US: Target store team manager, speaks for the period of the store’s blessing in this March file photo. When the Kailua Target store joined the Kailua Chamber of Commerce, it marked one of the first, if not the first, times the Minneapolis retailer has joined a local chamber of commerce.
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 to Drew 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 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
