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8-year-old girl ’obsessed’ with Target throws in-store birthday party

Brayden Lawrence of Georgia celebrated her 8th birthday at Target, her favorite store. (Photo: Courtesy of Rikki Jackson and Bailey Lawrence)
Brayden Lawrence of Georgia celebrated her 8th birthday at Target, her favorite store. (Photo: Courtesy of Rikki Jackson and Bailey Lawrence)

A little girl who is “obsessed” with Target celebrated her 8th birthday inside the store.

On Sunday, Brayden Lawrence of Atlanta, Ga. and 10 of her friends hit the retailer’s East Point location for a birthday party which was arranged by her family.

“Brayden’s love for Target stems from her mom Jessica Smith,” the girl’s aunt, Rikki Jackson, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. “She goes there for everything and now Brayden is obsessed.”

Ahead of the girl’s birthday on Sunday, she asked to celebrate at Target. “We were freaking out because we didn’t know how it would be possible,” says Jackson. “But Target helped us give Brayden the birthday party of her dreams.”

At 10 a.m., the excited group of girls entered the store wearing khaki pants and skirts paired with red collared shirts and carried walkie-talkies to emulate Target employees. A manger named Albert provided personalized name tags and ear pieces for their radios.

In a scavenger hunt, the kids raced around the store with shopping baskets in search of Brayden’s favorite items — a pair of skates, a pink towel, clothing with Frozen characters and more. Guests could also choose a prize for under $10, which was paid for by Brayden’s family. And the birthday girl manned the cash register on aisle 8.

A birthday cake was decorated with red-and-white icing and the store logo, and frozen drinks from the store’s beverage fountain were served in the cafe.

A Target spokesperson tells Yahoo Lifestyle, “At Target, we're all about bringing moments of joy to our guests every day, and we're thrilled when our team goes above and beyond to create extra excitement and happiness for even our littlest guests.”

Store director Kwabena Poku tells Yahoo Lifestyle that hosting the party for the family — who visit the store often — was a “no-brainer,” adding that some amused shoppers purchased gift cards for Brayden.

Jackson says her family is “huge on birthday parties” and go to great lengths to fulfill big wishes. And Brayden is still glowing from the day, says Jackson. “She hasn’t stopped talking about it.”

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