THE CHIC SIDE OF TARGET

Big retailer teams up with red-hot hip shops

BOUTIQUE ITEMS HIT SHELVES,

Can’t make it to Miami to check out ultra-chic boutique The Webster? No problem, because Target is bringing The Webster — along with four other specialty boutiques — to you.

The nationwide retailer has teamed up with hip shop owners from across the country to create affordable limited-edition goods for The Shops at Target.

“The idea came from the fact that we have a lot of people who are out shopping the world all the time, looking for great new ideas, designers, trends,” says Stacia Andersen, Target’s Home Division senior vice president. “As every single group would come back, they would keep saying, ‘When you go to Miami, you have to go to The Webster!’ or ‘Have you been to Connecticut? You have to see Privet House!’ It just kept coming back to these shops that we visited and how well-curated they were and how visionary the shop owners were.”

And the opportunity for these smallbusiness owners to showcase their wares on a national level was a dream come true.

“As soon as they approached me, I knew already that it was going to be such an amazing experience,” says Laure Heriard Dubreuil, owner of The Webster, which will offer nearly 50 exclusive accessories and apparel pieces for women, men and children. “I wanted to share so much with them and learn so much from their point of view and the way they work. I think they’re extremely dynamite.”

Here’s an exclusive peek at the 88-piece Shops at Target collection, which includes everything from candy to dog collars. It hits stores and Target.com May 6.