Let's send a message to Target Corporation: we need a Target in the Leavenworth / Lansing area! It would be a huge benefit for our local shopping options and for our local economy.

Here are just a few reasons why our area residents should support this petition with a signature of support:

• Shoppers in our area are left with one retail store that also offers grocery: Walmart. We need more options! Particularly when it comes to economy-priced stylish clothing, healthy food brands, and household products, Kmart's departure leaves a huge opportunity for Target's completely different approach would be a huge benefit to offering a new shopping opportunity in the area.
• Leavenworth and Lansing areas need jobs. Especially as we lose a large retail employer in Kmart, we have a sizable trained retail workforce ready to go into new positions.
• We have a lot of open available retail space, even in the hub of our city on the K7 corridor. Some obvious options would include the soon-to-be-vacant Kmart building and the former location of the Plaza, but even smaller lots like Abeles Field or purchasing and repurposing the Oaks golf course could be taken into consideration.
• When we travel to Kansas City, MO, Lawrence, KS or Kansas City, KS to shop, the dollars we spend aren't going to improve our city and county with that valuable income tax revenue. Let's keep our dollars funneling back into the Leavenworth county economy to improve our quality of life.
• Bringing a Target into Leavenworth may actually help our independent retailers. Economic research from the Harvard Business School indicates that the increase of jobs, bringing people in from suburbs to shop, and eliminating the smaller pop-up downtown shop trend will actually help small business maintain their market share. When people travel in from our surrounding areas (see map) Atchison, Oskaloosa, Tonganoxie, Bonner Springs, Platte City, MO, Dearborn, MO & other places, our local business like independent shops and restaurants will benefit.
• We need to signal community support for a Target for Target Corp to consider this area as a viable market. Our economic data indicators are on the cusp for commercial viability, showing a strong community support can help put this area into the 'favorable' zone in a corporate decision-making process matrix. Target recently announced that they are planning hundreds of smaller-format stores, now is the time to indicate our interest.
• Our economic profile shows that this area is more prosperous than the majority of the USA, with a higher median income, making us a good prospect for Target to place a store here if interest is proven. Take a look at the facts (source):
  - Mid-America Regional Council projects that the county’s population will reach 83,000 by 2020.
  - Leavenworth County population is 79,315 (2015)
  - The annual per household income is $63,435
  - Per capita income is $27,017
  - Median home value in Leavenworth County is $165,800
  - The median age is 37.4
  - 92.1 percent of Leavenworth County residents have a high school education or higher
  - 28.7 percent of Leavenworth County residents have a bachelor’s degree or higher