Target to downtown St. Paul?

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Anyone who works in downtown St. Paul knows: This is big news.

According to the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal:

Target Corp.’s downtown Seattle store, set to open in 2012, will be the debut of the Minneapolis retailer’s new, smaller store format, with downtown St. Paul one market under consideration, the company said Friday.

St. Paul? Downtown St. Paul? Don’t toy with us, Target.

The chances are pretty good that if you need something that you don’t chew or drink, you won’t find it in downtown St. Paul. The city is holding its breath that Macy’s — the last department store downtown — won’t turn the lights out when its agreement to stay open downtown expires at the end of next December.

Target announced last January it would test the smaller-store format. But what is it? The Dallas Business Journal reported in January…

Target says it will develop a smaller store format, limiting merchandise to what caters to the needs of shoppers in dense urban markets, and in stores that can fit into smaller, inner-city real estate.

What caters to the needs of shoppers in downtown St. Paul? A store with its lights on that will sell stuff to them.