The Power of Target

I can not even begin to describe the necessity of Target store. It has to be the single most important place in the U.S. Before I even realized how big it was and how necessary it would become and how deprived the North East had clearly been, I stumbled upon it. It was 1997, and I was living in Coral Gables, Florida, right outside of Miami. I was a sophomore at University of Miami. I was a new mother and on the verge of becoming a new wife to my now ex-husband but then jr. high school sweetheart (that experience gets its own category and label....OMG). Although my tuition was mostly covered, my living expenses and penchant for all things brand was kicking my @ss. Therefore, I needed a part-time job. I landed in this shopping center and at this store that at first I thought "looks like a very fancy and clean K-mart." I was very curious but I was also skeptical. I despised (and still do) Kmart and the other "mart." They are synonymous to some form of modern day torture and aside from grabbing some toothpaste and toilet paper, why else would anyone decide to spend any additional time in those stores and let alone actually make a substantive purchase??? Uggh. The thought of it is making my stomach turn. Anyways, my love with Target began right there because my skepticism was pleasantly dispelled and from that moment on Target was my go to place for ALLLLL things. I ended up securing my part time job at that very Target in Coral Gables and the long hours on my feet, straightening and stocking shelves, jumping on the register, cleaning the food cafe and dealing with psycho supervisors was always softened with the ambiance and stock of "Tar-Che!!" It was that introduction where I found that the Home decor and furniture, clothing, electronics selection, and beauty products were to rival the high end department stores but the prices were within the reach of a young, college student, teen mom hundreds of miles away from home with a keen sense of style despite of! Today, I love Target more. It never breaks my heart, it never betrays me and it never disappoints me. Even my children are incredibly fond of Target. When we don't have any particular plans or activities scheduled we generally decide to "just go to Target" and we never leave disappointed even if we leave empty handed, which is a rarity. You will see in my fashion labels and categories how I frequently pair inexpensive hot clothing pieces with excessively overpriced shoes and handbags (my other vices that have since reduced me to stone cold irresponsible soul) and you will see here first (and later again) how my home is an eclectic mix of inexpensive and expensive pieces, the best coming from none other than Target!! My side bedroom table, which I get a ton of compliments on, came from "Tar-Che" and was an ultimate clearance find at $20. The table is solid black/brown wood, perfect square shape with circle cut outs. The vertical striped vase on the table is another $5 target clearance find. My dining room table is adorned with great "Tar-Che" finds, the huge wooden ball center piece and the marbled brown dining ware are the perfect additions. And lastly, one of my most prized and proudest home possessions (b/c I thought of it all by myself) are the two 8x10 black and white photos of my children I have hanging on my living room accent wall. The frames were clearance "Tar-Che" finds and when I saw them I immediately got the idea to take these two colored 5x7 pictures of my children, when they were younger and both wearing cute fedora style hats, and have the pics altered to fit the frames and accent my accent wall. Enjoy!