Making Progress

Apparently those tree pits in front of Target have been partially cleared to make way for.... wait for it.... trees! Making progress! So our complaints have worked. Your voices are being heard by the powers that be. Keep it up readers!

.... and after

Before....

Forest Hills Target Opens

So our Target opened early—and while I was out of town—but I had the chance to check it out over the weekend. I know readers have already begun commenting about it, so here's my own take. I think it's great to have the new Target store within walking distance. Yes, I agree, they need to fine tune some of what they carry a bit better to our neighborhood, but for now, I'll take it! No more schlepping onto the R train for my cheap supersize boxes of toilet paper and garbage bags anymore. And... I can pick up my printer paper at the same time, and cheap picture frames! The list goes on and on... it is just a great addition that really enhances the shopping available within walking distance in our neighborhood. And that is how it should be. This is New York City. You shouldn't have to jump into a car—especially if you don't own one, like myself—to have access to the larger and cheaper sizes that a major retailer like Target offers.

I'd love it if they added an aisle for books since we lost that when they took over the Barnes & Noble space. In fact, one friend of mine suggests they do away with the clothing altogether and use that space for other stuff we need more of here in the Hills.

I personally love the grocery section as well. It immediately surpasses some of the other supermarkets in our area in terms of cleanliness, quality and product selection (love their private label organics, for instance.)

So, there you have my take on it. What do you think? Here's some pics I took. And, by the way, I absolutely love the renovated Starbucks there as well.

By the way, before anyone complains about the fact that they took over Barnes & Noble, I know some folks are actively trying to open a small neighborhood bookshop somewhere in our area. If they don't manage to do it, someone else will soon. There's a huge market for real books in Forest Hills. HUGE! And someone will take over one of the available smaller spaces on Austin or Queens Blvd. or one of the nearby side streets soon to fill it.

The new Target has brought the pedestrian traffic, and with it the need for a traffic cop

The new Target's grocery section, strategically located on the second floor so you have plenty of chance to impulse buy along the way!

The inside of the renovated Starbucks

Target Date

Target Responds

I received an email from a Target spokesperson regarding my post the other day about the bricking over of the tree pits on the sidewalk in front of the store:

Prior to Target signing our lease with Muss Development, the NYC Parks Department removed dead trees in July 2015 from the sidewalk area at 7000 Austin Street. Since signing the lease, Muss Development and Target have worked with the city and paid to have the tree stumps ground and sidewalks temporarily bricked over so there wasn’t a tripping hazard. We understand the NYC Parks Department will replace the trees at a future date. I’d suggest that you contact the NYC Parks Department to learn about their plans for this space.

We look forward to working with the city and local community to maintain the green space outside our new Forest Hills, Queens store, scheduled to open July 20, 2016.

Waaay Off Target

Post Update: I just wanted to post an update to my original comments below. I should clarify that when I wrote the post I assumed that Target had no permission to do this to the sidewalk in front of its new store. But, upon discussing it with others, I should amend this post to say that I have no information supporting that assumption. While I am not familiar with cases where a business has received permission to alter the sidewalk in front of its store, until I know for sure I should not jump to the conclusion, and nor should any readers, that Target acted without receiving permission from the City. If Target took this action after getting the OK from the City, then that changes everything—and my issue would be with the City granting that permission. Also, I objected to this based on the photos I saw. As a neighborhood blogger, I should and will visit the site myself and see if there is any worthwhile reason for this construction. It just could be that Target absolutely needed this part of the sidewalk unobstructed in order to conduct its business, for example. I view Target as an excellent addition to our neighborhood—one that will provide a lot of easy access to a wide assortment of products we probably don't currently have in Central Forest Hills, so I want to be as fair as possible to this new store. I think my original post was a little hasty and unfair until we know the full story.

We have a history on Austin Street of builders cementing over these tree pits, even cementing over LIVING TREES believe it or not (hey, it happened at the still-in-limbo construction site next to the Bareburger), so forgive me for being a little, perhaps, over-sensitive to this issue. 


This is truly bizarre behavior for a business just entering our neighborhood and, I'm sorry to say, is the height of corporate arrogance. The squares you see in the sidewalk below used to be home to beautiful trees, something we citizens of New York City can always use more of, not less of. The soon-to-open Target apparently took it upon itself to just brick these spots over to fit with their new store's design. They don't own the sidewalk, and they certainly have no right to assume we will be ok with them taking away the precious spaces we have reserved for our sidewalk trees. It's disgraceful behavior which I hope was the result of just an oversight between Target and the builders of its new store and not actually planned. In any case, it needs to be rectified immediately. (It also makes their co-retailer, Starbucks, look very, very bad.)
Thanks to Michael Perlman for the photos.

Forest Hills In League with TriBeCa

.... that is, if you consider where the Target chain is choosing to open its new urban-format stores, as according to this article in Fortune from back in November...

Target Finally Bringing its Small-Format Urban Stores to Manhattan 

The TriBeCa location will cater to a wealthy neighborhood that’s also full of tourists.... While Target is still refining its plans, the TriBeCa store will proportionally offer more grab-and-go food options for harried office workers, more organic foods for those finicky TriBeCans, and a lot of apparel. Target will adjust its home goods selection to fit smaller New York City homes.

 Personally, I'll take it...

More About the Planned Forest Hills Target Store

New Store, Big City: Target to Open in Queens, N.Y., in 2016 

The bright lights, the crowds, the hustle and bustle. When you make your home in the big city, convenience is key. So driving long distances to do your shopping, and loading up on economy-size packs that won’t fit through your apartment door? Not always an option. Target is all about bringing convenience, value and great design closer to home—and since we go where our guests go, we’re customizing each new store to ensure a locally-relevant experience, complete with assortments and shopping solutions that best fit the surrounding neighborhood’s needs. We’re excited to announce our newest flexible format store opening in Forest Hills, Queens, N.Y., in July 2016.

A two-level, 21,000-square-foot space, the Queens Target store will be located near a Long Island Railroad transit stop, easily accessible on foot or by car. It’ll be a quick stop for locals to find pharmacy, fresh grocery with grab-and-go food options, basic apparel (think tees, tanks and C9 active wear for men and women), health and beauty necessities, tech accessories, tablets, mobile phones and more. We’ll stock it with a tailored assortment that caters to city dwellers, including home products perfect for single family homes and condos. And to make each shopping trip as quick and easy as possible, we’ll offer easy fulfillment options like Store Pickup, so guests can place an order online and pick it up at the store for free.

The Queens location is one of two Target stores coming to the Big Apple in 2016. Across the city, we’re designing our 100,000+-square-foot Fulton Street store to cater to residents and students in downtown Brooklyn’s Albee Square, and visitors coming from the nearby DeKalb Avenue subway station. It’ll be stocked with grab-and-go food options, innovative mobile solutions and lots more based on what local guests told us they want most.



It’s all part of our urban growth strategy to reach guests in new places with the right mix of products and shopping experiences—creating more opportunities for guests to shop how, where and when they want. How’s that for convenience?

Huge News! Target to Replace Barnes & Noble in Forest Hills!

The Daily News broke the story today:

Express Target will replace Barnes & Noble in Forest Hills

Barnes & Noble out. Target in.
A new Target store is slated to take over the space formerly occupied by Barnes & Noble at 7000 Austin St., in Forest Hills, the Daily News has learned. The store will be the first flexible-sized location in Queens for Target, which has recently been offering more compact shopping experiences for city-dwellers.
Target inked a deal for a 15-year, 20,795-square-foot lease and is slated to open at the propery in mid-2016.