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Mini Target opens in South Park

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Love it or hate it, the Target located at the intersection of Fern and Grape streets in South Park is officially open for business Wednesday.

The store, which some view as too corporate for the eclectic area, is roughly 18,000 square feet in size and is one of Target’s “flexible format” stores. It’s a much scaled-down version of the retailer’s big-box stores that typically span around 135,000 square feet. Target now operates 17 of these smaller-footprint stores, previously referred to as “CityTarget” or “TargetExpress” stores.

Though noticeably compact, the South Park location features a variety of Target’s usual wares, including a large selection of grocery items, and plenty of personal care and beauty products. The mini Target has a limited — or “tailored” — selection of goods in its home, clothing and electronics sections, though it does carry Apple products and some apparel from its design partnerships. The store, however, does not sell kids’ clothing or larger items, such as furniture or televisions.

View the photo gallery: Target to open in South Park

“This is South Park’s Target,” said Robert Farrington, the store’s manager. “It’s not Mission Valley. It’s not Sports Arena. This is designed for South Park. (The store) has a lot of what the community needs, and we’re listening if there’s something we don’t have that they want us to carry.”

The venue will serve a community with mixed-emotions about its existence. When the location was announced last year, the retailer faced strong opposition from South Park residents and business owners who feared their small-town atmosphere would be disrupted by the big business. At least two groups, Care About South Park and Save South Park, sought to derail the mega-retailer’s plans to operate in the neighborhood. Save South Park’s online petition to keep all large chains out of the neighborhood received 2,020 signatures.

Target, however, has attempted to turn critics into customers by attending community meetings, picking up trash in the neighborhood and listening to neighboring business owners. The retailer’s efforts have resulted in at least a few fans.

Target South Park

Location: 3030 Grape Street (at Fern Street)

Hours: Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Opening day: Opening-day festivities are at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, and feature the band Folding Mr. Lincoln and “Bullseye,” the Target dog. The store is also offering freebies such as bike tune-ups, screen-printed totes, and food and drinks provided by local vendors.

“We’re for it,” said Mark Chavez, whose wife owns the So Childish kids’ gift store across the street. “This past year has been tough for all of the businesses. ... We’re just hoping Target is going to help. And we’re thinking about changing our store hours (to stay open later) just because of Target.”

Chavez estimates that 70 percent of his customers are in favor of the new Target.

Target has also been careful not to alter too dramatically the interior or exterior of the South Park building, previously occupied by grocer Gala Foods. Shoppers will find that the store’s facade, floors and beams are mostly the same.

Though sporting the brand’s familiar red signage throughout, the South Park Target even includes neighborhood-specific elements and decor, including a large mural created by Kreashun, a duo of local artists who will be present for an opening-day event Wednesday afternoon. Some of the store’s products are also meant to reflect the community it now serves. The store carries, for instance, South Park shirts, biking equipment, beer from local breweries and organic foods.

“I think the neighborhood needs something like this. They haven’t made it into a humongous, garish enterprise and they’ve maintained the facade.” said Rachel Burnage, a North Park resident who frequents the area. “I used to shop at Albertsons in North Park, which is now a Haggen, which is now closed. I usually have to drive down to Mission Valley and I’d just as soon wander over here to pick something up.”

Brandon Clemons, store manager at the nearby Left Hand Blank tattoo shop, shares Burnage’s enthusiasm for the Target.

“I like it,” Clemons said, “and everyone else in the shop has the same feeling. We are embracing it. We used to have to run for supplies all the time across the street, and they never used to have anything.”

The mini Target’s most vocal supporter, however, is Bob Domczyk, owner of the Captain Kirk coffee stand in the same parking lot. Domczyk, whose patrons know him as Captain Kirk or Robert Alan, isn’t a fan of big-box retailers per se, but he believes the new Target store is beneficial to the South Park community. For instance, the store’s pharmacy, he said, is the only one in town. He also credits the chain for making much-needed improvements to the property, and for “coming down to the level of the community.”

“I wish them success,” Domczyk said. “I know that they're going to do well. People in the community will see that this additional infrastructure is a lot more helpful than detrimental.”

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