September 27, 2012

Off Target

I was in the local Target the other day and looked for their new Shops: Kirna ZabĂȘte, Patch NYC, Odin and the Curiosity Shoppe. I could only find the Patch NYC and Curiosity Shoppe, and to say that I was not impressed would not put too fine a point on it. I don’t know if the selection had been picked over, or that there was just not a big selection to start with, but there wasn’t a lot on offer. And I was unimpressed with what they did have. I didn’t like the designs or the colours or the motifs… especially at the Curiosity Shoppe. And I thought the price for some things was a bit much – to say the very least.I can’t imagine who would pay $5.00 for 28 paper straws, but it certainly wouldn’t be me. I hate paper straws. They get all soft and mucky.

The selection at Patch NYC was a little better and seemed to be more original.I loved the reindeer notebook on the right, and thought the woodpecker candleholders were fun. Now that I know there’s a den of foxes close by, I’d like to have this lamp to remind me of them.

These orange candles seem very 70’s to me. Not to my taste.

While I admire Target for branching out and bringing these small shops to everyone’s attention, I wonder if they don’t do more harm than good to these brands. The wares usually seem to be very poorly made and not of the quality that I think the stores actually offer.

Thoughts?

17 comments:

  1. A lot of the Patch stuff sold out fairly quickly here, but this is Colorado and they likem their critters out here.

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  2. Eh, I'm waiting for the next John Derian collection.

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  3. Hello Meg:
    Sadly, none of this appeals to us at all. But that is a personal viewpoint and others may well disagree.

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    1. As I said, I couldn't tell whether this place was understocked or it had sold out. I am guessing the former.

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  4. Hello Meg, Now we know why curiosity killed the cat. I could sense that you were reaching for words in an effort to be kind, but this really looks like discount-store schlock. By the way, was there something special about those straws that I am missing?

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  5. I remember making those mushroom candles when I was in grade school! Definitely the '70s.

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  6. I did like some of the items - but the quality did not match the prices! One of the lamps was a tree stump, and was very nice, but was $49.99 and it was plastic! Maybe if I could get it on sale for $19.99, then I would pick it up.

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  7. Poor Target + what were they thinging? xxpeggybraswelldesign.com

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  8. I agree, except the Missoni (sp?) line was pretty great.
    Mary

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  9. That's really too bad. Just when I thought Target was really getting current and higher in quality!

    xoxo
    Karena
    2012 Artist Series
    Art by Karena

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  10. I went to see the Missoni line at Target when it came out, and it was 1) either picked over or they just didn't have much and more importantly, 2) it looked really poorly made. I'll say it, "It was cheap crap I wouldn't want in my home." The mushroom candles are very '70's. I liked the look of the straws, but I would never pay that for them. I haven't seen anything decent in Target in ages (which is why I rarely go in there anymore.) A few years back I found some fun summer plates that were heavy pottery with a pottery bamboo edge on them...very Tracy Porter, and I still have those with their squared off bowls--all have survived. I can't even find decent coffee mugs in Target.

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  11. All looks a little "tacky" to me, except for that deer notebook.
    Di
    xxxx

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  12. It's mass marketing. I avoid stores like Target. I used to go all the time, but then I stopped when I realized how much money I'd spend on small stuff I didn't really need. So it had been years since I set foot in a Target store, when a few months ago we needed a new coffee maker for my husband's office. We were near a Target, so he and I went in together. I felt like someone who had just come from a third world country. I was overwhelmed by the amount of stuff. It was a weird sensation, at once exciting and intimidating.

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  13. I am interested in the den of foxes you mentioned. Tell us more about that.

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