Target Aimed on CA’s Downtowns
Author:Abigail StoneAbout a year ago our sister magazine, 7×7, was heralding the news that everyone’s favorite big-box retailer was on it’s way to the Metreon in downtown San Francisco. Well, it’s a year later and it seems plans for Target to take over part of the first and all of the second floor of the ever-changing building are still going forward, although we’ve yet to hear of a hard and fast schedule for when it will open.
But cut to last week, and news of a Target opening date has finally arrived–albeit to an entirely different downtown area. Yes, the chain has now announced plans to set up shop in LA’s city center at 7th and South Figueroa, scheduled to open in 2012. It’s all part of the bull’s-eye’s push towards more urban retailing, which, as a city-dweller far from the nearest one-stop shopping destination, I can somewhat appreciate. But don’t expect to pick up a big screen TV or piece of furniture at one of these new citified stores; Target will focus more on “soft lines” such as clothing and bedding, geared more toward the shopper who’s getting there by foot or public transportation.
So what are your thoughts on Target’s downtown takeover? Is it a welcome addition to California’s metropolises, or a plight on the diversity of our downtowns?
