Try, try again

I hear that Target is putting a new store in the Hollywood District of Northeast Portland, in the old bowling alley. It's supposed to open next weekend.

Most recently, that had been the location of a chain hardware store that never really caught on. Since they left, of course, it's been a vandalized eyesore.

That stretch of Halsey Street, next to the transit center and home to a busy Trader Joe's, has always been a little rough. The train station is where they took the bodies out after the racist MAX murders of 2017. And the transit facility has a well-earned reputation for attracting sketchy characters.

There was a Panera Bread in part of the Trader Joe's building for a long while, and one day they got the bright idea of giving away free food to anyone who wanted it. You can imagine what that led to in needy Wheelerville. Next thing you knew, Panera was exiting stage left.

From a consumer standpoint, the main issue for the Target will probably be parking. The parking is mostly underneath the old bowling alley. The last time I was in there, it was kind of dark and felt a little creepy. Given the street people around there, it could be a hard sell.

But I hope the Target does get opened, and that it succeeds. It was a shame when the Fred Meyer closed, a couple of blocks away. The Kroger suits swore when they sweet-talked their way into the Hyster property in Sullivan's Gulch that they woudn't close the original Hollywood store, but they did so at their earliest convenience. Since then, it's worked out that you can get your chips and salsa at Trader Joe's, and your flu shot at Rite Aid, but a little competition is a good thing.