The paint on this mural had barely dried when Target finally announced that the long awaited Western Canada rollout will begin: tomorrow morning at 8 am.
It’s a big box bonanza: 10 stores in Alberta, 9 in BC and 3 in Manitoba. In Calgary, bullseye devotees will be able to cruise the wide, well-lit aisles at the Chinook, Forest Lawn and Market Mall locations. Shawnessy shoppers will have to cool their jets until May 14.
Despite a nationwide press release, they’re calling it a soft opening. Perhaps it’s a nod to the lack of any type of star-studded gala, like the party that launched Target in Toronto. There are no events scheduled anywhere tomorrow — not even any red and white ribbon cuttings.
However, the attention to local detail in this mural almost makes up for it. Not only because this chic cowgirl is strolling past the city skyline punctuated by the Calgary Tower on her way to the Stampede grounds. But because, geographically, it’s pretty accurate. The Tower is a few blocks northwest of the building the mural is painted on, while the Stampede grounds are just across Macleod Trail, to the east. The copy continues the theme from Target’s television ads. And even though some people are still miffed over the first commercial use of the song to Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood, Target has Canadianized it. Bon travail, neighbour.
