In the high-stakes arena of Manhattan retail, where historical cast-iron architecture meets the cutting edge of consumer trends, Target has unveiled a transformative redesign that challenges the traditional big-box store model. Located at the bustling intersection of Broadway and Houston Street, the reimagined SoHo store is a vibrant, “over-the-top” experiment in curated shopping. Designed by the American creative agency Something Special Studios, the space moves away from predictable rows of shelving toward an immersive, boutique-inspired environment. By blending the brand’s iconic red identity with modular design and interactive “content studios,” Target is attempting to capture the fickle heart of the New York shopper, proving that even a retail giant can find its soul in the specific energy of a neighborhood.
The Bullseye as an Architectural Portal
The most striking feature of the new SoHo store is a bold red tunnel-like structure that serves as a literal and metaphorical gateway for shoppers. Inspired by the geometry of Target’s signature bullseye logo, this enveloping space functions as a high-concept gallery. Within its curved walls, products are no longer categorized by utility but by “mood” or “personality,” reflecting the eclectic way a modern New Yorker curates their lifestyle. This immersive entrance is designed to trigger “joyful discovery,” inviting customers to slow down and explore a rotating selection of fashion, home, and beauty goods that feel handpicked rather than mass-produced.
The use of the brand’s signature red is unapologetic and pervasive, covering everything from the rubber flooring to the display niches and central rounded podiums. This monochromatic approach creates a high-impact visual identity that stands in stark contrast to the grit of the Manhattan streets outside. By drenching the space in color, Something Special Studios founder Michael Goldberg has created a sense of “over-the-top” theater that harkens back to an era when shopping was an event. It is a design strategy that prioritizes an emotional response over clinical efficiency, turning a routine errand into a sensory journey.
Modularity and Local Curation
At the rear of the red tunnel, the store transitions into a more flexible, community-focused zone known as “Curated By.” This area utilizes a modular display system inspired by toy building blocks, allowing the store team to easily reconfigure the layout for different themes or events. The initiative kicks off with a selection of favorite products curated by famed New Yorker and comedian Meg Stalter, lending the global brand a dose of local wit and personality. This “love letter to New York” is a strategic move to localize the shopping experience, suggesting that while the store is a Target, its heart is firmly rooted in the SoHo creative community.
This focus on modularity extends to the track lighting and seasonal display areas, such as the “Gifting Gondola,” which features a dramatic mountainscape backdrop for the winter season. The design is intended to be evolutionary, allowing the store to adapt to monthly collection drops and changing consumer behaviors. This agility is a direct response to the rise of e-commerce; by offering a space that is constantly changing and physically engaging, Target provides a reason for customers to bypass their digital shopping carts in favor of a tactile, in-person encounter.
The Broadway Beauty Bar: A Content Creator’s Studio
Understanding the intersection of retail and social media, the redesign includes the “Broadway Beauty Bar,” a drum-shaped volume finished in a neutral beige. This area is designed to deftly curve around the building’s historic cast-iron columns, blending the original 19th-century architecture with contemporary retail needs. The beauty bar functions less like a traditional cosmetics aisle and more like a professional content studio. It is equipped with plenty of mirrors for product testing and a special photo machine that takes selfies and prints them directly onto a Target receipt—a playful, analog-meets-digital souvenir.
The Broadway Beauty Bar is intended to be a hub for experimentation, where makeup artists can host live demonstrations and shoppers are encouraged to create their own digital content. By providing “instagrammable” moments and interactive technology, the store taps into the habits of Gen Z and millennial consumers who view shopping as a social, shareable activity. This move toward “retail-tainment” ensures that the store remains relevant in a neighborhood known for its high-end boutiques and trend-setting pop-up shops.
Bridging the Gap Between Necessity and Inspiration
Despite the avant-garde design elements, the SoHo Target remains a place of utility. The challenge for Something Special Studios was to create a space that could accommodate both the “errand shopper” looking for deodorant and the “leisure shopper” looking for inspiration. The design bridges this gap by maintaining an intuitive flow and ensuring that essential items are still easily accessible. As Michael Goldberg notes, the goal was to enhance the “serendipitous” quality of Target shopping—where a customer walks in for a basic necessity but walks out with a discovery that sparks joy.
The redesign of the SoHo location represents a significant shift in how large retailers view their urban footprints. It is a move away from standardization toward a model that values architectural character, modularity, and local relevance. As phase two of the project prepares to tackle the store’s basement level in the coming year, the Broadway and Houston location has already set a new benchmark for the “boutique big-box” experience. In a city that is always moving, the new Target SoHo asks its customers to stop, look, and rediscover the pleasure of the physical store.
