Target has officially crashed the ultra-exclusive The Hamptons scene, but don’t expect the big-box signature red bullseye to glow among the East End’s multi-million-dollar estates. To comply with Bridgehampton’s notoriously strict commercial laws, the big-box hub unveiled a muted grey storefront with tidy white shingles and a matching all-white bullseye sign. The design choice was "to reflect Bridgehampton’s coastal vibes.” Because of the hamlet’s laws banning brightly lit signs, the bullseye also has no internal illumination. Instead, it’s meant to glow through some subtle overhead lights. The design scheme is mirrored inside the retail haven, where the ghastly fluorescent lights endured by most commoners have been swapped for tasteful hanging light fixtures surrounded by basket-woven shades across the 90,000-square-foot store. It took seven years for Target to secure its first Hamptons hub, which was once the site of a K-mart. Now it lies mere miles from the Bridgehampton homes of multi-millionaires like Madonna and Christie Brinkley. Target real estate spent years hunting down a location in The Hamptons’ only major shopping center. Prior to Target, local bargain-hunters had to drag themselves over an hour away to Riverhead just to grab toilet paper in bulk. Even the upscale touches — including Adirondack porch chairs at the front and a dressing area that looks more like a yacht club locker room — can’t please some of the social media moaners who have expressed their disdain with comments like “another excuse for 500 distracted drivers to clog roads.”
