Target opened in Forest Hills in 2016
April 3, 2018 By Tara Law
A small-format Target store will open on 31st Street near the Ditmars Boulevard station in Astoria in 2022.
Target announced today that the 47,000 square foot location at 22-11 31st St. will offer will household essentials, including home decor, apparel and accessories, beauty supplies, a CVS Pharmacy, tech goods and a grocery.
The store will be the third small-format Target in Queens. Target opened a store at 70-00 Austin St. in Forest Hills in 2016, and another store is slated to open in 40-31 82nd St in Elmhurst in 2019.
The opening is part of the retailer’s push to open 130 smaller format stores by 2019. The stores are structured for areas without room for bigger stores, such as urban areas, dense suburban neighborhoods and near college campuses.
“Target’s newest Queens small-format store will offer a unique shopping experience specifically designed for families with young kids, on-the-go commuters and young professionals,” said Mark Schindele, the senior vice president of Properties for Target. “We’re excited to provide Astoria and Ditmars-Steinway residents ease and convenience, with a curated assortment that includes household, home décor, beauty and kids’ products.”
The store will employ up to 100 people, according to Target.
Rendering (Target)
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60 Comments
Although Key Food is missed, Target is my shop on line store for just about everything. I buy groceries at Target on line at least once a week.
How can I apply?
We don’t want a commercial big box store in our neighborhood, this is not the place for it . Our community needs more small mom and pop independent stores . Target will ruin our neighborhood and our small community.
Just open already!
What will happen to Cvs on the corner? What will happen to the Starbucks on the other corner? Guess those are job losses right there. I agree Target should have gone to the old Sports Authority site. They could have demolished building and built up if they needed to and put parking in there too. No room for target in a Ditmars. I also agree we need a Barnes and Noble here. Luv that store.
should we open a blockbuster video too?
You mean re-open? Because there already was one. Remember the recently vacated California Farmers Market up 31st Street between 21st Avenue and Ditmars? For those of us old enough to remember, that was the neighborhood Blockbuster, and it only closed because every other Blockbuster did except in Bend, OR, which remains open to this day as the last in the world. I would love to see it return to being Blockbuster. The 24/7 CVS on the corner used to be the flower/plant shop and a Rite Aid (two stores on one site) and obviously TJ Maxx now occupies where the older CVS was.
Any word on what is going into the construction sight where the old CVS used to be? Looks like they’re making good progress on it
that is a 40-something unit condo going up w/ commercial on ground floor
they now have sites on ditmars boulevard buildings 36st -14 million dollars deal
they have there sites set on buildings on ditmars boulevard 36 st through 35-18 and 35-16 and 35-14-35-12 on ditmars boulevard large developers..14 million dollar negotiations…
Who the hell wants to buy groceries from Target?
I feel for the small business, those giants can knock them down?
trader joes would have been nicer
I live in the Ditmars area and I have mixed feelings about this. I am glad there will be a place where people can shop for everyday household items. Its been a struggle finding reasonable merchandise anywhere on Ditmars lately. On the other hand, this opening will just add to the already over crowded area. I assume many shoppers will flock to this location. Personally, I secretly liked that my mother in law/landlord had to walk all the way to DII Deals & Discounts on Broadway weekly to shop. It got her out of the house and away. I will miss her being away during the day. Its the only thing she does on her own.
A real Target should have moved into the closed Sports Authority on Northern Blvd.
I agree, complete waste of space.
They should of moved to Steinway. I do not know how those stores stay open with no one shopping there.
I am a longtime resident of Astoria of 58 years. Born and raised. Mom and Pop stores?
With the exception of maybe a couple of stores like Bartunek, La Guli, etc…
there aren’t many. Back in the good old days pretty much every store was a Mom and Pop.
We had Kiddie Land, Hermans, Franks Sporting Goods, Weber, Deutches Meats, Jacobi’s,
Bobbie’s Beat, Valco kids toy store on Steinway St.,. We had a soccer stadium called
Eintrach Oval located down on 2oth avenue. We had a wonderful Carvel with places to park around it and it was located next to a beautiful post office. The Carvel and post office was lost in an mysterious explosion that happened sometime back in the early 1980s.
Astoria may appear quaint to some of the newer folks but ask us old timers and we will tell you how much of a true neighborhood Astoria once was. Everyone pretty much new everyone. Target? I am all for it. As it is we now have too many places to eat and drink.
Wish they would have put in a YMCA down on 20th and 31st street where they recently opened the storage facility.
Neighborhood residents also play a role in all this. People have cheaper alternatives and better selections when they visit big stores or shop on line (Costco, Home Depot, Wallmart, Amazon etc.). Its nice to know your shop keepers but at the end of the day saving money and an array of choices is what sells.
Well said
Bring Blockbuster back!
Good location where people can shop good “household, home décor, beauty and kids’ products.” I hope abc deals and Pick 99 cents closes.
TRADER JOE’S.
Keyfood is the reason why we don’t have Trader Joe’s in Astoria. KeyFood has mob ties also + union is what’s preventing Trader’s Joe from being in most of Queens
Key food is not the reason why Trader Joe’s is not in Astoria. Trader Joe’s said 5 years ago that Astoria didn’t fit the demographics they were looking. In 5 years things have changed. And key food does not have mob ties. Get your facts straight
TradeFair is also another one…
idk why ppl insists that these chains are better options
when Keyfoods and tradefair are overpriced!! known for (unfair treatment and underpaying their workers with many of their employees protesting keyfoods / trade fair) also when trader’s joes wanted to come to Astoria the union shut them down
Target in Forest Hills is where Barnes & Noble was. We need them more than we need Target.
I think we need Keyfood more than a mini Target. I can’t imagine all those shoppers having to go to another supermarket. Any ideas what will be happening with Keyfood?
Target is like a supermarket with more household products. I am sure they will also try to cater to the ethnic neighborhood with specialized goods.
Food is a necessity. People will go to the other markets in the Ditmars area like Trade Fair.
Great another place to shop
Yes it is
It will turn ghetto but might be a nice hang out for the all the elderly, arab moms who are not working and shelter residents all over the Ditmars area during the day.
What a stupid thing to say. Get a life!
Astoria is very socially and economically diverse despite what some landlords and developers try to sell. There is a lot of truth to the above statement and there is nothing wrong with it.
Stores like Target are totally different when they open in places like Astoria compared to most of the suburbs of LI or even North East Queens. Around here they quickly become unorganized, dirty and chaotic but still manage to profit because many shoppers around here do not care and do not mind shopping in trash.
What’s so existing about a target? Haven’t you noticed what’s happening to astoria?it was the best place to live not anymore, what a shame
Lern how to spell Maria. We will love Target! Don’t forget about Ray Ray and me.
Says the man who can’t spell learn!
Astoria is a sad place to live now… Its insane that its becoming mini Manhattan…
Keep turning astoria into a commercialized neighborhood meanwhile families are forced to move out like I did what a shame
Pick and choose your battles. I rather focus on affordable housing or transit in Astoria than on a change which i see as an improvement in an already commercial block (its not like they are tearing down homes to build a store here). Also, most of the eateries (restaurants/bars) and shops (the few of them that still exist) on ditmars are owned by private/small entrepreneurs with the exception of like. 7-11, McDonald’s and CVS. This Target opening will be welcomed and is needed for the many families in the area. There are very few places to shop on Ditmars for household goods. And not everyone drives or can shop on line.
Hope we don’t lose Keyfood
Keyfood stinks, it’s
Expensive & has produce that’s days old. They sell out dated
Items, check your dates. Bring on Trader
Joe’s. ?
its gonna stink if I have to take the bus to the supermarket. If they replace the Keyfood with something better, fine but if they just eliminate it, it’s gonna hurt alot of people.
So many small businesses will no longer be around. The “Mom and Pop” stores can’t compete. But, you’ll have a bunch of stuff, made in China, to add to the list. I avoid these types of stores as much as practical.
Most of the stuff in “mom and pop” shops that I see are from China, too! At least there will be better quality stuff to purchase rather than going into 99ct stores (where nothing costs 99ct anymore ) and buying curtain panels that have been in there since the 90s and are discolored or salvaged from the basement lol
Whole Foods would be so much better!!
Why not absorb the CVS on the corner and build out from there? We need a dollar store and a Planet Fitness!
4 years…they won’t be toddlers anymore! 😉
Why 2022? I live right by the construction site and they be been working like crazy. That seems a really long time.
It looks like its across the street from that site. Guess they’re demolishing all the other stores. I did hear the gym is moving across the street to the new building’s basement
That construction site isn’t for Target. Target is going to be across the street where The Rock, Dragon and Phoenix, Key Foods etc. currently are.
They are gonna have to close down and tear out all of the business that are currently there. There is a potential we are losing 2 restaurants, a gym and probably Key Food. There’s a lot happening here.
Because 22-11 31st St isn’t where cvs used to be, this is subway address. Not sure if keyfood will be gone too?
Better than a lame discount store but I would’ve preferred a Whole Foods! @wholefoods, come to Queens!!
Not at their ridiculous prices>
I would have preferred Trader Joes
So excited for the stores opening. To get to a target I have to travel far with two toddlers. This is great!!