An Unplanned Trip to the Goth Target

When you think of Chicago, you probably think of things like the Bean, Navy Pier, or Wrigley Field–all of those things are worth the trip to the Midwest’s most populated city. I am by no means above a good “tourist trap.” But I also think that there is something special about stumbling upon something a little less well known, something maybe a little weird, but nonetheless something exciting in its own right. For my sister and I, on our October 2022 trip to Chicago, that was what we (and many others on the internet) call the “Goth Target.”

The Target that resides on the corner of State and Madison Streets was originally the headquarters of Carson Pirie Scott department store, which can at least partially explain its grandiose architecture (A History of Goth Target). The building is now known as the Sullivan center, named after its architect, Louis Sullivan, who designed the building in 1899 as his last legacy. In recent years (how I know about it), the Goth Target has become a small gem of TikTok, as its hashtag has amassed over 8 million views on the platform (A History of Goth Target). Although not technically gothic, the appeal of the building is in its shock factor; especially for those who are used to “normal” Midwest suburban Target stores, seeing a Target dressed in such dramatic and angsty-appearing architecture is a sight worth visiting.

On our first night of our weekend trip, my mom, sister, and I venture out onto bustling State Street, which flows right into the Chicago Riverwalk, and houses our hotel, many of my favorite international stores, and the famous Chicago Theater. We are on our way to pick up some snacks for the trip because: one, Chicago restaurant food is notoriously expensive, and two, we honestly love an excuse to take a trip to Target. We didn’t really think much of it, only that we were excited to go out, walk around, and stretch our legs after the six-hour drive into the city. As we walk the 0.4 mile journey to the closest Target, I see families with kids in strollers, locals en route for a night out, and many others. I am initially taken aback by the sheer crowdedness of the street. I turn to my mom and sister and mutter that Clifton really did not prepare me for this. Despite the fact that I have been to Chicago many times, for some reason it felt different this time–like the street was stuffed and quickly reaching a point over its capacity.

Upon further reflection I realize that the city was just particularly busy at the 7 pm prime time that we chose to journey out into it–but it was all worth it. After the brisk ten-minute walk, the miraculous sight emerged before us. After being thrown around and a little jarred by the slightly anxiety-inducing busy nature of the city, the sight that I was least expecting to see appeared before me right when I needed it. When we see it, I turn to my sister and exclaim, Grace it’s the Goth Target! We laugh and my mom is understandably confused at why we are so excited about a Target store clad in black ornate wrought-iron décor. An entirely random, completely unplanned sightseeing stop on our trip ended up being such a fun memory for us to look back on. I am so glad that, out of all the Targets that we had to stumble into to grab some overpriced snacks, it ended up being the Goth Target.

The Goth Target at Dusk