Thousands of people are expected to descend on Target on Sunday for the store’s official opening in Santa Barbara.
But don’t expect to park at La Cumbre Plaza.
Target has opened a small-scale store inside the former Galleria building at 3298 State St., at the corner of State and La Cumbre Road.
The popular shopping destination has just 91 parking spaces, however, which means a surge of shoppers could spill into the spacious parking lots at nearby La Cumbre Plaza.
“There will be posting signs that encourage Target guests to use the designated Target parking area,” said Jacqueline DeBuse, corporate spokeswoman for the Minneapolis-based retailer.
“Target takes pride in being a good neighbor in the communities we serve. We work diligently to establish a positive relationship by listening closely to and working with our neighbors.”
The store opened to the media Tuesday and then held a soft launch Wednesday. Sunday marks Target’s official opening day.
On Saturday, cars were backing out into La Cumbre Road and circling the parking lot to find spots to park.
La Cumbre Plaza and Target management told Noozhawk that they are working together during the store’s launch to help customers understand that they can’t park in the sprawling shopping center.
Some signs were up Saturday and more signs are planned on Sunday.
“We will be working with Target and monitoring the situation closely,” said Ilmar Kalviste, senior property manager for La Cumbre Plaza.
DeBuse said Target is expecting a positive launch Sunday.
“Target is excited to be there, but we really want to be good neighbors so we are working together,” she said.
The two-story Target is a small-scale version of the larger stores in Ventura and Santa Maria, and soon headed to Goleta, at 6865 Hollister Ave. in the former Kmart building.
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.