Hoping Target store hits the mark

Full disclosure: I’m not a Target guy.

Of course, I’m not a shopping person. So, Target wouldn’t hold any lesser role with me than, say, Winn-Dixie. 

Nothing against Target. I’ve always enjoyed their popcorn. And it’s a clean, bright, happy store.

If I was a shopper, Target would be right up there.

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Fortunately for Target, non-shoppers like me weren’t on the corporate mind when the company announced in January 2022 that it was building a store in Lecanto.

The one that’s about to open in a few days.

And this community is ready.

Target had a ribbon-cutting and soft opening Tuesday evening. A few hundred community leaders, politicians, and the like were invited in for a look-see. Lecanto High School’s marching band and cheerleaders were on hand, and gotta say, I loved every moment of it.

There is just something so small-town America in a grand opening. I remember the openings of the Crystal River Mall and Inverness Walmart Supercenter — both huge events. (Including, haha, the Chronicle’s photo of teenagers holding a sign saying they skipped school for Walmart and the follow-up story that the kids were suspended because administrators saw their picture in the paper. Can’t make this stuff up.)

I realize there is plenty of angst about growth. And this entire C.R. 486/491 corner has taken on a commercial life of its own. All the politicians and business leaders say this intersection was designed for this type of growth, so here we are.

As I walked through the store Tuesday speaking with folks, I encountered an energy, a positive vibe. No worries about traffic or anything like that. Instead, just a feeling of excitement. Finally, something new is opening in Citrus County that we can all visit and experience.

I went back and read the blog I wrote on Jan. 7, 2022, the day after Just Wright Citrus broke the news that Target was coming to Lecanto. It was massive news; the Target rumor had existed for decades. Just Wright Citrus was fairly young, and I picked up 400 Facebook followers from that post alone.

The Chronicle grabbed the story afterward and reported the numerous other major chain restaurants and stores headed to that corner. Every story brought dozens of comments, some giddy with the next shiny new thing, others horrified that the county they knew so well was disappearing.

I kinda fell in the middle of that debate. So, munching on Target popcorn, a few thoughts:

— Target is the commercial equivalent of the Suncoast Parkway opening. It’s that huge. Not so much the store, but what it represents. With Target and all its corporate friends in Lecanto, our reasons for visiting Ocala just, um, ended. Didn’t we go to Ocala to shop and eat at the big chains?

— Over 100 new jobs were created in this store. That’s 100 jobs for people who either didn’t have one or needed another one to make ends meet.

Let’s try to avoid, at least for today, the debate that these “service” jobs won't sustain the economy. No argument here. But a job’s a job. That intersection is creating employment for a lot of people.

— Here’s a very cool video by the county that includes info about Target and the Land Development Code. The Target stuff starts around the 4:20 mark.

— We once were a Kmart community. Then Walmart. Then dollar stores galore. Now Target. We’re progressing, right?

— Speaking of Walmart, that’s an interesting dynamic right across the street. Will they co-exist peacefully, or should we expect some shenanigans? Late-night stocking pranks, that kind of thing.

— The Target grand opening is Sunday, Aug. 18. Consider that a save-the-date, or advanced warning, whichever you prefer.

— As stores go, this one is very nice. Clean as a whistle and ready for humans.

Our little community is growing up. Target in Lecanto today, Waffle House in Homosassa tomorrow. Some Citrus Countians are thrilled. Others, not so much.

Sure is interesting. Never a dull moment around here.

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