A new Target store will open in Tenleytown in 2020, filling the retail space formerly occupied by Best Buy. The retail chain is expanding nationwide as it moves to focus more on clothes as opposed to household essentials, a business model similar to the one it held before the 2008 recession.

Best Buy, on the other hand, has been faltering in sales, closing 250 stores in 2018 alone. Despite America’s ever-present love for electronics, more and more Americans buy electronics online. In what would have been a textbook example of America’s “retailpocalypse” trend, the space was rumored to become a new Amazon store following a national trend of gearing stores towards “experiences.”

Currently, the two closest Target stores to Tenleytown are in Columbia Heights and Bethesda. Though in an urban setting, the Columbia Heights store is classic big-box retail, with a massive space, huge selection, and relatively low prices. In contrast, the Bethesda store is more compact, has a smaller selection, and has a smaller parking lot.

Target is building more and more smaller stores in urban neighborhoods, as evidenced by upcoming 2019 store openings in DC’s Shepherd Park and Cleveland Park. These stores will be 30,000 and 24,700 square feet respectively. Though the Tenleytown store will be 46,000 square feet, all three stores stand in stark contrast to the 180,000-square-foot Columbia Heights store.

Wilson students have mixed views on the project. “I guess it’s a good idea.” said senior Zoe Miller. “I feel it wouldn’t really be good if it’s like the Bethesda Target; everyone I know hates the Bethesda Target.” said senior Ally Heinrich. “It will be bad if it’s super small.”