Target Store in Wasilla (Ferry: rent, travel, services)

[Rance]

We had a big Sears in Soldotna years ago, and it was thee place to go. Suddenly they up and closed. I still have the 99 dollar Craftsman Toolbox with rolling cabinet I bought back in 89 or 90. It's never had a wrench in it.

[warptman]

Originally Posted by Rance

We had a big Sears in Soldotna years ago, and it was thee place to go. Suddenly they up and closed. I still have the 99 dollar Craftsman Toolbox with rolling cabinet I bought back in 89 or 90. It's never had a wrench in it.

That would make a good salmon smoker, burner at the bottom. Man, I want fishes now.

[Alaskapat528]

Originally Posted by SarahB82

Can't help but agree with the fact that another "Tar-mart" going into an area probably once inhabited by lovely mom and pop stores isn't the stuff dreams are made of, Travelmate. Target does usually pick areas that have already been previously built on though to put stores up. I actually have a Wildlands Ecology Degree, which is why I accepted the position up there(adding to the supercenter pollution) hoping that once I'm settled with a higher-than-$7 an hour manager position under my belt, I can look into finding something more worth while, and help my new local community.

Thanks for the description though Marty, I was just curious. There are different size stores for different volume areas so I was trying to determine what size this one would be.

And I sometimes wonder how any Sears can stay in business...

The Target they are building is definitely coming along. From what I see the size of the store is the same as those I have seen in the lower 48. It is going to create a traffic nightmare due to the location.

[travelmate38]

Originally Posted by SarahB82

Can't help but agree with the fact that another "Tar-mart" going into an area probably once inhabited by lovely mom and pop stores isn't the stuff dreams are made of, Travelmate. Target does usually pick areas that have already been previously built on though to put stores up. I actually have a Wildlands Ecology Degree, which is why I accepted the position up there(adding to the supercenter pollution) hoping that once I'm settled with a higher-than-$7 an hour manager position under my belt, I can look into finding something more worth while, and help my new local community.

Thanks for the description though Marty, I was just curious. There are different size stores for different volume areas so I was trying to determine what size this one would be.

And I sometimes wonder how any Sears can stay in business...

I have no idea how the Sears here in the valley has stayed open? Everytime I drive by there, the entire parking lot is empty. Just across the street at Walmart.........well, you get the idea, it is packed. I've driven by Sears on a Saturday afternoon and literally seen 2 or 3 cars in the entire lot and at Wally-World, there are thousands of cars. I predict the valley Sears will close by the end of this summer.

[Glitch]

Originally Posted by SarahB82

Hey there,

I'll be moving up to the Wasilla area relatively soon to help with opening the new Target store coming into the area in October. Does anyone know what the site looks like so far? Pictures of the area around it or of it? Just curious. It's off of E. Parks Highway, but that's all I got!

Thanks!

~Sarah

The site is still under construction. Below is what it looked like before construction began. The red colored building is where the new Target is located.



The big white building north of the Wasilla-Palmer Highway is Fred Myers. There is also a Taco Bell located in the new Target parking lot, and a Kentucky Fried Chicken, Carl's Jr., A&W, and a mexican restaurant across the street, north of the new Target building.

[warptman]

Didn't one of the big stores have traffic issues a while back? I remember seeing something on Channel 2 News on how you couldn't make a left turn out of one of the stores in that area. Or was it down by Walmart?

[Alaskapat528]

Originally Posted by warptman

Didn't one of the big stores have traffic issues a while back? I remember seeing something on Channel 2 News on how you couldn't make a left turn out of one of the stores in that area. Or was it down by Walmart?

They designed the parking lot so that at one of the exits you could only turn right; however people kept turning left, so then they put signs up, then they put small barricades, you still had complete idiots pulling into the "in lane of the lot" so they could get out, then finally they put up a really big barricade at the tip but you will still see an idiot off and on pull over into the incoming lane as cars as entering just so they can exit. There is one more exit at the complete opposite of the parking lot where you can turn right or left. The entrance at the top of the parking lot is supposed to be only for cars entering in. You can't exit there at all now thanks to the rocket scientists "wanna be" drivers lol.

[SarahB82]

Wow I can't thank you all enough for the information (and the entertaining driving antics of some drivers). It sounds like there are a lot of nice and humorous folks up in Alaska, I should fit in well!

If I could impose upon you one more time? Anyone know anything about the Ferry System to and from Alaska down to Washington? I'm trying to decide on driving up through Canada or taking the Ferry. I only have my truck to think about - no uhaul or anything attached to it. I'm curious about cost and travel time, they really don't offer a ballpark type figure on their site. And I'm just curious about personal experiences such as views and comfortable traveling conditions with both routes.

[warptman]

Originally Posted by SarahB82

Wow I can't thank you all enough for the information (and the entertaining driving antics of some drivers). It sounds like there are a lot of nice and humorous folks up in Alaska, I should fit in well!

If I could impose upon you one more time? Anyone know anything about the Ferry System to and from Alaska down to Washington? I'm trying to decide on driving up through Canada or taking the Ferry. I only have my truck to think about - no uhaul or anything attached to it. I'm curious about cost and travel time, they really don't offer a ballpark type figure on their site. And I'm just curious about personal experiences such as views and comfortable traveling conditions with both routes.

If you have never taken the drive, I'd say go do it. Megensmom made the trip up from the east coast in the past couple weeks. Just drive!

[SarahB82]

Yeah, I'm leaning that way, I was in Hawaii earlier this year and I met a few of the Buntin Brothers with their company Lobo Del Mar? They mentioned they helped build some kind of multi-convention center type place somewhere in middle Alaska? (They were escorting me on my first whale watching trip, so it was rather hard to pay attention!) A few of them lived off the coast of Ketchikan before heading down to Hawaii. They were telling me there's a coastal drive through Canada that's amazing. And that the roads are much better then they use to be.