After months of watching the red circles hang on display, Charlottesville's first Target officially opened its doors Sunday at 8 a.m.
The grand opening was, "fantastic," said Amanda Lee, Charlottesville Target executive team leader for guest services. "We exceeded our goals and were very pleased with the turnout we had."
The new store held its "quiet opening" July 20, as a dry-run for employees, in which the store opened for a day without publicizing and the turnout was "phenomenal," Lee said.
The Charlottesville Target is a Target Greatland, the medium-sized store that includes a limited grocery selection of dry and frozen goods -- without the production areas of bakery, meat and produce sections. The Target Corporation, based out of Minneapolis, has approximately 1,400 stores nationwide.
Located on U.S. Route 29, Kmart, Wal-Mart and Sam's club all stand between the University and Target.
"I guess everyone in retail is a little leery when someone new is opening in the area," K-mart Assistant Manager Carol Fernandez said. "You never know what it's going to do to your store. It hasn't really affected us that much, thank goodness."
Wal-Mart management declined to comment.
The decision to use Hollymead Town Center for a Target location was made on a corporate level, Lee said.
"It's a great location," she said. "There's not a Target here, and the nearest is about an hour away."
Mark Graham, Albemarle County director of community development, said that the increase in traffic generated by the new Hollymead Town Center (in which Target is located) was addressed during the rezoning.
"It will generate additional traffic," Graham said. "That's why Rt. 29 was widened and additional traffic signals were required and installed."
Graham said that construction for the shopping center has stretched over the last year and a half and planning began three years before that.
Regency Centers, the group that developed Hollymead Town Center proffered to participate in a community development authority -- a funding mechanism through which the county could add transportation to that area in the future.
Interaction with the University community has not been formally made at this point, but Lee said they are still hiring.
"We do a pretty extensive recruiting," Lee said. "Other Target stores work with the colleges in their communities for internships."
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