For UC Santa Barbara student Eileen Paguio, the new Target store in Goleta is a dream come true, and she is “excited.”
The San Francisco native was among the first customers on Wednesday at the store’s soft-open.
A crowd of about 25 people — some gripping reusable bags and red-colored shopping carts — patiently waited for the 117,000-square-foot store to open its doors at 8 a.m.
A celebratory grand opening is planned for Sunday morning.
This is the retailer’s second store in the Santa Barbara area, and it is located in the single-story building — heavily remodeled — at Hollister Avenue and Storke Road that was a Kmart for many years.
“I moved to the area in 2012, and there was a Kmart here,” said Paguio, who is an Asian-American studies major at UCSB. “I was always wishing there would be a Target. It finally came true, and I’m happy.”
Longtime Santa Barbara County resident Alan Z. — who declined to give his last name — said he’s glad Target is open for business in the community.
“It’s laid out differently than other Targets I’m used to, but that’s not a problem,” he said. “It’s just getting used to finding things.”
The Goleta local said he likes the site entrance and the outside store design, with wood and red accents.
“It’s different than the old Kmart,” Alan said, adding, “It’s nice that Goleta is stepping up.”
He purchased shampoo and crackers on Wednesday.
“I heard the soft opening was today, and I ran out of shampoo,” Alan said, adding, “It’s nice having a Target next door in Goleta.”
A small-scale version of the larger stores opened in Santa Barbara in April. Target stores also are located in Ventura and Santa Maria.
The Goleta Target offers apparel and accessories, kids’ and baby-care products, toys and sporting goods, food and beverages, home decor and furniture, health and beauty, and more.
Services also include Target Optical, a CVS pharmacy, a Starbucks and same-day options.
Customers can order online and pick up items in the store within an hour. The drive-up option allows people to place an order in the Target app, pull up to the store the same day, and an employee will bring the order to their car.
The Goleta store his hired 323 new employees, Target store manager Kelli Nassif said.
She described the new full-size Target as a “convenient” retail option to the Santa Barbara community, as well as “inspiring” and a “joyful experience when you shop at this store.”
“It has a large selection of variety that we haven’t had in a long time in this community,” Nassif said. “This is going to be the store that you go to stay awhile.
“If you can’t spend hours, it’s convenient, as well, because we have our different ways of ordering online and picking up in-store,” she continued.
— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
