Courtesy Oakland North

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, center, and Emeryville Mayor Nora Davis, right of Quan, inaugurated a new Target serving their cities at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday.

Straddling the border of Oakland and Emeryville, a portion of 40^th Street thick with retail stores is welcoming a new neighbor this week. Target, the nation’s second largest discount retailer after Wal-Mart, will officially open the doors of its newest store this Sunday.

The store’s opening marks a significant addition to the map of “big box” retailers in the East Bay. Before this week, the nearest Target to the city was in Albany, about eight miles away from downtown Oakland. The nearest Wal-Mart, near the Coliseum, is seven miles away from downtown. While the existing stores are accessible to Oakland residents by car, the new Target stands to increase access to the store among those who rely on public transit.

At a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, leaders from both Oakland and Emeryville welcomed Target to their cities. Oakland Mayor Jean Quan said that after her city was “ignored” by national retail chains like Target for years, she welcomes the additional tax revenue the store will bring to Oakland, which is splitting the income with the city of Emeryville. “Buying just 25 percent more [retail products] in Oakland could return $10 million” to the city, Quan said, which would eliminate a significant slice of Oakland’s $40 million budget deficit.

In addition to tax revenue, more than 300 jobs have been generated by the store. Target spokesperson Donna Egan said that 90 percent of the store’s employees are residents of Oakland and Emeryville.

Kayla Howard, a sales assistant at the new store, is one such employee. Howard, who lives in Oakland, came early to her shift on Tuesday to attend the ribbon-cutting off-duty. Having recently turned 23, she said that Target’s opening was “the best birthday gift ever.” After spending part of 2010 unemployed, she is grateful to be working and, as a “recovering shopaholic,” she said she intends to shop at the store as well.

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Target’s corporate representatives went out of their way to demonstrate the store’s connection to Oakland. Performers at the event included the Learning Without Limits Elementary School Drum Line and the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, and Target Vice President Joe Katruzi boasted that “you will not find a better selection of Oakland A’s” merchandise in the area.