Welcome back to the Shoppes of Battery Mill, where seeing is believing! Today we head back to the wonderful Virginia city of Dumfries, where we will be embarking on a glorious Target run.
Photos taken on July 18, 2023 (cover photo taken May 24, 2015)
Store information
- Store number: T-2017
- Address: 4174 Fortuna Center Plaza, Dumfries, Virginia 22025
- Opening date: October 5, 2005
- Decor package: P17
- Features: CVS Pharmacy, Starbucks, Optical, PFresh, Beauty Blowout, E&E Innovation
Continuing from my tours of the now-closed Shoppers just a few doors down (part 1, part 2), this blog post explores the other anchor at the Fortuna Center Plaza. Located on the bustling Dumfries Road (VA 234) corridor, this Target, along with the rest of the center, serves southern Prince William County with a healthy dose of retail.
The store opened in 2005 as an overflow for the Woodbridge store near the landmark Potomac Mills mall, helping all of this side of PWC go on their Target runs easier. The store has seen several upgrades, including PFresh and finally a remodel to the current Target prototype. Since Target has noted these remodels as being dynamic to each city's needs, it does beg the question. What has Target opted to modify here? We shall see as we make our rounds around the famous Target racetrack. But first...
Store tour
Let's fuel up at the Target Café. I think I'll get some teas from Starbucks and sit down to scroll on my phone for a bit... Oh wait, there's nowhere for me to sit at. On with the store tour, I guess. But not before we take a look at what has happened to the place also known as the Food Avenue.
Well, what could I tell you, half of the space is now devoted to e-commerce fulfillment. This is a change that has happened at nearly every Target which has not reconfigured its cafés in service of the new remodels (whether Starbucks-only, or featuring Taste of Target counters).
Stores like this one were constructed before smartphones and online shopping were both widespread, so it is highly likely there was nowhere else in the store to cram those metal racks of online orders on. This just happened to be a logical spot that was somewhat out of the way, and wasn't heavily trafficked.
There is more I'd like to note about this café, but that will have to wait for later in the post. Nevertheless, this portion of the store has eluded any actual paint work and redecoration - I like seeing that classic P04 magic still at work here!
For comparison, this is how the area would look like before the furniture was removed.
The first destination we will visit is the Toys & Games section. This department is mostly unchanged from before the remodel, sans endcap signage and other smaller facets (resets present at every Target store).
Something one may notice is the ubiquitous red Target stripe is now a light gray, much like the walls from the rest of the store. I cannot tell a lie: the Cornell administration of Target certainly enjoys bending aspects of the stores' interior design that have remained intact for four score and seven years or more.
We now turn around to check some more toys out... electronic ones, that is. This happens to be another plain department, not featuring the black carpet, nor any special displays. This also happens to be one of the few departments where Target keeps the red walls intact during remodels.
Nevertheless, we have ourselves a decent selection of physical video games in front of us, as well as other tech utilities like Chromebooks and printers. The far side, meanwhile is where the tech help desk is located. It, along with the ubiquitous TV wall, denote the perimeter of Target's tech section. I don't mind its sleek design, but I do miss the camera-focused setup from the store's original opening (approximation here).
From the back of the store, we turn the corner and align on the left-side race track. It is here where we witness the extent of the Dumfries Target's grocery options.
The store received the PFresh treatment around 2011, expanding grocery selections from standard dry grocery favorites to include fresh produce, meat, and more of said dry items. As with the remodel, the department now sports a black and woodgrain theme intended to resemble gourmet grocery markets.
This is now the only grocery option in the center, with Shoppers having shuttered. Food Lion and Lidl have stores nearby, however.
We make our way back to the front of the store, where we notice the most widely changed department, that being one of Target's several "Beauty Blowout" Innovation concepts. Diagonal displays and a new wooden floor emphasize customers towards the latest trends in body care. Meanwhile, Target's new price scanner is visible one aisle over. I do wish those had maps on them, instead of directing them to the app. You'd think that Target would install the store maps on to the touch screen, but they don't. It would be handier for those without their phone on them, for instance.
On a side note, we're not done with grocery. In the right of the background, we can see the produce department. The lattice is an interesting touch, and matches the rest of the store's design philosophy, much like the previous round vinyl signs did.
Doing a 180 again, we find ourselves looking at Target's "Home" department. This is yet another sign Target took a barebones approach to remodeling this location. There doesn't seem to be a fancy Innovation department at play here, with the standard white gondolas roaming free atop a terrace of white linoleum.
Nevertheless, I appreciate that a piece of the classic Target remains here, adding a needed contrast to the more flashy departments we see above.
Finding ourselves in the middle of Health & Beauty now, we can see two service departments gesturing widely over the low HBC shelves and associated blue signage pieces. To the left of the background we have the ubiquitous CVS pharmacy, originally a Target Pharmacy upon the store's opening.
To the right is Target's eyeglass retailer/optometrist office. The Optical department is a recent addition to the store, coming with this Cornell-era remodel. I'm not asking for the specifics, but I do have to wonder if the Target Optical shop didn't diminish any Team Member services since it likely carved into backroom space.
Finally, we arrive at the registers. And I tell you, there's a lot going on here, even if no one is at these lanes to take our order.
While the register light was changed out following the remodel (to Target's current translucent design), the body of the register is a leftover from the store's original configuration. The Plexiglas dividers are also leftovers, that being from the pandemic era.
Behind one of those Plexiglas dividers we can see the ubiquitous trading card row that has been a staple at Target for years. I find it interesting that these are the normal aisle height, making these stand out far more. I opine this setup can be useful considering trading cards are all the rage these days.
On a final note, remember when I showed the Food Avenue seating area being devoid of, well, chairs and tables? Well, there's even worse news. The Pizza Hut Express and generic café have been walled off with a plain "Thanks for shopping at Target" sign.
Now, not every Target has lost these in the past decade, but it seems to be a veritable trend, and it's a shame this one no longer has these ready-made options. Target could have also done way better than leave a blank wall. At least the white strip and general shell remains.
