A small-format Target store at 1616 Sherman Ave. in Sherman Plaza opens Wednesday and Mayor Steve Hagerty was on hand for a ribbon cutting ceremony tonight.
The new Evanston store is the ninth small-format store in the Chicago area, with a range of products designed to meet the needs of Northwestern University students and staff, nearby residents and CTA Purple Line and METRA commuters.
Produce awaiting customers at the new Target.
Merchandise includes fresh groceries, organic produce, beer and alcohol, dorm and apartment essentials, apparel and accessories for adults and children, technology and entertainment accessories, and toys and sporting goods.
Store services also include a CVS Pharmacy and Order Pick-up so customers can buy on line and pick up in the store.
At 27,400 square feet, “this is an ‘extra-large’ small-format store,” according to Krysanna Bowery, store team leader, “with a smaller assortment of the same types of items available in the larger Target store on Howard Street.”
Housewares in the new store.
Target has a total of 62 small-format stores across the country, Bowery adds, with a goal of 130 by the end of 2019.
To make shopping more convenient for drivers, the Sherman Plaza parking garage has 26 guest spaces reserved for Target shoppers. Parking is free under one hour and shoppers are not expected to spend more than an hour in the store.
The store currently has 55 employees, mostly part-time and Evanston residents, according to Bowery, including students from ETHS and Northwestern University.
In celebration of the store opening, Bowery said Target will be making a total of $6,000 in grants to four Evanston non-profits: Youth Job Center, Arts Encounter, Meals at Home, and YWCA/Evanston North Shore.
The store opens at 7 a.m. Wednesday for a “soft opening,” with a grand opening set for 8 a.m. on Sunday.