When Target opens its new, compact 11,000 square-foot location at 100 Cambridge St. on Sunday, Oct. 25, Erica Chang, the store director, hopes that not only will the business become a welcome and convenient option for shoppers on the go, but also that it will cater to the specific wants and needs of the neighborhood.
“I want everyone to feel comfortable and invited…and I really want to have an open ear and get to know everyone who comes into the store because it will be like my baby, or my home,” said the 27-year-old South End native. “I want everyone to feel welcome and like they’re getting the best guest experience. I really want to build relationships with the locals, and I want to find out what I can bring to the store so they’re leaving happy”
Chang began interning at Target’s Somerville store while she was an undergraduate student at UMass Amherst and then joined the staff of its Fenway location as a sales floor executive upon her graduation in 2015. Two years later, she transitioned into the role of human resources executive of Target’s Fenway store, and as, she wrote in an email, she “continued to fall in love with [herself] and the company.”
Now that Chang has fulfilled her longtime professional goal of becoming a store manager, she added: “I can say that I am a leader, a mentor, and a friend to my team, the community, and to Target.”
With its compact size, the Cambridge Street store will be among Target’s “Small Format” locations, which, Chang said, “are built for efficiency and to maximize selling space.”
The store will devote around 35-percent of its shelf space to food “with the emphasis on fresh at great prices,” Chang added, as well as offer other requisite goods, such as hair care and beauty products, household items and travel necessities.
Chang anticipates the store will likely attract many business professionals who work long hours and have little time to devote to shopping while still striving to maintain a healthy lifestyle and nutritious diet.
“Groceries that [are] quick and fresh…whether they’re snacks for lunch or ingredients for a seven-layer lasagna [will be among the store’s offerings],” Chang wrote. “[We’ll also have] a pharmacist and pharmacy available [on site] to answer any health questions. It’s the perfect one-stop shop.”
Meanwhile, Chang looks forward to getting to know the Beacon Hill community and said she has already benefited from hearing the insights of a colleague who grew up in the neighborhood. But Target’s Cambridge Street store won’t cater to only the Hill, she added, and instead will also aim to serve the nearby North End, Downtown and Chinatown.
“I would also love to hire from the community because there’s no better way to provide back,” Chang said, “and because I’m invested in the growth of the community and the well-being of its locals, as well as the health of the local economy.”
Chang will offer “on-the-spot” job interviews and be making offers for positions at the new Cambridge Street location from Aug. 27 to 29 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Fenway Target, or you can apply online at Target.com/careers.