March is a busy month for the Levee District in downtown East Peoria. Within a 12-day period, Target, Gordmans and ULTA Beauty will open.
The following activities will be open to the public:
- March 10 — Target Grand Opening Day
- March 15 — ULTA Beauty Grand Opening event
- March 16 — Cullinan Properties to host a Community Celebration for area residents
- March 21 — Gordmans Grand Opening Celebration
March is a busy month for the Levee District in downtown East Peoria. Within a 12-day period, Target, Gordmans and ULTA Beauty will open. The following activities will be open to the public:
- March 10 — Target Grand Opening Day
- March 15 — ULTA Beauty Grand Opening event
- March 16 — Cullinan Properties to host a Community Celebration for area residents
- March 21 — Gordmans Grand Opening Celebration
A grand opening celebration of the Levee District is also being planned by Cullinan Properties and its tenants. Kellie Schmidt, marketing manager at Cullinan, said, “We are very excited about the Community Celebration to be held on March 16. The plans are in development as we speak.” Erika Winkels, a spokeswoman for Target, said they conducted a job fair in January to hire the 150-200 staff members for the store, but last week they were still hiring a handful of team members. The official grand opening is March 10, while a soft opening is March 6. “Starting on Wednesday the 6th, it really is open to the general public. People are allowed to shop that night,” Winkels said. “Target is excited to open its first store in East Peoria,” said Bryan Everett, Target\’s senior vice president of stores in the Midwest. “We are committed to being a good neighbor to the East Peoria and surrounding Illinois communities, and to developing long-lasting relationships with our guests.” Shoppers will notice a difference between the 135,000-square-foot Target in East Peoria and the one in Peoria. The East Peoria store, located at Clock Tower Drive and West Washington Street, will also have a grocery section, which Target calls PFresh. “The one in Peoria is actually a general merchandise store. (The one in East Peoria is) called PFresh. It\’s sort of like an open market feel with fresh grapes and breads and fruits and meats,” Winkels said. There are also more packaged meats and bakery items. “It\’s great to do your regular Target shopping trip and also grab what you need for dinner,” Winkels said. The PFresh stores have been a successful model for Target, Winkels said. “This is what we\’re rolling out going forward,” Winkels said. “We really feel like it\’s a great fit so that\’s what we\’re putting into these communities.” Target officials carefully selected East Peoria as a location for their new store. “I think when we choose locations we\’re selective,” Winkels said, adding Target looks for the “best resources for long-term.” The East Peoria Target will also include a Pizza Hut, Starbucks and a pharmacy. There are 1,778 Target stores nationwide and Winkels said they are sprucing up their stores. “We\’re really expanding into that fresh grocery and we\’re freshening up in other areas,” Winkels said. The beauty department and shoe department are two areas that have had improvements. Target has also focused on better lighting inside their stores. Target, which started in Roseville, Minn., celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. In addition to Target, Gordmans, and ULTA Beauty, Ross Dress for Less, Heartland Dental, Tequilas Mexican Bar & Grill, Mattress Firm and Red Robin will locate to the Levee District. More tenants will be announced in mid-March.