hawaii

The Target location in Kailua had their soft opening today with the grand opening scheduled for Sunday, March 8. Open to the general public for the first time, the people of Hawaii didn’t disappoint. There was an expected line to get in as many thought today was the official grand opening.

The shopping carts were quickly snapped up as the people kept on coming.

I didn’t grab a cart but instead, opted to zip around unencumbered, and you know what? From what I saw, this Target looks like any other Target you’ve been to. Check out the familiar bath section.

Here’s the electronics section.

The groceries.

Although I love the layout of the milk containers. Reminds me of the Matrix movie for some reason.

The toy section was happening as serious Hot Wheels collectors picked through the virginal batch of cars. I found the latest Lego Minifigures series along with the newest line of Lego Elves.

Some of the sale items advertised in last Sunday’s ad were wiped out already on the first day of shopping.

Sadly, no new flavors of Mountain Dew Kickstart were available like at the other locations. Just the usual ones.

The Target dog wasn’t on-hand today but his replica was. But I didn’t take a selfie.

The Starbucks inside wasn’t as crowded as I expected, and there is another location just down the block.

All shopping carts were accounted for, and you had to hunt for one.

The plentiful parking disappeared as well. The connecting lane joining Safeway was still blocked off. All I can say is that Boots and Kimo’s is gonna be nuts with this Target (and its parking) open across the street.

Be sure to watch the local news tonight for in-depth coverage. Every channel was there. Anyways, here are more of my rushed pics. I didn’t want to stay too long as more and more people entered the building. Although I must say that since this location is so huge, even with all the shoppers, the store didn’t actually feel cramped or crowded. It was a comfortable shopping experience despite the craziness.

The sign is officially up – COMING SOON. And “Coming Soon” for the Target location in Kailua actually means two months with the opening set for March 8, 2015. It’s been a long time in the making with first rumblings of Target taking over the Don Quijote location back in 2009. Over this six-year journey, the pace has picked up greatly over the recent months to include neighboring road work to repave and re-stripe the lines and install a new traffic light. Only three months ago did the official Target signage go up.

While the exterior looks complete, the interior is still bare. The shelving is being installed, but there’s no inventory on the floor yet. Workers are busily getting the store ready and yes, there is police officer stationed there all the time.

Some highlights of this Windward location. The roadway entry is nicely decorated. There are touches of Hawaii to go along with the iconic red Target logo.

Speaking of that red Target logo…

The store itself is immense. You don’t realize how much real estate this location takes up until you walk from the Safeway side to the Post Office.

Accordingly, the parking lot(s) are huge as well. There are plentiful spaces on both sides of the main road entryway, and there are even more stalls on the Safeway side (maybe reserved for employees?). The paved grave material looks rough and rocky though.

No explanation needed for what this logo means. Looking in the window, the cafe area appears huge with space for lots of tables.

Living walls are only now beginning to take root.

Yes, there are two stalls for electric vehicles (sorry, there’s a coffee cup on top of the charger, but not mine).

The most significant change in my opinion? Connecting the Safeway parking lot. Yes, soon enough you can drive to the adjoining lots.

Just don’t mind the wild, free range chickens that’ll eventually roam the Target parking lots.

I can’t wait to check out the store in operation in March. Until then, here are a few more pictures of Target in late January.

Update: the Star Advertiser is reporting a March 4, 2015 opening date.