June 15, 2015
Target in Kailua steps out of the box, joins local chamber of commerce
By Darin Moriki
When Target was preparing to open one of the retail giant's newest stores in the Windward Oahu town of Kailua, one thing was clear toDrew Santos: doing so would be unlike any other in Hawaii, or on the Mainland, for that matter.
"Opening our Target store in Kailua was different than opening another Target store," said Santos, the store's team leader. "The community was more involved and aware of what we were doing, and we wanted to make sure that we don't forget about what we did prior to opening, but we continue with what we started."
It's one of the reasons why the Kailua native said he recently decided to have the Kailua Target store become a member of the Kailua Chamber of Commerce — a move that very few Target (NYSE: TGT) stores have taken, if any at all.
"Target has stores across the nation and we operate roughly 1,800 stores nationwide, and joining chambers is not the norm," Santos said. "It definitely was a decision that I made — a lot of thought went into that and I think it's a smart move for us."
Kailua Chamber of Commerce President Cynthia Manley said she hopes Santos' decision "will hopefully set the standard and pave the way for other retailers."
"This gives an opportunity for smaller businesses to talk with them and for them to be able to see and meet with people and talk about things — like what Target'scarrying that smaller businesses carry and what Target's thinking of carrying that other small businesses may have — and I think that will help the community grow well," Manley said.
Going forward, Santos said he would like Target to play a role in the discussions of Kailua's future.
http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/blog/2015/06/target-in-kailua-steps-out-of-the-box-joins-local.html
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