It’s finally happening! The long-awaited grand opening of Target on the Outer Banks has been scheduled for April 2.
The signature red balls and signage was installed over the past week on the 110,000 square foot building that has been under renovation for nearly a year at 1901 North Croatan Highway in Kill Devil Hills.
On Tuesday, a banner proclaiming the grand opening date was hung.
And a company spokesperson confirmed the date on Wednesday, according to The Virginian-Pilot.
Details about the grand opening and other information about the store will be forthcoming, the spokesperson said.
In 2021, Target purchased what was the home of North Carolina’s last Kmart. Fences went up around the parking lot and materials for a new roof were delivered in the winter of 2022, but nothing else appeared to be happening.
Under the original proposal, the 110,000 square foot building would have been remodeled and divided into an 80,000 square foot Target and the remainder would have been leased to another tenant.
That would have been closer to the average size of Target’s smaller-format stores, which the company has been placing in various settings around the country.
Even smaller ones have opened in the last five years adjacent to college campuses such as UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State University.
A new site plan was submitted last June to the Town of Kill Devil Hills that had “the entire building to be occupied by Target including interior remodel, exterior façade remodel, and additional improvements to the existing parking lot including layout and landscaping.”
However, Wednesday’s email from the spokesperson still referenced to the store as being 80,000 square feet. The nearest Target to the Outer Banks in southern Chesapeake is almost 126,000 square feet.
Renovations on the nearly 30 year old building started in earnest late last summer, and has steadily progressed ever since.
Managers for the retail side were hired in the fall. Other positions, including for a CVS Pharmacy, Starbucks and an Ulta Beauty section, were beginning to be filled in January.
A check of jobs.target.com showed nine positions still available at the store, including one in management.