Little Charlie loves shopping at Target with her mom, Emily Kern. So when she requested a "Target" party for her third birthday, her mom got busy planning the most red, white and bull's-eye party she could think of.
"I honestly don't know a specific time that she began to really love Target, but I think our many trips when she was a baby were to blame," Kern told TODAY Parents, explaining that Charlie was a preemie, born in August 2014 at 28 weeks gestation, and came home from the hospital during a the month of November when it was too cold to go for walks outside.
"After a little while, I started to get a little stir crazy staying in the house," said Kern. "So I would pack Charlie up and off to Target we would go."
Since their local Target is near their Pennsylvania home, Kern says it became the place she'd stop any time they needed something around the house, often with Charlie in tow.
"When I started asking Charlie what type of party she wanted, she said Target," said Kern. "I laughed and said, 'That's not a party, what about Trolls?'"
But Charlie continued to insist on a Target birthday party.
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"After a while, I started to think, 'It's different — let's do Target,' and at that point, it was official," said Kern.
So Kern and her husband, Jonathan, went all-in, throwing their daughter a Target party complete with bull's-eyes, red shirts and a Dollar Spot.
The Dollar Spot — bins filled with toys and treats for the party goers — served as a place for kids to fill their goody bags. Kern filled each bin with things like toys, candy and bubbles, and was given authentic Target bags and stickers by her local store.
"I made the front of the house kind of like the store front to Target, so when people walked in, they felt like they were walking into Target," said Kern. "At the cafe, we served Pizza Hut, hot dogs and popcorn, just like Target does."
For dessert, the creative mom served red and white pretzel sticks and cupcakes, and hand-made Charlie's bull's-eye cake.
"Overall, the party turned out great, and Charlie had a great time," said Kern. "She just genuinely loves Target, like all the other Target-lovers."