Target - Front Royal, VA: In the Express Lane

Once again, welcome back to the Shoppes of Battery Mill! On today's edition, we are off to a quaint Shenandoah Valley town better known as Front Royal. While it has maintained its rural character, it has also gained a considerable amount of suburban retail essentials, including this sleek Target store.

Photos taken on July 26, 2020 by The Battery Mill

Store info

• Store number: T-2297
• Address: 10 Crooked Run Plz, Front Royal, Virginia 22630
  
• Opening date: July 25, 2007
• Remodels: PFresh (ca. 2011)
• Features: PFresh, Pharmacy, Photo, Café/Pizza Hut Express, Starbucks Coffee, Beer & Wine

This Target location opened in 2007, as part of the Crooked Run Plaza shopping center. Its opening happened to predate Walmart's launch across the street by a year. I'll have to say, this is quite the oddity for such a town! (Nevertheless, Kmart was there long before both.)

 That being said, let's zoom on in and see what surprises this store has along its course.

Our first pitstop along the Target racetrack will be within the clothing department. This happens to be a rather standard Target softlines department with plain dolleys of clothing articles. The kicker here, however, is that it is getting to be a more elusive sight at stores that have yet to fully renovate. 

Since 2013, Target has conducted what are known as "Innovation" remodels, where select store departments are "targeted" for a remodel. This involves new carpeting, light fixtures, displays, and wall paint. None of the known Innovation remodels (electronics, apparel, grocery, pets etc.) have been applied to this store.

Our next station happens to be further down the line in softlines. The centerpiece of this photo is a plain P04-era price scanner, with all the bells and whistles Target guests have come to expect.

At the back-left corner of the store, we are presented with a standard Target fitting room. Inside, it is somewhat barebones compared to later designs (which generally feature red walls, disk-shaped light fixtures and wood finishes). Given the ongoing situation, however, it has been roped off and decommissioned for the time being. Only time will tell as to if such may return.

Departing softlines, the last thing we will look at will be the shoe aisles. While it may seem rather standard and nondescript, fitting amongst many other chains, I am pleased by the open-air feeling Target has put together for this section.

Entering the hardline world, we find ourselves by the movies and music department ...what is apparently a new outpost for toys. Given the decline of physical media sales (one that especially targets CD albums) and a lack of a revised Innovation layout, Target has reallocated their offering to around one or two aisles. These changes therefore free up space for new product, and Target ultimately decided on this diversified toy display mirroring that found in deluxe versions of the P17 set.

With that being said, I do have a question for my readers. Are they doing this reset for all stores that have yet to receive the E&E Innovation package?

Gliding on down the road, we find ourselves at the very heart of the electronics department.   of which electronics team members are stationed out of. This place is a prime example of pre-Innovation electronics displays, with one special element stuck in the middle. An older Target electronics boat, that is.

Evident by the countertop design and graphic inset, this boat's design was tailored primarily for digital cameras (which were popular buys when this store opened). Since 2007, Target has implemented newer boat designs that prioritize guest services while opting to present such handheld devices elsewhere nearby.

We continue to ride the racetrack, zooming by the Seasonal department. As is now a July tradition, it is  arranged for back-to-school shopping. In spite of most area schools staying virtual, the sales continue for anyone who needs such items.

In the store's original state, the seasonal department would have been perched on the right side of the perimeter (aligned with grocery). With PFresh necesitating a large grocery selection, these seasonal shelves shifted into what was once Automotive/Home Improvement's slot. Here's a similar layout example from their Kernersville, North Carolina location (T-2134) which abstained from such a change.

Making a turn, we now have the store's grocery aisles within our sights. This is your standard PFresh department, again without the gray Innovation remodel. PFresh came to the store in a remodel which significantly boosted the store's grocery selection, and also resulted in other select changes throughout the store.

One curious fact about this department is that it has created some rather awkward support column (off-camera) situations with its renovation. With the racetrack moved several feet to accommodate these long aisles, said poles would now occupy the middle of the track. I still hope everyone's been able to cruise safely though!

Next, we'll take a different approach, meandering through center-store lanes. Here's a view down towards grocery on the store's right-hand side, with furniture and the relocated home improvement department in middleground.

 

From the same standpoint, we gander all the way down this track back to clothing.

Just an aisle away from the main racetrack, we find ourselves off the beaten path, among gondolas full of pet foods. As we savor this scene, I'll take in the bright glow of both the pharmacy's husk and the cosmetics department's fixtures.

Approaching the finish line, we come by the jewelry/accessory department. The desk is unmanned, with the display cases blanked out. With the apparel Innovation setup, Target seems to be removing such kiosks - and perhaps retiring the business at stores which happen to still have it, such as here.

...and finally, we have arrived at our victory lap! While we've come to rake in the rewards, I've stumbled on another Target curiosity around here.

These express checkouts are yet another rarity. In recent years, they have been eliminated for self-checkouts, of which were first tested at Target Canada. Following the chain's exit from the aforementioned country in 2015, these machines began to trickle in to their U.S. store base alongside all-new shipments. 

Upon my visit, all four express stands were offline. I am unsure if this had been ongoing, but I'd presume it had recently been in use given the presence of Plexiglas shields.

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Thank you all for enjoying this presentation of the Shoppes of Battery Mill! Be sure to stick around for more retail content heading your way.

Kmart - Silver Spring, MD: Bluelight Gems

Welcome back once again to the Shoppes of Battery Mill! Today's post features one of America's most storied retailers, and one of its last holdouts at that. What could it be? That's true - Kmart, your saving store...

Photos taken on September 6, 2020 by The Battery Mill

• Address: 14014 Connecticut Ave, Silver Spring, Maryland 20906
  
• Opening date: November 30, 1972
• Closing date: Expected April 2021
  
• Features: Pharmacy
• Former: Garden Center, Penske Auto Center
• Known remodels: early 2010s

 ...where your dollar buys you more!

 Slogan aside, we've come here to explore their Silver Spring, MD store, located in the Aspen Hill neighborhood off of Georgia and New Hampshire Avenues. As of March 2021, this location has been announced to close down, marking the end of a 48-year run and an exit for Kmart in both Maryland and the Washington, D.C. metro area.

What treasures may we uncover today? Let's see.

 We kick off our store tour (or "stour", I shall say) with a glance to the left, away from the store's entrance. At this rate, it happens to be a rather barebones environment with a "Pharmacy" sign being one of the only notable landmarks.

Now looking towards the right edge of the store, these ostensibly-present landmarks happen to be signs advertising (now sold-off) Sears name brands, added after the 2004 buyout. However, there is one peculiarity that compounds on such events - of which we will reveal shortly.

Before we enter through the doors, we return to the front facade for more. The upper image is a variant of Kmart's 2004 logo; said variant has appeared at only a handful stores over the years.

Now it's time to experience the store itself! Here we gaze into the glory of Kmart right past the vestibule doors. In front of me is their generic holiday display, filled with Halloween supplies as spooky season approaches.

Such an angle, I'd say can be quite comparable to this 1970s Kmart photograph. I wonder what other surprises would a location like this have carried...

Diving into the store's expanse, we trudge over to the sports gear aisle. A rather well-stocked collection, these shelves hold up a host of items licensed by Washington and Baltimore professional sports organizations, including the nearby University of Maryland's Terrapins teams.

We now head down one of the store's actionways, walking on the edge of the health & beauty aisles alongside other discount store departments. In the distance lies Kmart's pharmacy - a rare sight among a disappearing retail chain.

Onwards we go to the pharmacy itself, a rather standard one at that. For years, Kmart has operated pharmacies, in line with its competition and all sorts of other supermarkets/drugstores. At the time of this visit, less than a hundred stores were open.

With the store's closing sale, (as of this post's writing) this pharmacy has likely now shuttered, with prescriptions moved to a nearby drugstore.

Capping the pharmacy off, here's a standard Kmart pharmacy emblem.

Before we move on to our next subject, let's head to the DVD stand for intermission. The aisle this selection is located in also features a slew of book titles. This is perhaps one of the store's last bastions of entertainment, given it now lacks an electronics department entirely.

The upper photo showcases the household supplies actionway, with the lower photo being a typical overhead sign design implemented in the early 2010s Kmart package. While it was a common upgrade across the brand, it did not entail many improvements for many other store facets. This store previously donned the Big Kmart look.

While we are in the heart of the grocery department, we skim by one of the store's most interesting quirks on the right. The answer will be revealed shortly.

Speaking of which, I wonder what that green strip of tiles once stood for?

Your standard Kmart toys department. One interesting thing about this section is that most products was often the only one in its column, with none behind it.

And now, onto the next ones...

 

So here appears the store's main oddity, one we have teased before: a blocked-off chunk of aisles! In line with all the troubles Kmart's been experiencing, this isn't the wildest sight one may see in the chain. This subdivision stems from a local construction supply company which has purchased the garden center. I am personally surprised this hadn't been walled off, or even tarped off at the time.

 

Customer photos from Google Maps and other sources indicate that this section of the store once belonged to some of the departments of the store which are now located in the remaining open space. This shift, however, has resulted in the loss of other sections, such as electronics, furniture, appliance, and (of course) outdoor supplies.

Today's next view will be here at this random collection of aisles, combining various supplies, clothing, and food items into one area. You may notice the presence of windows at the wall's apex. While I cannot confirm anything, I believe this would have to be a second-floor mezzanine or perhaps just an accent for the backroom.

Here is one of the aisles in particular, already stocked with Christmas gear even as summer shines on. In the distance is the store's front-end.

A view from the perimeter of the store, casting light tubes into the horizon.

Here's another such viewpoint focusing on the store's lighting, plus a little extra - a large, vintage vent. I will argue that newer designs have managed to make air conditioning less cumbersome.

Skimming by the sporting goods department, an empty bike rack is perhaps the boldest fixture of anything that can be found in the vicinity.

The aforementioned case is a sight I have seen at comparable stores such as Target and Walmart in the wake of the pandemic. Whether it be a tremendous growth in sales, distribution shortages, or any other cause, it's certainly one that invokes questions from the start.

At last, we cross over into this store's widest expanse of apparel. Our first feature within this area is the shoe department, which also holds within it another curious feature. Here is a Kmart.com kiosk - handy if you'd like to plan your next shopping trip here.

Zooming out of the previous photo, we spot the back-left corner of the store. Primarily featuring menswear, this section happens to be adequately stocked.

For a moment of time, we will turn right to check out the restroom area for its own gems.

The first item of note inside this alcove happens to be this pair of water fountains. As a precaution laid down by the coronavirus pandemic, these have been tarped (and taped) off to prevent the spread of bacteria given the close facial contact required in use. These won't be returning to the store, but I do hope things will get better elsewhere.

Turning around to focus on the rest of the alcove, we spot the Kmart-famous Layaway desk. This is a store function that has often been highlighted for its year-round presence, as opposed to other chains which lack such or only operate it preceding holiday seasons. Today, however, it appears to be offline, leaving this room to descend into darkness.

Popping back out into the light, we continue to walk down the clothing department. I do like that graphical display to the right, I must admit.

Here we have a close-up snapshot of the fitting rooms entrance. The shell happens to be a common structure found in 1970s Kmart stores in the vein of this one. 

 

My last interior shot for this store will be, once again, set down a clothing actionway.

And now, for our parting shot - a rather nondescript cart corral.

Thanks to all for enjoying this edition of the Shoppes of Battery Mill. As this store rides off into the sunset, I wish the best for Silver Spring shoppers, as well as any nearby employees.