Advocate photo
Target plans to open an 111,000 square foot store in Wynnewood Village, as, in pre-pandemic days, an Advocate reporter anticipated.
The store will go next to LA Fitness, where, at one time, a cinema was under a contract that later fell through.
The 65-acre Wynnewood Village is located at Zang and Illinois and is anchored by grocers Kroger and El Rancho.
It’s home to Kids Empire, LA Fitness, Dollar Tree, Ross, Five Below, Tops Cafe, Wingstop and about 70 additional businesses.
In 2018, New York-based Brixmor Property Group unveiled its plans for the center’s $30-million renovation.
Brixmor’s Brett Milke told the Dallas Morning News his team envisions the future Wynnewood Village as a true heart of the community like it was in the 1950s.
In its heyday, Wynnewood Village shopping center had everything — a movie theater, pharmacy, jeweler, shoe stores, a department store, toy stores and more.
Milke told the New‘s Maria Halkias that the village is 88.6% leased and that Target will help attract new tenants. The leasing site notes the two grocery store alone draw more than 20,000 visits per day.
The large space that once held Fallas Paredes clothing store has been vacant for several months.
In a 2018 meeting, Matthew Ryan of Brixmor Property group said Brixmor has developed some of Target’s mini-store concepts. Mini Targets are about 50,000 square feet compared to the typical 150,000 square feet. So the Wynnewood store is going to be smaller than some but not a mini. Since then there have been rumors of a Target coming in.
Target earlier this week unveiled its strategic investment in differentiating the guest experience and fueling growth. The corporation said it plans to open about 20 new stores in a variety of sizes as it seeks to reach new guests.
“Many of the new stores will include new design elements that reflect the local community, experiences that highlight new brands, assortment and services, and sustainable features,” Target said in a statement.
As Wynnewood Village undergoes changes, so does the surrounding neighborhood. Across the street, at South Llewellyn Avenue and Wynnewood Drive, a 8.85-acre block of WWII-era apartments were demolished a few months ago to make way for about 210 new units.
Developers of both the shopping center and the apartments have said they are working closely with neighborhood homeowners to drum up support.
