To attract holiday shoppers in cities and neighborhoods out of the reach of its stores, Target makes an annual point to bring some kind of retail pop-up to different markets. This year the retailer made that effort over the weekend, with drive-through-style stores in New York, San Francisco, and Washington.
Each installation of Target To Go let shoppers look at 50 gift ideas in window displays before paying for their selections at a separate counter. Target worked with regular collaborator David Stark to bring the spaces from concept to reality.
Stark gave a uniform look to the San Francisco and Washington structures, adopting a holiday-friendly Tudor facade to channel images of Santa's village and the North Pole. For the New York iteration, nestled under the city's new High Line Park, Stark wanted to do something more distinctive. "We wanted a structure that would meld into the surrounding architecture with a wink and a smile," he said.
The result was a faux brick facade that mirrored the single-story stores found throughout the meatpacking district. But Target's wares were substantially cheaper than its neighbors. Each of the pop-ups organized the 50 items for sale in windows labeled "Under $25" and "Under $50"—with another window reserved for more extravagant fare.
Each shopper was given a checklist to choose which of the clothes, games, movies, and electronics they wanted, and after paying at one of the registers, they received their entire haul, individually gift-wrapped in a complimentary bag made of recycled fabric.
Target also used the three temporary shops to preview their latest design partnership. Rodarte for Target doesn't arrive in stores until December 20, but shoppers in each of the three markets had the chance to buy several of the dresses at Target To Go throughout its run.
