Sharon Stritmatter heard rumors the Downtown Pittsburgh Target was open several days ahead of schedule. She stopped by Wednesday afternoon during her lunch break for confirmation.
After buying a drink and a jumper, she said she would be visiting the store often because of its convenient location near her office. She said she looked forward to being able to grab pre-made meals at Target on her way home from work.
“I think it definitely fills a need,” said Stritmatter, an attorney who lives in Apollo. “The people that live Downtown need to have access to regular groceries.”
A soft opening of the new Target was held Tuesday with a grand opening scheduled for Sunday. On Wednesday, shoppers roamed the store that was stocked with everything from fresh produce and paper products to home decor and clothing.
Tyler Shoemaker said he “really liked” his first shopping trip to the Downtown Target. As a Downtown resident, he said he enjoyed the “urban-style store.”
“What I was really surprised by was like, you can do a full grocery haul in the small footprint store, but it’s also great, it’s like, ‘Oh, if I just need one thing, I can just run down and get it,’” he said.
The new location only took him about three minutes on foot, Shoemaker said, which was more convenient than driving 10 or 15 minutes to stores on McKnight Road or the Mt. Nebo area, as he’d done before the new Target opened.
“We have, finally, more of a grocery store with produce and also day-to-day needs,” he said.
Located on the first floor of the old Kaufmann building, its historic clock is now accompanied by a white Target logo. The 108-year-old bronze Kaufmann’s Clock, a local landmark, will be preserved.
The store is about 220,000 square feet and will be run by about 40 employees.
Our new Downtown @Target has had a ribbon cutting & soft opening!
Haven’t seen crowds like these since the Kaufmann’s Christmas Sale of 1999, haha. pic.twitter.com/Q2eeY6FxMM
— James Hill (@JamesAustinHill) July 12, 2022
“We’re excited to bring the joy of Target to new guests and help them discover a unique shopping experience tailored to the needs of the downtown Pittsburgh community,” said Jeremy Petit, store director of the new Pittsburgh Downtown Target store.
The Minneapolis-based chain announced its plans to move into the space in 2020. Target earned approval for a store at the site the next year.
Burlington also signed a lease for a portion of the building. Shops will be the anchor retailers on the first floor of the 13-story building, which also houses more than 300 apartments.
The new store is located at Fifth Avenue and Smithfield Street.
Staff writer Haley Moreland contributed to this report.
