Target cut the ribbon at Bridgehampton Commons on Tuesday, Oct. 6, and held its grand opening on Sunday, Oct. 11. The bullseye is gray. The hours run late. After two years of an empty storefront, the biggest box on Montauk Highway is lit again. Four days before that ribbon cutting, though, the Commons' grocery anchor got a new owner. The pharmacy inside Target is also still slated for November. The store everyone talked about is now the settled part of the Commons. The questions that matter heading into winter are about groceries and prescriptions.
The Box That Sat Empty for Two Years
The building has a long run as a discount store. Spark Hamptons traces it from Woolco to Caldor to Kmart. Kmart closed in October 2024 after 25 years, and it was the last full-size Kmart in the continental United States.
Target had wanted the space for a long time. Brandt Uthus, Target's regional real estate director, told Newsday that the Hamptons had been a desired market "for years, if not decades." He explained the wait this way: "this Kmart really was the only box that was available that would be big enough for us, and so it required a lot of patience on our end." Target's project manager told Newsday the lease was signed in 2021. Kimco, which owns the Commons, publicly confirmed the signed lease in November 2024, according to the East Hampton Star.
Opening was a slow process. The site plan went before the Southampton Town Planning Board, and the East Hampton Star reported that the building permit for interior and exterior work was issued July 30, 2025. That permit covered Starbucks and CVS as accessory tenants inside the store.
Gray Bollards and a Sign Lit From Above
The town's review shaped what the store looks like. Its sign and logo are white on gray, not Target's signature red. Clare P. Shea, Southampton's assistant town planning director, told Newsday that "the Planning Board requested with the pre-submission process that the Target sign be white." Lit signs are not allowed at the shopping center, so Target's sign is lit from overhead. The large round bollards that are red at most Targets are gray here as well.
Target added other touches on its own. Company officials told Newsday that the store has Adirondack chairs and trellises outside and shake siding on several interior walls. The fitting rooms have shiplap and porthole-style mirrors, and the brick front wall was opened up with a run of glass windows. The store measures 91,036 square feet, smaller than the roughly 125,000 square feet of a typical Target but still a full-size store.
What Changed on the Errand Run
Start with distance. Until this month, the nearest Target was in Riverhead. Bridgehampton is now the first Target east of there. Demand for a big replacement store was clear well before the opening. In an informal 2024 online reader poll by Greater Long Island, cited by Spark Hamptons, Target took 49% of votes to replace Kmart. Walmart drew 16% and Costco 15%.
The store is open daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., which Spark Hamptons calls an unusually late shopping option on the East End. 27east reported that the store offers drive-up and in-store order pickup, same-day delivery through Target 360, a Starbucks café and groceries, with about 140 jobs created.
The parking lot changed to fit those services. During the town review, 27east reported that Target sought to remove six parking spaces for cart corrals and pickup stalls in a lot of 543 stalls. The East Hampton Star reported that the plan added 10 drive-up stalls for order pickup. Dan's Papers described the lot as "jam packed with cars" at the Oct. 6 ribbon cutting.
The Two Pieces Still Moving
This is where the Commons is less settled than the new storefront suggests. Here is where the main everyday stops stand as of late October 2026:
| Stop | What happened this fall | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|
| Target | Ribbon cutting Oct. 6; grand opening Oct. 11 | Open daily, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. |
| Starbucks inside Target | Opened with the store | Operating |
| CVS Pharmacy inside Target | Slated for November | Hours and phone number posted; no opening date announced |
| King Kullen | Sold to Giunta's Meat Farms, deal completed Oct. 2 | Name and banner to be decided "in the coming months" |
The pharmacy. Spark Hamptons noted on Oct. 15 that the CVS was "originally scheduled to open in November." The listing on Target's site suggested it might open earlier. The Target Bridgehampton store page lists pharmacy hours of 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., with the number 631-296-5006. A posted schedule is not the same as an open counter, so call ahead before moving a prescription. The Commons already has a Walgreens, according to Kimco's center directory.
The grocery anchor. King Kullen has anchored the Commons for years, and Kimco's site plan still lists it as the center's grocery store. Giunta's Meat Farms completed its purchase of King Kullen Grocery Co. on Oct. 2. That ended nearly a century of ownership by the Cullen family, which founded what is widely called America's first supermarket in 1930. The deal covers 24 King Kullen stores and four Wild by Nature markets. Newsday reported that "no decisions have been made about which locations will retain the King Kullen name and which will transition to the Giunta's Meat Farms banner." The companies have said they expect no store closings or layoffs from the deal. They point to greater purchasing power and possibly lower prices. The South Fork's Wild by Nature, in Hampton Bays, is part of the same transaction.
So the Commons' newest tenant sells groceries alongside everything else, its longtime supermarket may change its name, and its second pharmacy has not opened yet. That is the center going into the off-season.
A Wider Grocery Shuffle Out West
The change at the Commons is part of a larger South Fork reshuffle. Lidl closed its Westhampton Beach supermarket at 70 Sunset Ave. at the end of business on Oct. 11, the same Sunday as Target's grand opening. That ended a five-year run at its only Hamptons location. Spark Hamptons reported that a new full-service supermarket has been secured for the roughly 29,000-square-foot space, though its identity has not been made public. A circulating story about Trader Joe's taking the site was fabricated, and Trader Joe's has said it has no confirmed plans there. Citarella opened in Westhampton Beach in May.
For Bridgehampton, the takeaway is that the region's big-box and supermarket tenants are changing on the same schedule. Target's arrival is one move among several, and the others are not finished.
Main Street Is Still Part of the Picture
The opening has also brought back an older local discussion. When Kimco confirmed the Target lease in 2024, Sag Harbor Chamber president Ellen Dioguardi made the case to the East Hampton Star for supporting locally owned businesses that serve the community. LTV East End News covered opening weekend, in a report summarized by Citizen Portal. Shoppers praised the convenience and layout, and the parking lot was busy. Nearby small-business owners said they expected a short-term impact and pointed to their own service and the distinct things they offer.
The Commons itself is mostly the same. Kimco's directory still lists Marshalls and HomeGoods, TJ Maxx, Barnes & Noble, Williams-Sonoma, Athleta, Gap, Ulta, Petco, Staples, The Tack Trunk, Wild Birds, Color Me Mine, Bridgehampton Wine Cellar, GoHealth Urgent Care, M&T Bank, Panera Bread, American Pie and Dunkin'. Kimco's site plan shows two small units available, of 1,250 and 1,405 square feet. Watch the King Kullen sign and the CVS counter this winter. Those are the two places where the Commons is still changing.
If you own near Bridgehampton Commons and want to talk through how changes at the center may affect your property, The Hamptons Best can help. Schedule a Market Consultation with Bill and he will walk you through what he is seeing along this stretch of Montauk Highway.
