Hit the bull’s-eye
Target takes aim at East Austin development for trendy new tiny store
A small-format Target is aiming to open in East Austin's Plaza Saltillo mixed-use development. The trendy tiny store will open in 2020.
According to Target, the 25,600-square-foot store is set to open at 901 E. Fifth St. Currently, East Austin has a full-size Target store at 5621 N. I-35 near Windsor Park.
Among the retail tenants that Target will join are Hopdoddy, Snooze, and Tarka. In all, the 10-acre Saltillo project will encompass 800 apartments, 110,000 square feet of retail space, and 150,000 square feet of office space (all being occupied by Google).
San Marcos also is in line to get a small-format Target store next year, according to Target’s website. The 18,000-square-foot store will be at 101 Concho St., a few blocks west of the Texas State University campus.
During the first quarter of this year, Target opened seven small-format stores in metro areas like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. The average small-format store measures about 40,000 square feet, compared with about 130,000 square feet for a full-size store.
Target’s small-format stores feature a “curated mix” of the merchandise categories found at full-size stores, such as food, apparel, health and beauty, and home décor. The retailer builds these stores in densely populated urban and suburban settings, and near college campuses.
The retailer says it plans to open 30 small-format stores this year, compared with just two full-size stores.
Currently, the only small-format Target store in Austin is on The Drag, adjacent to the University of Texas campus. The 22,000-square foot store at 2025 Guadalupe St., opened in November 2017.
