Target store set to reopen in Dover

By Craig Anderson
Posted 9/7/22

DOVER – After nearly two months of closure following an alleged arson, the Target store in Dover is scheduled to re-open on Friday.

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Target store set to reopen in Dover

Posted

DOVER – After nearly two months of closure following an alleged arson, the Target store in Dover is scheduled to reopen Friday.

Company spokesperson Maddie Wojtalewicz confirmed the date Wednesday morning and said no statement was available at this time. The store at 148 John Hunn Brown Road has been closed since July 10.

City of Dover Mayor Robin R. Christiansen, who said he planned to be at the store at 8 a.m. for the scheduled opening, said the company officials followed through on their vow to resume doing business in the city.

“I spoke to the district manager and manager of the store and they assured me that they were going to come back,” he said, noting that not all city-based businesses have returned in the past after serious setbacks.

“I can equate the Target's rapid return to the to the business world and it's like a phoenix rising from the ashes. They held true to their promise.”

Also, the mayor said, “They have been a big part of the fabric of the city for quite a number of years and it's great to see them return because our city is a shopping destination.

“Not everybody has a Target or a Walmart or some of the other good stores that we have. So I'm happy to see that they're going to be back.”

The city utilized its resources to make the return possible as well, Mayor Christiansen said.

“Our inspectors have been involved, particularly the Fire Marshal's Office, since the extinguishment of the fire,” he said.

“We assured the folks at Target that we would do everything we could to get them back up and running.

“There are folks who've been out there continuously as requested and as needed to make sure that Target had a rapid return.

“It’s been almost two months and (reopening) is really terrific considering the amount of damage and salvage work and had to be done on that building.”

A preliminary investigation by Dover police in July found that $3 million to $4 million in merchandise was damaged.  Spokesperson Master Cpl. Ryan Schmid said Wednesday that no further information was available at this time.

City spokesperson Kay Sass said the Fire Marshal’s Office did an annual full inspection last week, "same like they do as any mercantile classification each year – every year anything over 10,000 square feet goes through this inspection particularly before the holiday season.

"In doing it, they also check the suppression system, fire extinguishers etc. Everything was checked and verified, everything worked fine and no issues were found."

Desmond M. Smith, 26, of Dover was arrested July 18 in connection with the incident and charged with first-degree arson and other offenses. He remained in custody at Sussex Correctional Institution on Wednesday, according to VINE, a national database tracking the status of those in detention facilities.

The store, which opened in March 2001, had about 150 employees at the time of the fire.

A 10,000-square-foot grocery section was added in 2012, and the store was chosen to be one of the retail chain’s 300 locations to undergo a full renovation in September 2018.

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