Target Pop Up - Innovation

On September 5, Target hosted a private party for V.I.P.s to preview the Shops at Target pop-up inside Highline Stages. Just past the entrance, a three-dimensional frame resembling the outline of a building served as the step-and-repeat.

Using the ad campaign for the fall installment of the Shops at Target as its design springboard, ExtraExtra sought to create a street scene within the raw venue, marking the entrance to the main space with metal gates and a hallway framed by tree-shaped cutouts.

To avoid the kind of manic shopping that has marked previous Target pop-up shops, the Minneapolis retailer opted to limit each guest's purchases to five items only. This was enforced at both the private preview and the public event during Fashion's Night Out.

Target looked to create a cohesive space that gave each of the Shops at Target partners a distinct look within the pop-up by building four separate "boutiques."

Displays inside the space carved out for the Curiosity Shoppe matched the San Francisco-based store's eclectic collection of kitchenware, home decor, and novelty items.

The producers also used lighting and props to give each boutique a look specific to the partner and its collection.

Hunting-lodge-style decor gave the section for menswear label Odin a more masculine aesthetic.

Open framework, hinting at brick facades and windows, separated each boutique and echoed the look of the ad campaign.

In addition to signs atop the entrances to each space, Target used illuminated signs, like those typically found in malls, to highlight the areas for the four Shops at Target partners.

Small touches like white window boxes of red gerbera daisies added some color and personality to the pop-up.

Rather than place registers inside each boutique, Target built a separate checkout area for guests to pay for their items. The design of the space matched the look and feel of the rest of the pop-up.

For the private event, a cart serving pretzels added to the look of the temporary store. A digital news ticker attached to the piece displayed the #ShopsAtTgt hashtag.

The boutiques were placed around the perimeter of the venue, creating a central courtyard area that was decorated with white benches and a tree-shaped sculpture.

As a whimsical way to incorporate a bar into the pop-up for the private event, the production team built a diner-style "coffee shop."

At the bar, guests could order a drink or grab a bag of flavored popcorn that hung from clips overhead.

Swedish indie band Miike Snow performed at the preview party; Alexandra Richards served as the DJ early in the evening.