Slap some big red panels up, change all the merchandise and voila: Mini Target.
Target announced today it will move into the building on Washington Street that Staples is leaving and turn it into one of its urban "small-format" stores.
The new store is slated to open in March, 2018 and will feature "a quick-trip shopping experience with a curated assortment mix" that sounds like a smushup of a CVS and small home-goods, electronics and toy stores.
The store will, in fact, include a CVS pharmacy.
After the Ashmont store closed, then Mayor Tom Menino's blocked a full sized CVS to protect the nearby Sullivan's.
Target says people will be able to order online, then pick up at the store.
Roslindale Village Main Street has organized a community meeting on the proposal, 7 p.m. on May 18th at the Roslindale Community Center.
Like the job UHub is doing? Consider a contribution. Thanks!
Ad:
Comments
OH MAN YES I AM SO EXCITED
By anon
Wed, 04/26/2017 - 3:34pm
OH MAN YES I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS
It's like the staples but even more convenient last minute stuff!! And clean and well lit and man yes very happy to hear this.
So, Target Good, WalMart Bad?
By John Costello
Wed, 04/26/2017 - 6:56pm
They sell the same things, have the same type of supply chain network, have similar sized urban stores, and pay their employees the same.
So if this was a WalMart Express going here, would you be as happy?
Target Is The Lesser Of Two Evils
By Elmer
Wed, 04/26/2017 - 7:14pm
How so?
By Irma la Douce
Wed, 04/26/2017 - 7:38pm
In what ways is Target the "lesser evil"?
Because
By Waquiot
Wed, 04/26/2017 - 9:08pm
It's not Walmart?
TGT is no different from WMT
By Lunchbox
Thu, 04/27/2017 - 9:43am
"Target’s record when it comes to workers is about the same. Look past the positive PR and one will find that Target pays many of its workers unconscionably low wages — Target is the fourth largest low-wage employer in the country. Furthermore, the company is anti-union — they require employees to watch anti-union propaganda and just last year Target was found to have intimidated workers and violated federal labor laws. Kind of reminds you of another corporate big box retail chain, doesn’t it?"
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ralph-nader/target-w...
see also
http://www.globaltoynews.com/2012/11/wal-mart-targ...
Why bother with Evil at all?
By anon
Thu, 04/27/2017 - 11:39am
Not like we don't have a dozen COSTCO stores around.
Target sells a higher caliber
By DTP
Thu, 04/27/2017 - 9:08am
Target sells a higher caliber of products, and pays their employees better than Walmart - at least that's what I hear from friends who've worked at Targets.
But the main reason Target is superior in my eyes is the experience - it's cleaner, more brightly lit, friendlier, and every single product hasn't been opened and moved to the wrong shelf. I enjoy going to Target, but the few trips I've made to Walmart have been very unpleasant.
awesome
By Rostonian
Wed, 04/26/2017 - 3:41pm
awesome - that is all.
As a person who worked
By capecoddah
Wed, 04/26/2017 - 3:46pm
As a person who worked security at the Roslindale Ames/Zayres (and the old Ashmont too), I predict that there are going to be way more news items from this Target than even Dedham Best Buy generates.
nah the square has come along
By Murphquake
Wed, 04/26/2017 - 4:01pm
nah the square has come along way in the past few years
Rip Van Capecoddah
By anon
Thu, 04/27/2017 - 2:51pm
Please reset your calendar to 2017. You've been asleep for 30 years.
Explains a lot, though.
A plus for urban main streets
By anon
Wed, 04/26/2017 - 3:49pm
There is high unmet local demand for apparel, sporting goods and housewares. This should bring more shoppers to the business district than Staples ever did. Good for Target for changing its suburban sprawl big box formula and coming into the city!
Yeah
By BostonDog
Wed, 04/26/2017 - 4:14pm
Plus they have great prices on beer!
(Just don't tell anyone.)
??? why wouldn't you tell
By anon
Wed, 04/26/2017 - 4:40pm
??? why wouldn't you tell anyone
Because their prices are awesome/unfair
By Ben_Quahog
Wed, 04/26/2017 - 5:51pm
http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/blog/2017/04/26/target-beer/
Only if they go for a packie license
By adamg
Wed, 04/26/2017 - 4:53pm
The Fenway Target has one, but there's a limit to how many packie licenses a company can hold in the state. The press release announcing all the wonders that await Roslindale residents didn't mention beer, but maybe somebody will ask at the community meeting next month.
Isn't there also a limit to
By DTP
Thu, 04/27/2017 - 9:11am
Isn't there also a limit to how many locations of a chain can have a license within Boston? Or did they change that rule? Or am I just making that up?
I absolutely HATE going to
By anon
Wed, 04/26/2017 - 4:31pm
I absolutely HATE going to any mall. If one of these were to pop up in my neighborhood I would definitely shop there. I bet this store does well because I know I'm not alone in my hatred of malls. Plus the convenience factor alone will draw people in.
Will this mean fewer UPS/Fedex
By downtown-anon
Wed, 04/26/2017 - 4:31pm
and Amazon trucks wandering the neighborhood?
Last night I saw a Fedex truck out at 10:30 making deliveries. I used to think they were done by 8. Thinking the competition is getting so tight they will do deliveries all night long before long.
I think the Staples location
By Em
Thu, 04/27/2017 - 12:30am
I think the Staples location was just a drop-off/pick-up location for Fedex. I think they still sort everything out in their Boston location. I went there once, sort of remember that it was closer to the water but not quite South Boston. Even the USPS was delivering packages on Easter so it's all about competition. As for Amazon trucks, it just depends on the amount of items purchased in the area from Amazon.com.
I will miss Staples. I will hate driving up to Dedham when Staples was right near the bus stop and I could pick up things on my home from work. I'll deal and maybe find Target useful in some way, I guess.
Amazon uses the USPS for most
By Ian
Tue, 08/29/2017 - 5:34pm
Amazon uses the USPS for most of their delivers and many of the Amazon van's I have noticed only have a small magnetic label on the side of the driver and passenger door so all of that probably explains why they seem to have a smaller foot print.
Business is booming
By anon
Thu, 04/27/2017 - 6:42am
which is not a bad thing. I'm glad the Fedex/UPS drivers are making $, and that today, in 2017, we can so easily shop online, from anywhere at anytime, on our computer, laptop, tablet, phone, at good prices, and reasonable if not free shipping.
Mixed feelings
By mrotown
Wed, 04/26/2017 - 4:59pm
I think the small neighborhood little bit of everything store model is a good one, but it's going to really hurt a lot of local businesses. I do worry that with high rents and everyone buying all kinds of stuff online we are going to end up at a point where there won't be any actual businesses in the city. You'll be paying the high cost of living of the city, but getting none of the benefits of convenience that that used to mean.
What local businesses will it hurt?
By Ron Newman
Thu, 04/27/2017 - 7:58am
Other than the Village Market grocery store, what other local businesses around Roslindale will Target be competing with?
I think the Village Market will be OK
By Gary C
Fri, 04/28/2017 - 10:10am
I'm no expert on City Targets, but I expect their food selection to only be about 50% larger than a typical CVS, which is not really a replacement for the fairly full selection you get at the Village Market.
More grocery aisles not a plus for Roslindale Village
By anon
Fri, 04/28/2017 - 12:03pm
Target's Central Square, Cambridge urban format store sells groceries (dairy, produce, etc.). Roslindale Village already has plenty of that at Village Market, RVMS Farmers' Market, Droubi Bros., Family Dollar, Roslindale Fish Market, Tony's Market and nearby at Stop & Shop, Harvest Co-op, CVS and Roche Bros. Target would be smarter to scrap the grocery aisles at this Roslindale Village location and stock more inventory in categories where there is little or no local competition, i.e., apparel, housewares, consumer electronics, sporting goods, etc.
Target?
By anon
Wed, 04/26/2017 - 5:03pm
The Fenway Target is a terrible store. Poor selection, high prices, terrible layout. It's in my neighborhood but I've stopped going because it takes forever to find out they don't have what I'm looking for or that it's way over-priced. Plus it's so cumbersome to navigate. And there's no excuse for the poor selection because they use space so inefficiently - huge displays miles apart from each other with very little stock. So good luck Roslindale if your new Target is anything like the one in Fenway.
Comm Ave
By mrotown
Wed, 04/26/2017 - 5:30pm
I've never been to the Fenway one, but I used to work on Comm Ave and the Target was a great addition to the neighborhood. It didn't have everything, but that's not the point. It had all the typical stuff you needed for a dorm room/apartment and didn't want to trek out to the Watertown mall for. The real benefit was the mini-grocery store portion.
This one will be different
By DTP
Thu, 04/27/2017 - 9:13am
This one will be different from Fenway - Fenway was intended as a 'flagship' store, whereas the small ones popping up in various neighborhoods (Central Sq Cambridge, Comm Ave Allston, now this one) tend to be optimized more for quick trips to pick up essentials.
Super is full size, otherwise it's medium size!
By theszak
Wed, 04/26/2017 - 5:36pm
Super is full size, otherwise it's medium size!
TMI
By anon
Thu, 04/27/2017 - 2:42pm
TMI!
Best possible news
By Mark-
Wed, 04/26/2017 - 5:55pm
This is the best outcome I can imagine for this large-ish store so close to the Square. Finally we'll have a store right in the neighborhood where we can pick up clothes, household goods, and most of the things we'd miss about Staples*, without the dollar-store ambiance of Family Dollar and the American Legion mall. Biggest benefit: of any potential business big enough to occupy this space, I think it'll do the least amount of damage to any of the existing businesses in the neighborhood. I see Sullivan's delivery trucks all over the city, and they should be able to withstand a mini-CVS if any indy pharmacy can. Target will be a magnet for shoppers in nearby neighborhoods and will help many of the businesses and restaurants in Roslindale.
*It seems that Target sells the Sodastream refills that Staples carried.
So does BBB (Bed, Bath and
By hollydollydoo
Wed, 04/26/2017 - 6:22pm
So does BBB (Bed, Bath and Beyond).
It never made sense for that
By hollydollydoo
Wed, 04/26/2017 - 6:25pm
It never made sense for that Staples to be there. The Village Market should have moved in there. More space. The current Village Market is like a 7-11.
Mixed feelings
By Deb_B
Wed, 04/26/2017 - 6:34pm
I'm glad the space won't sit vacant, but I wish a locally owned business had taken it over. Staples was a chain, but at least it was based in Massachusetts. More money leaving the local community.
Most local businesses
By anon
Wed, 04/26/2017 - 6:56pm
Couldn't afford the overhead of leasing a property like this.
Well
By anon
Wed, 04/26/2017 - 6:40pm
Roche Brother's will no longer be the worst parking lot in the area.
Loss of resource for small businesses
By RosiMama
Wed, 04/26/2017 - 10:35pm
I am a HUGE fan of Target, and yes, you can buy office supplies at Target, but as a Roslindale based micro-business owner I frequent the local Staples for the copy and print services and I will be really sorry to see that leave the neighborhood with no replacement.
Every time I have been there to pick up printed products (when I need something super fast and have no time for other printing services) or use the copier, that area is always busy, mostly with other small business owners. I almost always see someone sending a fax (yes a fax!), using the computers, and scanning something, in addition to making copies. Religious organizations, repair/construction businesses, community organizers, teachers, and so many others. There's nowhere else in the neighborhood to do these things.
I agree the printing center
By anon
Thu, 04/27/2017 - 12:14am
I agree the printing center was great, but the staples was so big and had so much extra crap for just the business center - feel like this is something maybe the RVMS org could help with, maybe in one of the MANY MANY EMPTY SMALL STOREFRONTS in the square that are better sized and located for this sort of thing??
Fax
By Anon64
Thu, 04/27/2017 - 6:36am
Perhaps someone will open a small business in one of the empty store fronts in the square to provide fax and copying services? Or an existing business could tuck away a fax machine in a corner somewhere. Does the post office, or one if the 100 banks in the area have a fax machine?
Don't stop there
By Gary C
Thu, 04/27/2017 - 8:21am
And maybe another store can carry buggy whips and repair services for rotary phones.
/snark
BTW, Hercules Printing next to Star in West Roxbury has all your printing, copying and faxing needs covered! (The West Roxbury pharmacy at Corey & Centre also has a copy machine.)
The West Roxbury pharmacy is now closed
By Cleary Squared
Thu, 04/27/2017 - 8:26am
The West Roxbury pharmacy closed about a month ago. IIRC there's also a copy machine at 7-Eleven near the rotary and at Tedeschi's on Spring Street.
Wow! Really?
By Gary C
Thu, 04/27/2017 - 1:50pm
I hadn't noticed. That's a shame.
I used to get my prescriptions there a) to promote the local guy and b) I never had to wait in line, like I ALWAYS do at CVS. The end of an era.
Fax?!
By Roslindaler
Thu, 04/27/2017 - 8:42am
I will not bother asking what you might be doing with a fax machine given the ubiquity of .pdf and email. However, if you truly need a fax machine and small copy facility, a fax/scanner/copier/photo printer can be purchased from staples for about $100 and drop shipped to your location along with all of the supplies. Then you could charge 10 cents a copy to others. If you are truly looking for a large scale copy center that can run bulk printing and blast faxing ( to businesses from 1999) I agree that is a tall order. Those services were loss leader for Staples. Perhaps call kinko's along with your other business owners and suggest a branch in the square.
Anyone who still regularly
By anon
Thu, 04/27/2017 - 10:45am
Anyone who still regularly does business with Medical or Government entities needs access to a fax. Not everyone is working at a SWEET TECH STARTUP JUST SEND IT TO ME ON SLACK BRUH
Add banks to that list
By roadman
Thu, 04/27/2017 - 4:43pm
For certain transactions, like requests for "release of lien" letters, banks still require the information to be faxed to them.
Roslindale Hardware offers
By anon
Sun, 04/30/2017 - 9:46pm
Roslindale Hardware offers fax service
How do you generate a text fax from the computer keyboard...
By theszak
Mon, 05/01/2017 - 1:22am
How do you generate a text fax from the computer keyboard and send the text fax from the computer keyboard?
You need to scan it
By Waquiot
Mon, 05/01/2017 - 9:24am
But there are online services that will "send a fax" for you to a fax telephone number.
Awesome news
By Christine
Wed, 04/26/2017 - 11:17pm
This is the best possible outcome..... I have been living in roslindale for over 5 years and constantly complain that there's no CVS near the square. This will be a great addition to the neighborhood. Finally a store which will sell stuff you want to buy..the other stores like family dollar, cricket mobile, no name shops with random stuff are useless and disappointing. So glad to hear that we will actually get a good store in the square. Yay!
There's one in Central Square
By anon
Thu, 04/27/2017 - 6:14am
It's going to *destroy* the CVS a block down. It will hurt the grocery coop too, I'm sure. The Radio Shack was already in a post-death twitch, but were it not, Target would have put it, too, out of its misery.
Central Square Target doesn't have a pharmacy
By Ron Newman
Thu, 04/27/2017 - 9:23am
so it's not going to drive the CVS or the Walgreens out of business there.
Haha
By Roslindaler
Thu, 04/27/2017 - 10:01am
Don't worry, nothing is going to drive a CVS out of business, and particularly not a Target pharmacy, as those are owned by CVS through a JV.
CVS does occasionally close stores
By Ron Newman
Thu, 04/27/2017 - 10:35am
The one in Arlington Center (which lacked a pharamcy) closed last year.
There are still neighborhoods without CVS that would really like one, most notably Kendall Square.
Very surprising
By anon
Thu, 04/27/2017 - 8:43am
I predicted this would stay empty for a long long time and am happy to be totally wrong.
I am curious about how the timing of this works. Staples only just announced they were closed and Target is already lined up to take the space. I can't imagine Target would make this decision so quickly so I assume someone at Target knew or was notified about the upcoming availability of the space.
It still amazes me how long this stuff takes though. If Staples closes in June, why on earth would it take so long to reopen as target. The building is pretty much brand new and an empty box. Seems like a few months is all it would take.
This is going to suck. I live
By Cath
Tue, 05/02/2017 - 10:44am
This is going to suck. I live on the one way road directly across from staples, ppl already fly down the road and also use it to park since its non-rez..... this is just going to make it worse.
Not thrilled by the
By Amanda
Wed, 05/03/2017 - 10:59pm
I'm not thrilled by the idea of target moving in roslindale., I live in roslindale & the congestion in roslindale square now is already soooo chaotic, I just feel it's going to add more mayhem & where is everyone suppose to park?!
where is everyone suppose to
By DTP
Thu, 05/04/2017 - 9:30am
Uh, I dunno, maybe the building's parking lot?
It was not the mayor that
By anon
Tue, 05/16/2017 - 8:07pm
It was not the mayor that blocked a Brooks Pharmacy from coming into the Ashmont Property, but Roslindale Main Streets, among whose board members were Greg Laham (owner of Sullivans) and Vinnie Marino (who had a vendetta against the owners of the Ashmont property. Main Streets also blocked a mini-storage.
Read Menino's memoirs
By Waquiot
Wed, 05/17/2017 - 9:24am
He claimed he stopped Brooks, and kind of gloats about doing it.
Mini storage was a Main Streets thing.
Job application
By Stephane
Sun, 12/03/2017 - 8:31pm
How can I apply for a job at target right now?
Add comment