Videos: The East Harlem Target Opening

The official East Harlem Target opening took place on Sunday July 25 in the early morning. A long line of shoppers eagerly lined up on the second floor of the East River Plaza, and the first 5,000 lucky customers received reusable wheeled Target bags. Marshalls, Old Navy, Best Buy and Kidstown also opened at the East River Plaza on Sunday. Did you show up for the grand opening? What do you think of the new stores?



Thelma Golden of the Studio Museum at the Target East Harlem Opening




Matthew Washington, Chair of Community Board 11 of Manhattan at the Target East Harlem Opening



The Ribbon Cutting

A Target Just for East Harlem

The East River Plaza Target will officially be opening on July 25, and the store will be adding touches that make East Harlemers feel right at home. The East Harlem Target will offer lots of Spanish language items, apartment-sized merchandise and 400 jobs for the locals. The store will also be the first to hold the Harlem Designer Collections with items by Isabel and Ruben Toledo, renowned designer Stephen Burrows, and chef Marcus Samuelsson. Here's some information about the collections from the Target press release:


The IsabelandRubenToledo for Target(R) collection marks the first time Isabel and Ruben have partnered on a retail collection. The collection includes a beautifully psychedelic swim assortment with suits and towels in cerulean blues; cutouts and asymmetry make bold statements on one-piece suits ($17.99--$34.99). The Stephen Burrows for Target(R) collection provides an unexpected assortment of knits that embody an urban-street aesthetic, shown in the zip-front pocketed hoodie dress ($19.99--$34.99). The Marcus Samuelsson for Target(R) collection offers a range of aprons, placemats, kitchen towels, potholders and napkins, and features a pleasantly surprising assortment of men's, women's and kids' tees which will only be available at the East Harlem Target store ($3.99--$19.99).



Each collection will honor Harlem while giving to the local Harlem community. Target will donate 5 percent of each product's purchase price to a non-profit of the designer's choice. The non-profit selected by the Toledos is El Museo del Barrio [http://elmuseo.org]; The Fund for Public Schools in support of the library at The Young Women's Leadership School of East Harlem [http://schools.nyc.gov/site/M610] by Stephen Burrows; and The Fund for Public Schools in support of the library at Harlem PS 180: Hugo Newman [http://schools.nyc.gov/site/M180] by Marcus Samuelsson.


Hat Tip: Levi

Costco Opening Video from Northhattan

After Long Wait, East Harlem’s Costco Opens from Bradley Gallo on Vimeo.

Thanks Bradley!!

East River Plaza: My Great Costco Visit

Last night I finally hit up the East River Plaza on 116th near the FDR. The only store that's open yet is Costco. I live in a tiny studio apartment that I try not to get too cluttered, so I wasn't sure if the store that sells everything in bulk would be the right fit for me or my apartment. But I did get a free yearly membership to Costco (normally $50) so I gave it a try.



Coming Soon: The East River Plaza Directory.... lots of stores labeled "coming soon" like, Old Navy and Marshalls


Look for Target this summer




The View of the FDR from Costco




Some of My Loot

The Wait Is Over: Costco Is Open!

Has anyone checked it out yet? What did you think?




Found this cute video online of opening day.

Also see NY1's video and article.

And here are some photos. This place looks HUGE!

The Scoop on the East River Plaza

A Target Just for East Harlem


You're Invited! East Harlem Costco Opens


East River Plaza Reader Update


East River Plaza Update


East River Plaza

Anyone else have any details on store openings or other East River Plaza news? Let me know.

East River Plaza Reader Update

Costco is Coming!

I recieved an email from a reader the other day about the East River Plaza:

"I spoke with one of the construction workers yesterday who said that Costco will be open in November at the East River Plaza but that Target wouldn't be open till 2010. Applications are being taken for memberships and jobs on Pleasant between 117th and 118th Streets."

Thanks for the update Maria!

This is really exciting news, November is just around the corner.

East River Plaza UPDATE

According to The New York Times Costco announced today that it will be accepting food stamps on trial bases at their new East River Plaza location.

East River Plaza

If you live in East Harlem you've probably seen the construction of the East River Plaza, you really can't miss it. If you don't live in the area you've probably heard rumors of a Costco and Target being built uptown. Lately there has been a great deal of chatter going on about the project. I'd like to try to consolidate some of the recent information and start a conversation about the project in general, and see what residents and even non-residents think of the plaza.

The Basics: The East River Plaza is being developed in East Harlem along the FDR Drive between 116th and 119th St. It will be a large big-box mall, 485,000 square feet, of the style more often seen in suburbs. According to PlaNYC's website, "In 1996 Blumenfeld Development Group, Ltd. (BDG) purchased the site. The site was rezoned in 1999, changing the zoning from an M2-2 to a C4-4 to allow for the commercial growth. From the time of the rezoning till 2004 when Forest City Ratner Company (FCRC) bought a stake in the development, the project was stalled. Both FCRC and BDG will develop the site."

The plaza could bring 1200-2000 jobs into the community, and the developers have pledged to hire within the community.

Originally Home Depot was one of the tenants of the plaza, but they have subleased their space to Costco. In addition to Costco, Target, Best Buy and Marshalls have also agreed to be tenants.

The East River Plaza is scheduled to open in October 2009.


Lately there has been concerns about Costco not accepting food stamps. According to the New York Times more then 30,000 residents in East Harlem receive food stamps. Costco has stated they do not have the technology to accept food stamps. The times quotes an East Harlem resident, Viveca Diaz, aptly stating, "Very interesting. The corner bodega takes food stamps, and Costco doesn't."

Costco has also been in the news for their proposed delivery schedule. According to the New York Times, "Costco just won special permission for its tractor-trailers to drive on residential streets in East Harlem between midnight and 5 a.m. to make deliveries." The Daily News has an opinion piece from East Harlem resident Dolores Prida, entitled "Sleepless in East Harlem" on the topic.

What are your thoughts on the East River Plaza? Do you think it will bring traffic congestion and late-night noise, or jobs and great shopping experiences?

-Gloria