Target closed down on Saturday, Feb. 2. It will not open again until Oct. 19.

Target to be under construction for nine months
Sabrina Ziegler | 2/4/08 | Local News

Saturday, the Porterville Target store, located in the shopping center on Henderson Ave., wrapped up its final day of business, to reopen as an expanded version, Oct. 19.

Frequent shoppers will have noticed the receding supply on Target shelves, lately, as the popularly visited store has been preparing for a reconstruction project that will include the addition of about 46,000 square feet. This new building will be complete with a grocery section, Pharmacy, Starbucks and Pizza Hut.

The store kicked off its last business day with a clearance sale that prompted 50 to 75 shoppers to wait outside before the store's opening, according to Store Manager, Paul Tuttle.
Tuttle predicted that the new store will bring in about 200 new employees. Job seekers can begin applying in August. Current employees will be given the choice of either taking a leave of absence to be rehired once the new store opens, or relocating to a guaranteed position at a

Target nearby, according to Tuttle, who will be managing a Target in Bakersfield over the next nine months.

Jeanie Beeman, -who will be relocating to the Target in Visalia- has been an employee for almost 6 years. She supports the expansion project.

“I’m excited. We’re going to have more room and more business. [The new Target] is going to boost the economy,” Beeman said.

"You can't know how excited I am," Tuttle said, about the project being underway. "We'll have a huge grocery section. The reason for that is: in market research we have found that people will go to the grocery store every week," whereas not many people will visit a retail store half as often. Tuttle said the result of that is that  it will increase the amount of people going to Target.

“It was on the radar two or three years ago that they needed to expand. You’ve got some developers that really want to see Porterville grow [economically],” said Tulare County Fifth District Supervisor, Mike Ennis.

The current Target shopping center is approximately 87,000 square feet, serving 130 employees. Ennis explained that the store was built at a time that the Porterville community was significantly smaller than it is now.

"The store was built as a small-town prototype, as a test for Target. As Porterville grew, there was no way to accommodate the business that was growing," Tuttle said.

The new building will be approximately 135,000 square feet, with the addition of 30 percent of the property that was once Grocery Warehouse.

Trina Colegrov- an employee of 9 years- said, “We’re going to have more room and everything’s going to fit. That’s really important [to us].”

Plans have already been submitted for a Ross to be built in the extra 30,000 square feet of the former grocery store space, according to one of the Target project's design planners, Jose Ortiz. He feels the renewed target has been a long time coming.

"Each store has a certain life span and this Target has been here for 20 years, so it's reached the end of its life and needs to be expanded," Ortiz said. He added that when the project was presented to City Council, there wasn't any resistance.

"We don't know [when the new Target will make a profit from the investment]. It depends on the business climate and it depends on the growth of Porterville," Tuttle said.

When the store was first built, "Our real estate district looked at several locations and we decided the shopping center was where we wanted to build," Tuttle said. He added that the company saw a great need to expand in this particular location.

"Target wouldn't be investing this much into the site if they didn't believe Porterville was where they wanted to be," Tuttle said.

Ennis commented on the recent construction boom in Porterville, which the new Target will be adding on to. "The population is growing. There are a lot of people out there and a lot of needs. The turn of demographics determines what you get," he said.

The new Target will also be facing competition once the upcoming Super Wal Mart is complete. "You could make [the new Target] a one-stop store if you want to," while Super Wal Mart would offer the same solution. "I like Target because it's a bit cleaner and neater," he added, while noting it will all depend on customer preference.

Target estara bajo construccion por nueve meses
Traducido por Caryn Hernandez| Date | Section

El sabado, la tienda Target de Porterville, localizada en el centro commercial en la avenida Henderson, cerro su ultimo dia de negocio, para reabrir como una version expandida, el 19 de octubre.  Compradores frecuentes han notado la escacez de mercancia en la tienda, ultimamente, la renovacion de la tienda popularmente visitada incluira una adicion de 46,000 pies cuadrados.  El edificio nuevo estra completo con una seccion de abacería, una farmacia, Starbuck, y Pizza Hut.

El ultimo dia de negocio fue comenzado con 50 a 75 compradores esperando afuera para que abrieran las puertas para aprovechar los precios de liquidacion, segun el manejador de la tienda, Paul Tuttle.  Tuttle  predijo que la nueva tienda traera aproximadamente 200 nuevos empleados.  Los que buscan trabajo pueden comenzar a aplicar en agosto.  Actualmente los empleados podran parar de trabajar y recibir desempleo hasta que la tienda se abra de nuevo, o relocalizar a una Target cerca a una posicion asegurada, segun Tuttle, quien estara manejando una Target en Bakersfield sobre los nueve meses venideros.  

Jeanie Beeman,- quien se relocalizara a una Targen en Visalia- ha sido una empleado por casi 6 años.  Expreso su apoyo por el proyecto de expansion.
“Estoy entusiasmada.  Vamos a tener mas espacio y mas negocio.  [La Target nueva] va a ser un empujo en la economia,” dijo Beeman.

“No puedes saber que estusiasmado estoy,” dijo Tuttle, acerca el proyecto.  “Tendremos una gran seccion de abacería.  La razon para eso es: en investigaciones hemos encontrado que personas van a abacería cada semana.”  El resultado de eso, Tuttle dijo, es, aumentara la cantidad de personas que van a Target.

“Se noto dos o tres años atras que necesitabamos expandir.  Tienen unos desaroyadores quienes de verdad quieren ver a Porterville crecer [economicamente],” dijo Tulare County Fifth District Supervisor, Mike Ennis.

La Target actual es aproximadamente 87,000 pies cuadrados, sirviendo a 130 empleados.  Ennis explico que la tienda fue constuida durante un tiempo que la comunidad de Porterville era significativamente pequeña a lo que es ahora.

“La tienda fue construida para un pueblo pequeño, como un examen para Target.  Al crecer Porterville, no habia ningun modo de acomodar el negocio que estaba creciendo,” dijo Tuttle.

El edificio nuevo sera aproximadamente 135,000 pies cuadrados, con la adicion de 30 por ciento de la propiedad que en una vez fue Grocery Warehouse.

Trina Colegroy- una empeada de 9 años- dijo, “Vamos a tener mas espacio y todo va a caber.  Eso es muy importante [para nosotros.”

Planes ya han sido sometidos para que una Ross sea construida en los 30,000 pies cuadrados extras espacio anterior de la Grocery Warehouse, segun uno de los planeadores de diseño del proyecto, Jose Ortiz.  

“Cada tienda tiene un tiempo de vida y esta Target ha estado aqui por 20 años, asi que llego al fin de su vida y necesita ser extendida,” dijo Ortiz.  Agrego que cuando el proyecto fue presentado a City Council, no hubo resistencia.

“No sabemos [cuande la Target nueva obtendra ganancias de la inversión].  Depende en el negocio y depende en el crecimiento de Porterville,” dijo Tuttle.

Cuando la tienda fue construida originalmente, “Nuestro distrito se fijo en varios sitios y decidimos que el centro comercial era donde queriamos construir,” dijo Tuttle.  Agrego que la compania vio una gran nececidad de estender en esta localidad particular.
 
“Target no hubiera invertiendo tanto en este sitio si no creian que Porterville era donde querian hacerlo,” dijo Tuttle.

Ennis comento acerca la constucion reciente en Porterville. “La poblacion esta creciendo.  Hay muchas personas y muchas nececidades.  El cambio demográfico determina lo que obtienes,” dijo el.

La Target nueva tambien se encarara con competicion cuando la Super Wal Mart se complete.  “A mi me gusta la Target porque es mas limpia y organizada,” agrego, mientras notando que todo dependera en la preferencia de los clientes.