New Yorkers looking for a place to discover Kourtney Kardashian’s Lemme gummy vitamins, the latest Nyx lip oil, a new pair of leggings and Jake Shane’s (non-vitamin) vegan gummies now have a place to do so all under one roof. On Thursday, Target announced the completion of its transformed Soho store as a one-of-a-kind design- and curation-led space.
“This is a chance for us to test and play,” said Gigi Guerra, vp of marketing, creative curation at Target, regarding the goal of the store revamp. “It’s a style and design playground for us, and we can take pieces from it and apply them to broader change.”
As the Minneapolis-based retailer faces increased competition and ongoing calls for boycotts, the design-forward space is tasked with repositioning Target as a space for discovery.
Target first took over the classic cast-iron Soho building, formerly a Hollister & Co., in 2022. It began redesigning the space to focus on curation and eventing in November 2025. Almost a year later, that redesign was completed with two floors spanning categories like apparel, beauty and wellness, home decor, food and beverage, and toys and collectibles.
The company collaborated with design agency Something Special Studios to revamp the store, introducing a more sophisticated bent to Target branding, like a more subdued cherry shade to complement the signature bright red Target bullseye, and interactive elements like a photo station that lets shoppers capture and print a selfie on site.
The retailer hopes the new store will not only encourage shoppers to replenish their preferred products, but also serve as a destination for discovering new brands, a social media backdrop and a space for events. Guerra said the beauty section was designed to encourage creators to record content on-site, and the store has already hosted events with the likes of Karl-Anthony Towns and Jordyn Woods.
The revamped store also aims to be a learning ground for Target’s internal team, letting them see in real time which trends or products resonate with consumers. Guerra said roughly 70,000 people pass through the store’s corner of Houston Street and Broadway each day, with the store’s consumers evenly split between New Yorkers and tourists.
“Everything you see in the store is at any Target. It’s just the way we’ve curated and merchandised it [that’s unique],” she said. “It actually shows how style-forward Target is.”
Target is not the first national retailer or chain to refashion one of its New York City locations into a more curated, experiential destination. Banana Republic revamped its Soho flagship in 2024 to offer on-site tailoring and concierge services as well as an event space; department stores like Macy’s and Nordstrom have revamped their beauty floors in recent months with in-store services to bring in more foot traffic; and fitness chain Life Time has attempted to turn its midtown location into a community space with an on-site podcasting studio in addition to its fitness classes.
Big-box retail is growing more competitive outside of New York City, too. Walmart, which still has no locations in the five boroughs, has introduced more Beauty Bars with dedicated beauty staff and more premium beauty curation to dozens of stores across the country.
“We’re just inundated with things,” said Matthew Arrington, Target’s director of curation, of the growing trend toward more curated stores. “There’s so much choice, there’s so much for anyone to take in. In a retail space like ours, even in one store, we’re just trying to make that even easier. We’ve kind of already done that edit for you.”
Target has faced its own internal challenges in recent months, as well. The Minneapolis-based retailer has faced ongoing calls for boycotts owing to its rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion policies and failure to take a stance against ICE activity in both New York and the Twin Cities.
In recent years, consumers have also complained about disorganized and understocked shelves at Target locations. In its most recent quarterly earnings report published in August, Target posted a 5.3% increase in net sales to $26.5 billion for the second quarter of 2026.
The revamped corner of Soho may be responsible for turning around some of that negative consumer sentiment. According to Guerra, a national awareness study from Target found that, of consumers who knew about the store, 60% had an improved perception of Target.
