How Will the New Target Affect Doylestown? Hear What These Business Owners Think

DOYLESTOWN, PA—Now that the Target in Doylestown has been open for a little over a week, how will it affect other businesses in Doylestown? That question is on the minds of many business owners in the borough who are wary of having to compete with a one-stop, big-box store.

When we asked local businesses whether a Target would help or hurt them, most admitted they’re wary of how the new Target will affect individual businesses and the overall business community, but they’re cautiously optimistic. For now, they’re taking a wait-and-see approach as the excitement dies down and shoppers settle into new routines that incorporate the Target.

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Here’s what four business owners we talked to think about the new Target.

Busy Bee Toys

Nerice Kendter, who has owned Busy Bee Toys for nearly 20 years, understands the community’s excitement about a new store in town, particularly one the size of the new Target. While she thinks of herself as a positive person, Kendter said she’s a little wary of how the store will affect businesses like hers where there’s an overlap in merchandise.

“They sell books, they sell toys, they sell clothing, they sell jewelry, they sell candles, they sell all the categories that you would find in the stores in the downtown district,” Kendter said. “I can't say that we're threatened, but we're all very much aware that target sells similar categories.”

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One thing that makes Kendter optimistic: She thinks that people who shop in Doylestown’s independently owned businesses will be able to distinguish the service they get from shops like hers from a store like Target.

“When someone comes in and says, ‘I have an eight-year-old boy that I'm shopping for,’’ Kendter explained, “we will walk with that customer through the store, showing them items that are appropriate for that child. And once the customer makes a decision, we offer free gift wrap year-round.”

“We try to offer services that help make people's lives easier,” Kendter said. “We've got the greeting card, we've got the free gift wrap, we've got the gift and we've got the staff to help choose the gift.”

That said, Kendter plans to carefully monitor her store’s sales in the coming months. The store currently gets a mix of its customers from locals and from visitors to town. That mix, she said, gives businesses in town a diversified customer base that is crucial to their success.

“If all of a sudden our local folks chose to spend all their money at Target,” Kendter said, “that would have an impact on the downtown businesses. We rely on different types of customers.”

“We hope that the community keeps in mind that as independent, small business owners, we need their support as well,” Kendter explained. “When the excitement of the new shiny new Target dwindles, my hope is that folks remember to come back and enjoy all that downtown Doylestown has to offer.”

Siren Records

Blair Elliot, owner of Siren Records, noted that while the Doylestown Target is a scaled-down version of the store, it does sell records, specializing in recordings that are made specifically for the chain. “Taylor Swift has a deal with Target to do Target-exclusive variants of all her albums,” Elliot said.

While Target can’t compete with Siren Record’s vast inventory, Elliot acknowledged that he can’t compete with Target’s prices. He worries that price and convenience could cause him to lose some business. And as a small business, he really can’t afford to lose any customers.

“Even though we go much deeper than Taylor Swift in terms of our catalog with underground and independent music,” Elliot said, “that business is still important to us. If we’re going to lose some percentage of pop music sales, that’s something to worry about.”

Elliot noted that his store sells “a ton” of pop music, and that younger fans who visit Siren to buy the newest Taylor Swift release may become long-term customers. “Pop music is something that pulls a certain age group in,” Elliot said. “They discover the store and they love it, and they keep coming back.”

Like Kendter from Busy Bee Toys, Elliot is confident that his store can compete with Target based on his customer service. Besides a deep selection of music, Siren offers a customer-loyalty program that rewards regular customers with big discounts.

While some in the business community hope that Target brings more customers to the walking part of Doylestown Borough, Elliot worries the store could actually siphon traffic away from the center of town, where his store is located.

“We're kind of in a wait-and-see holding pattern to see what happens,” Elliot said. “Maybe some people will end up coming up into the middle of town. That could be helpful.”

Evolution Candy

James Lamb, co-owner of Evolution Candy, said he isn’t too worried about Target hurting his business selling candy and ice cream from the center of town. And he’s glad to see a business is finally occupying the long-vacant former home of the old Bon-Ton, noting that “empty stores can kill an area.”

While Evolution Candy’s business model may give him some extra protection against competition from a big-box store, Lamy said he’s generally optimistic about Target coming into Doylestown.

“There's an overlap with a lot of businesses in town,” he explained, “but I feel like the local businesses have their regulars and they're not going to abandon us for Target. Target has always existed. This one is just a little closer.”

Nomad Supply Company

Because Nomad Supply Company caters to the skateboarding and surfing community, the store’s core products will probably never appear on the shelves of Target. But owner Chris Blackway noted that competition for other products—sun lotion and sunglasses, for example—could hurt his business.

Another example is bathing suits, which both stores sell. “You go there and bathing suits are $25,” Blackway said of Target. “You come here and they’re $65 because I’m not selling fast-fashion brands.”

Blackway said he hopes that most of his customers will know and appreciate the difference, but he worries that some people may be more focused on saving money. “Of course they want to support local businesses,” Blackway explained, “but at the same time, if people could then spend that money on dinner, they're going to think about it.”

As the father of teenage girls who love Target, Blackway understands the store’s appeal. He said he also likes the fact that Target will bring jobs to town.

While Blackway hears from young people who want a job at his store, he explained, “I can’t afford to hire a whole staff.” Blackway hopes that the 100 or so people that Target has said it will hire for the Doylestown store will include young people.

Blackway also hopes that at least some Target shoppers will stick around and visit the rest of Doylestown. “I’m hoping that they come into the walking part of the borough and discover the stores that they may not already know,” he said.

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