"I actually had some customers call me from the parking lot because they couldn't find a spot to park," said Puneet Jolly, the owner of Milan Gold and Diamonds. "Some of them just told me that they'd come back another day."
Jolly said he would love to show Target shoppers his large selection of necklaces, bracelets and diamond-studded watches, but he also worries that those unfamiliar with the mall's West Baltimore neighborhood might be scared off by media coverage of neighborhood crime. He said security must be improved at the mall.
"We will have shoppers from the city as well as the county, and they will need to feel secure," Jolly said. "
Part of the allure of putting a Target store in Mondawmin is that the chain attracts a diverse clientele, from the budget-conscious to the fashion-conscious drawn by its hip ad campaigns. (Actress Renee Zellweger, for example, was spotted in the Towson Target recently while in town filming a movie.) City officials and merchants said they hope the store will draw customers not just from West Baltimore but also from Roland Park, Guilford and beyond.
Abigail Houff, the owner of the Gilded Peach jewelry store in Federal Hill, said she hasn't shopped at Mondawmin before but has practically been living in a blue-and-green maxi dress from Target.
"I love Target because you can go in there for shampoo and then spend $200 on clothes that you can actually wear and people won't look at you and think that you are wearing something cheap," said Houff.
lynn.anderson@baltsun.com
