How Target became one of America's most iconic brands

This story is part of the Iconic Brands series, a USA TODAY network project showcasing the companies and brands that helped shape the nation's identity, economy and culture. The series celebrates American ingenuity with a deeply reported examination of how brands intersect with history, community and everyday life in celebration of the nation's 250th anniversary. Find more at https://usatoday.com/usa250/iconic-brands

Target, with its red bullseye logo, has been part of America's retail landscape since the early 1960s, but it has a longer history.

The discount retailer traces its roots to the former Dayton Dry Goods Company, founded in 1902 in Minneapolis. In 1961, The Dayton Company said it planned to form a new discount store chain that would "combine the best of the fashion world with the best of the discount world."

Target opened its first store in a Minneapolis suburb, Roseville, in 1962. It was the same year that discounters Walmart and Kmart also launched their first stores, said Kathleen Thelen, a professor of political science at MIT and author of "Attention, Shoppers! American Retail Capitalism and the Origins of the Amazon Economy."

There was huge competition at the time among retailers with the discount store model emerging, Thelen told USA TODAY.

The idea was to streamline what had been a labor-intensive department store model where shoppers had to ask an employee to get something, she said.

The discounters created a do-it-yourself model, where they were "putting all this stuff out in ways that were accessible to shoppers," said Thelen. "It was a big efficiency boost because they streamlined operations immensely."

The new discount models also moved the cashiers to the front of the store for a more centralized check-out system, she said.

Target had a slightly different take on the core model of other discounters, though, said Thelen.

"They were a little less austere, a little less baren" in their staging, which continues to today, she said.

'Fancy for less'

Discounters like Target started off by selling the factory seconds or products that were "slightly off" at a reduced price, said Louis Hyman, a professor of political economy at Johns Hopkins University and author of "Borrow: The American Way of Debt."

Target's strategy from the beginning was "they tried to make it seem like it wasn't on the cheap," said Hyman.

"They have this patina of quality for a more affluent customer." he said. "It's fancy for less."

Target has become part of popular culture

The retailer has also become part of pop culture lexicon, including a recurring Saturday Night Live character, The Target Lady, a role of an overenthusiastic employee played by Kristin Wiig.

It also has popular nickname of "Tar-jay" or "Tar-zhay" among shoppers to refer to its retailer chic image.

The familiar red bullseye logo for Target first debuted in 1962 with the opening of the first store. Former Dayton's Director of Publicity Stewart K. Widdess said, "As a marksman's goal is to hit the center bulls-eye, the new store would do much the same in terms of retail goods, services, commitment to the community, price, value and overall experience."

The goal continues.

"Target has proudly served families across the U.S. for more than 60 years, offering style, design, and value in an experience that’s both inspiring and affordable," a Target spokesperson said. "From small towns to major cities, our stores are part of the fabric of communities nationwide and since our founding, we’ve committed to generating growth and opportunity for all.

The retailer said it invests 5% of its profits back into its communities and it is "proud to be a long-standing American company that serves families and strengthens the neighborhoods we call home.”

Target has more than 2,000 stories within the U.S. It opened its 2,000th store on March 15.

Target both has fans and protestors

Suzy Briggs of Alhambra, California, is so enamored with Target that she started a fan account, Target and Me, in 2019. Briggs shares her daily Target runs on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

"It's a store where you can go in for one thing and end up finding a bunch of other things that you didn't know you needed, but its useful," Briggs told USA TODAY. "It's just a happy place to go."

Briggs said she feels the selection of Target — from groceries to cute graphic tees to the dollar section — makes it stand out from other retailers.

Not all shoppers are fans of Target. The retailer faced recent backlash for its rollbacks of its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. There have been multiple boycotts called against the discount retailer. In March, Pastor Jamal Harrison Bryant who led the Target Fast boycott called for the end of his boycott while organizers for another, which first started a year earlier in February 2025, said their boycott remained active.

Modern Day Target has distinguished itself

Target has done a good job of distinguishing itself among discount retailers as it has grown, especially through its private label brands and collaborations with designers, said Deborah Weinswig, CEO of Coresight Research. One successful collaboration was with designer Michael Graves, which started in 1999 and lasted for 13 years.

"Their brands are well-recognized brands," Weinswig said.

While Walmart has expanded internationally, Target has chosen to stay within the U.S. The retailer's next chapter could be in bringing back some great collaborations, she said.

"There's huge opportunities for them to grow the more they lean into merchandising and marketing," Weinswig said.

She added: "Leaning into your heritage is ultimately why these companies have staying power."

How the list was selected 

The USA TODAY list of 50 Iconic Brands identifies American companies that have profoundly shaped the nation’s identity, economy and culture. The list is not definitive. Editorial selection factors included historical significance, industry-building innovation, measurable economic influence and lasting cultural impact. These brands were chosen for transforming daily life or becoming enduring symbols of American values. Long-term relevance and sustained national influence carried greater weight than short-term financial performance or recent popularity. Brands did not have a role in shaping the list or our coverage to ensure journalistic independence and to maintain the credibility of the selections.