in respect to our neighborhood involvement and we do striveto earn the opportunity to provide great value and a great shopping experience to ourcustomers. We appreciate you taking the time to bring this opportunity to ourattention. 

Sincerely, Angus Armstrong

SVP-General Counsel & Real Estate

Trader Joe's

For more: To sign the petition, log on here or go to one of these area businesses.