Target - Fairfax (Merrifield), VA

Photos taken on August 14, 2019 by The Battery Mill

Welcome back to the Shoppes of Battery Mill! First off, apologies for not posting here. While I was busy with other matters, I have decided to stick to this blog to continue posting retail photos. I have been writing multiple blog posts, all of which will be coming soon. However, I'll start this one off with a national retail staple in a rather unique location.

Store info

• Store number: T-2790
• Address: 2905 District Ave S, Ste 400, Fairfax, VA 22031
• Opening date: October 10, 2012
• Innovation remodels: Home, E&E, A&A 2.0, Grocery
• Features: CVS Pharmacy, Photo, Café/Pizza Hut Express, Starbucks Coffee, Beer & Wine

This Target store is part of the mixed-use Mosaic District development in eastern Fairfax County, near Falls Church and Arlington. The development consists of numerous upscale retail outlets, restaurants, and attractions in addition to a sizable district of brownstones and apartments. The Mosaic District replaced a former Multiplex Cinemas on site, as well as several smaller businesses abutting Gallows Road and Lee Highway. Since its inception, numerous other mixed-use projects have been constructed within a few miles.

At the time of opening, Target already had a strong presence in the Washington, D.C. area. This store is their most recent large-format store in the region, as the chain has been focusing on smaller flex-formats in urban developments. On the account of urban-format locations, this store could be considered as one of those, seeing as it is located within such a development. In particular, this store is set on the fourth floor of its building, perched on top of a parking garage and numerous smaller tenants.
Without further ado, let's head shopping and begin our store tour.

 The main street through the entire Mosaic District development, as seen through a crosswalk. The CustomInk headquarters is nearby, with Tarzhay not far behind in its glamorous modern building.

Three steps to parking!

 Located at the parking garage entrance, one of Mosaic's directory signs. Could this have predicted Target's lowercase logo?

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Bullseyes galore! As it has become an integral component of Target, they've certainly managed to place the icon boldly within their architecture. The first photo is located within the lower level parking garage, with the second being located within the first floor of the stairwell.

Featured here is a cartwell on the third floor. From here to the fourth floor, where Target does their business, a set of Vermaport escalators enables guests to transport their carts to the store and back. Due to this, the shopping carts used within this store lack the lower racks for merchandise.

While the store used all-plastic prototype carts from its opening, they recently opted to exchange their fleet for Target's latest hybrid design. Interestingly, several other multi-level locations have also returned to the standby.

Entering the store, the first department presented is none other than softlines. This particular view features the Maternity and Menswear sections, as well as the fitting rooms. Notice the offset "Fitting Rooms" sign does not directly complement the department itself.

Alongside other Innovation remodels, the clothing department here has also been subject to such a reset. Shelving has been rearranged and replaced throughout, providing for emphasis on their new clothing brands. Certain less-performing sections, including jewelry, have been reduced or removed completely. Additionally, the chain's old signature red walls have made way for new gray, pivoting towards the concepts of their full-scale remodels.

Within the electronics department, you are able to see the P09 lanterns, introduced in a later iteration of the package. Other portions of the store have had such decorational elements, which have been removed with Innovation remodels.

A look at a typical P09 signage, as part of a décor package that, before Target's current remodel campaign, was the most common kind in the chain. This sign signifies the travel section featuring luggage and other items for long-distance voyages.

Looking around the sporting goods corner and into the grocery department, a price scanner kiosk stands tall in the endcap. This is the design used in both P09 and P13, something which seems rather temporary and low-key than anything else.

One thing I've noticed here is the lack of an actual price-scanning machine at this kiosk. This is something I also observed at the Manassas West store in the same general location.

Looking into the seasonal section, back-to-school items are seen during their respective shopping season. The store carries an assortment of products for said season, ranging from basic school supplies to college furniture items. You may also notice a slight angle making up the store's corner.
This wall configuration mirrors that of the exterior's east face, as seen in this inset photo.

This photo features the grocery aisles, and is facing the back of the store. Not long ago, the store's PFresh department was repainted and given new overhead fixtures as part of an Innovation remodel. The partial remodel differentiated the grocery section from the rest of the store, featuring a color scheme that resembles natural foods stores more than a typical Target store.

This remodel has appeared at numerous area stores, and has also been incorporated into their full-scale renovation program. While this is a rather conventional change in today's retail world, there's something rather unorthodox about Target's reset.

This, in particular is a new home for their alcoholic beverages. In line with typical design
This alcove was likely cut out of the store's backroom - though I presume it would be interesting to see how that place is organized with such an addition reshaping such an area. It is also unclear as to where these products were originally displayed, and what is in place in the regular grocery aisles.

A close-up of a Target price scanner kiosk in the home goods section, featuring a classic assistance handset and the store map. The actual price scanner is on the left side.

Looking in again to the store map. This is the map design used by Target during the late P09 era (2012-13). It favors a minimalist design consisting of simple gray departments on an isometric plane, with the multi-level entrance simply being depicted with dotted lines and all the methods to get up/down to the ground (sans interpretations on the first three levels). This map design was carried over and slightly tweaked for the P13 package.

A look at the in-store CVS Pharmacy (formerly a Target Pharmacy) just to the right of the front end area. Interestingly, this store has up to 24 checkouts. I imagine these lanes are seldom used, though it's quite a large amount even for this kind of store!

 

Looking closer at checklane light 21, where a portion of the entrance and guest service can be seen. Target used these checkout lights for new stores/remodels until this past year, when they switched to a new clear configuration.

Looking from the same checkout, you can see more inactive checkout lanes stocked with various merchandise. In the distance, the restrooms, as well as other general information boards and an ATM are visible. CVS Pharmacy's spot is to the right.

Looking just outside the Mosaic District development, this is an interestingly geometrically laid out sign with all major tenants included. Target's portion of the sign is solely depicted as a bullseye, something that has become more common with their newest locations.

 

At the northwest corner of the store, an array of signage and architectural elements mark the store's territory. In the second picture, the parking garage is exposed within its architecture as well. One of the lower tenants is a newer Neiman Marcus Last Call discount outlet. 

With this, our store tour concludes at a full circle. Though any store tour is not complete without something extra...

Bonus photos

This is an entrance to the Taylor Gourmet home goods shop located in the Target entrance vestibule. The store has another entrance through the exterior as well.

Edit 3/22/2020: Another bonus photo of the Target exterior looking southeast. Gotta love those futuristic tiles!

That being said, thanks for enjoying my post! I am certainly hoping to post more soon on here. My next posts will feature never-before-seen content from my retail photo backlog, as well as some old favorites that I moved from Flickr.

'Till next time, stay tuned! -BatteryMill