Recently, Twitter timelines and Facebook were flooded with resounding approval of a Trader Joe's opening in Keizer Station. Hours later, the same updates were soiled by betrayal. Trader Joe's is not coming to Keizer Station.

What is it about Salem that is so unappealing? Common knowledge and various emails from Trader Joe's to the public says that it's all about demographics. Some argue that they want a glistening palace that can be easily accessed by the freeway.

Both Corvallis and Lake Oswego have Trader Joe's locations. Corvallis has a population of roughly 55,000. Lake Oswego has approximately 35,000 people. We get it, Corvallis has Oregon State University and an increase in seasonal demographics for college-aged hipsters. Lake Oswego has the yuppie population and Portland nearby.

Guess who is stuck almost directly in the middle of the Corvallis and Lake Oswego stores? Yep, that's right. Salem. Both stores are approximately 40 miles away from the city's center.

Salem's population is three times that of Corvallis and almost five times the size of Lake Oswego. If demographics are actually the issue, are they saying that Salem doesn't fit 33 percent of the demographics that they get in Corvallis? Or 25 percent of Lake Oswego's swagger? Are we really that uncool?

To add insult to injury, Salem was not even the rumored location of the store. Instead the sign was mistakenly installed in Keizer. Not the Keizer we used to know from River Road, but the isolated maze that Keizer Station is.

Keizer, like the other cities, has a smaller population than Salem. It might be Salem's yuppie younger sister, but it's not Lake Oswego. And it's definitely not Corvallis.

Could the powers that be at Joe's really be looking at Keizer? And what exactly would appeal to a location in Keizer Station? You've got the freeway access, but also available are the pockets of Salemites. Salem may not have the demographics, but Salemites are willing to lend their hipness to other cities at the drop of a dime.

Think about it: how many Salemites are packing into their cars and driving the 40 miles to the nearest Trader Joe's to shop? A lot. How many more people would drive 10 miles? Even more. How about people who would drive from Dallas, Monmouth, Woodburn, or McMinnville to go a Salem store? More, more, and more.

The rumors are still swirling that the misplaced sign means that Keizer Station is in negotiations. When Salem Weekly spoke to the developer at Keizer Station, he said that there are 23 different retailers being talked to about getting into the area. Could Trader Joe's be one of those? Sure. For now, the tease of the Trader Joe's sign will be another page in the history of Salem's (so far) nonexistent Trader Joe's.

But seriously, Keizer over Salem? Corvallis over Eugene? OMG! WTF, Trader Joe's?