Closing of Stone Mountain Target worries seniors

Not for much longer.

Target plans to shutter the store on Jan. 30, citing the location's declining profitability. It's the only store in Georgia planned to be closed this year — one of four closing nationwide, a Target representative said.

Over the past few weeks, dozens of nearby residents, particularly seniors, have crusaded to save the store. They've called and mailed in petitions to the retailer's corporate headquarters and enlisted the help of Gwinnett County's Evermore Community Improvement District.

"It's going to hurt a lot of people," said retiree Marie Warwick, who collected about 600 signatures in support of keeping Target. She mailed them to CEO Gregg Steinhafel just before Dec. 31.

"The nearest Target is on [Ga.] 124 in Snellville," Warwick said. "I don't see how I can get my drugs if I need it today, right now."

Target doesn't plan to change its mind. The store, which opened in March 1999 and employs about 140 people, has been declining in profit for years, Target spokeswoman Sarah Bakken said.

"It's awful when we have to close a store," Bakken said. "But it's what makes the best sense for this location and for that area. That doesn't mean we're not taking to heart the community's concerns. We're looking to find alternative options? particularly for those who rely on our pharmacy and grocery."

Other options include Target stores in Snellville, Tucker and Lithonia, 9 to 12 miles away. That's too far for many of the seniors at Park Springs, Warwick said.

"We're asking Target to give us three months so we could help them get over the hump," Warwick said. "They haven't even considered it."

Target isn't the only big-name retailer to close in the area. Over the past 10 years, nearby residents have felt the departure of Cub Foods, Kroger and Best Buy, along with a smattering of hair salons and ice cream stores, just blocks from Target.

"It's disheartening because it's just another loss for that area," said Pam Heisler, vice president of the Smoke Rise Community Association, a group representing nearby DeKalb County neighborhoods with more than 2,300 homes.

With the wealth in surrounding areas such as Lilburn and Tucker, Heisler said, "I would think it would be ripe for development, rather than the opposite."

A large Wal-Mart sits on the north side of U.S. 78 about a half-mile from Target. In 2003, faced with the loss of that store, an area resident rallied her neighborhood to save the Rockbridge Road retailer. Instead of moving out, Wal-Mart expanded the aging 102,000-square-foot store to a 210,000-square-foot Supercenter.

The board of the Evermore CID, a self-taxing association of commercial property owners along U.S. 78, hopes for a repeat of 2003.

"We would like to give [Target] a reason to stay and continue to operate this business as this corridor begins to change," CID Executive Director Jim Brooks said.

That reason could take the form of an intermodal transfer station near the former Olympic tennis stadium adjacent to Target. The CID is looking to have Georgia Regional Transportation Authority buses run along U.S. 78, with an outlet for passengers to connect to downtown Atlanta or to MARTA stations, Brooks said.

The time-worn stadium, which has been slated for demolition, could become an events center and offer parking for event-goers and bus riders. The CID could approve funding for a study of the plans by month's end, Brooks said.

DeKalb County resident Suzanne Patrick shops at the Stone Mountain store six days a week. She doesn't fault Target's decision. She'll just travel farther to find one.

"I can't survive without a Target," said Patrick, who spends up to $500 a month on groceries and supplies. "If I didn't have a husband, I'd spend $1,000 a month there," she chuckled. "It's truly an addiction, but I would never join a 12-step program."

The store's loss is particularly sobering for retirees like Ellen Shadrick. The 90-year-old said she moved to the Park Springs community five years ago because of its proximity to Target.

Twice a week Shadrick scoots eight-tenths of a mile to Target in her golf cart. She picks up milk, cereal, bananas and batteries for her hearing aids. Once Target closes, she'll have to board a bus and go to Wal-Mart.

"It will be detrimental because I have a pulled muscle in my right leg and I don't walk too well," Shadrick said. "We depend on Target. But all good things have to come to an end."