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Greater Long Island shoppers are getting exactly what they want: A Target in East Hampton.
When we polled readers last month asking what business they most wanted to move into the soon-to-be-closed Kmart in Bridgehampton Commons, Target was the overwhelming favorite.
More than 49 percent picked Target, compared to 16 percent for Walmart and 15 percent for Costco.
Reports surfaced last month that Target would move into the space left behind on Oct. 20 by America’s last full-size Kmart. But on Monday, a spokesperson for Kimco Realty, which owns Bridgehampton Commons, confirmed to The East Hampton Star that the retailer has signed a lease on the 89,935-square-foot space.
The Target spokesperson did not provide additional details, according to the report. In a Sept. 30 press release, Target announced it was opening nine new stores in October — in California, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, North Carolina, Tennessee and New York.
The release further stated that the chain intends to add 300 stores over the next decade. Presently, Target has nearly 2,000 stores nationwide; the closest one to Bridgehampton Commons is 23 miles away in Riverhead.
By design, there aren’t many big-box retailers in the Hamptons.
In the early 2000s, Southampton Town introduced a zoning regulation that limits building sizes to a maximum of 15,000 square feet. But the rule does not apply to Bridgehampton Commons because it was built before the regulation took effect, Clare P. Shea, the assistant town planning director, told Newsday.
The Bridgehampton Kmart opened in 1999, after the space was vacated by Caldor.
Kmart has only one other location in the 50 states, a smaller scaled store in Miami. The brand has four stores in U.S. territories — three in the U.S. Virgin Islands and one in Guam.
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Top photos: Courtesy image of a Target store stocked for the holidays and a Google Maps image of the closed Kmart store in Bridgehampton (inset).
