Target plans to reopen its “Buckhead South” store in Lindbergh Plaza in "mid-November," a company spokesperson told ToNeTo Atlanta late Tuesday.  The store, located at 2539 Piedmont Road in Lindbergh Plaza, first opened in 2006 but has been closed for more than five months after it was heavily damaged and looted in May amid protests that followed the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.  

Several Target stores nationwide, among other retailers, were targeted by protesters and looters in the aftermath of Floyd's death.  In Atlanta, another Target at 3535 Peachtree Road in Lenox Marketplace was also damaged and looted but far less severely, and it has long since reopened.  In addition to the Buckhead South store, five other Target stores were closed "indefinitely" in late May as a result of the damage they suffered.  The other stores included the Broadway store in Oakland, CA, South Loop in Chicago, IL, Lake Street and Uptown in Minneapolis, and Washington Square in West Philadelphia, PA.  

The National Retail Federation (NRF) and Prosper Insights & Analytics last week released results of their holiday shopping survey where 42 percent of respondents said they plan to start their holiday shopping by the end of October and another 41 percent in November.  

Online sales have skyrocketed during the pandemic and while the majority (60 percent) of consumers say they plan to purchase holiday items online this year, 44 percent of those consumers plan to use "buy online, pick up in store," making brick & mortar still very important.  

Black Friday, traditionally one of the busiest shopping days of the year, is Friday, November 27, but Target will offer so-called "Black Friday" deals throughout the month of November, with discounts in Home, Apparel & Accessories, Electronics and more, according to its website.  Rival Walmart is introducing so-called "Black Friday" deals on its website November 4, and in its stores on November 7, with additional deals expected in the days that follow.  

Are you excited for the reopening of the Buckhead South Target store?   Do you plan to shop more or less this holiday season versus last?  What one item are you looking to purchase this holiday season?

Please share your thoughts below.  

John "Johnny" Gianoulidis along with managing partner Paul Masci plan to open The Greek Pizzeria and Gyros, next summer in Brookhaven.  The restaurant, described as "a fast casual counter service restaurant that [will] hearken back to the roots of Greek pizza and gyro joints of New England, where no one is a stranger!" will be located in Skyland Shopping Center along Clairmont Road, near its intersection with Buford Highway.  The center, anchored by Advance Auto Parts, was once home to a Colonial grocery store but in recent years has been home mostly to a hodgepodge of local shops and services.  

The Greek will occupy a roughly 2,000 square foot corner endcap space at the center most recently home to a gym.  The landlord at the property has already completed some of its planned upgrades to the center but must now add a grease trap and other restaurant infrastructure to the space so that Gianoulidis can begin his buildout.  Gianoulidis hopes to be up and running by the summer of 2021.  Also by that time he hopes to have the College Park outpost of Kafenio reopened as it has remained closed since March as a result of the pandemic. In addition to his restaurant, Gianoulidis also plans to have a new food truck operational next year that will offer select items from both the Kafenio and The Greek menus with an emphasis on gyros and Greek potatoes as well as baklava. 

Joining Gianoulidis in Skyland Shopping Center is Kathleen Hulsey, who plans to open a new outpost of her Kathleen's Catch.  The business, described as a "fresh fish market," currently has locations open in Johns Creek and Milton and offers customers an extensive variety of fresh seafood and select produce. Hulsey, who reportedly sees herself as a so-called "fish mongress," became a bit of a fish expert as a result of her husband Mike who had been retail sales manager for Inland Seafood for more than 25 years when she opened her first location in 2010.  Prior to Inland, where Mike remains today, he was in store management with Kroger for nearly a decade.  

Hulsey gets fresh fish delivered every morning and orders small amounts to ensure she sells the majority of it the same day.  Remaining fish unsold after two days is vacuum sealed and sold frozen later at discounted prices.  In addition to fresh fish, the market also offers "Catch to Go" meals which are pre-portioned and come with a side and baking instructions.  Kathleen's Facebook also indicates that earlier this month they partnered with Phoenix Wholesale Foodservice to offer select produce items that pair nicely with their seafood offerings.  

Kathleen's Catch will open at the opposite end of the center as The Greek, occupying an endcap that was for many years a barber shop.  The 1,489 square foot space is adjacent to where Scavenger Hunt operated for decades before relocating earlier this year to Peachtree Road near the Chamblee MARTA station.  The 4,000 square foot former Scavenger Hunt building had been marketed to restaurants but current plans are for a medical facility of some sort according to sources close to the center. 

Current projections are for Kathleen's Catch to open in early 2021.  

Are you excited for the openings of The Greek and Kathleen's Catch in Brookhaven?  What other businesses would you like to see open in the center?  What is your favorite type of seafood?  

Please share your thoughts below 

A new sales flyer from Atlanta-based The Shopping Center Group indicates that the Cumberland area Barnes & Noble Bookseller store could soon close, as it's being marketed for redevelopment.  The store, located at the corner of Akers Mill Road and Cobb Parkway, occupies a prime 2.4 acre parcel with tremendous street visibility.  The 20,176 square foot two-level freestanding store, which Cobb County property documents indicate was built in 1996, is one of the few remaining large format bookstores in metro Atlanta.  

The bookseller currently operates thirteen stores in the greater metro Atlanta area. In addition to the Cumberland outpost, they include those on Peachtree Road in Buckhead, North Point Parkway in Alpharetta, Perimeter Center West in Dunwoody, Peachtree Parkway in Peachtree Corners and Barrett Parkway in Kennesaw, among others.  

The move to smaller more localized stores is especially interesting when you consider that B. Dalton, a now defunct mall-based small format bookseller, was, for much of its existence, owned by Barnes & Noble.  The retailer, which once had locations in Lenox Square, Northlake Mall, North DeKalb Mall, Gwinnett Place Mall and a freestanding location in Toco Hills, among others, liquidated all but two high traffic stores as of 2010.  

Cobb County tax records indicate that the Cumberland area store - 2952 Cobb Parkway - is valued at more than $5.8 million.  Given both the high barriers to entry and "in your face" location of the parcel, it is likely to sell for an amount in excess of its appraised value.  That said, a sale is not a forgone conclusion and it may not happen for some time.  The high cost of the site limits its potential uses and multifamily/mixed-use redevelopments are, as a result, perhaps the most likely.  

Across from the Barnes & Noble, Brookfield Properties recently back-filled the former two-story Sears at Cumberland Mall with four new tenants.  A combo Dick's Sporting Goods and Golf Galaxy store opened earlier this summer on the upper level, followed by Planet Fitness, around the corner, also on the upper level.  In the coming months, Round1, an entertainment venue featuring arcade games and bowling, among other features, is expected to open in the lower level of the former Sears space. 

The former Sears Auto Center and surrounding land/parking lots, are slated for redevelopment, too, but both the timeline and content of the redevelopment is said to be under review in light of the pandemic and its effects on the office market.  Phase one of the redevelopment, a 312 unit multifamily development, is likely to proceed as planned, but phases two and three, which centered on adding nearly 500,000 square feet of office space between two new towers, is likely to be further reviewed/scaled back.  

What would you like to see open in place of Banes & Noble near Cumberland Mall?  Do you think smaller book stores are the way of the future?  If you could bring back Chapter 11, Turtle's Records & Tapes, Oxford Books... or Media Play, which would you most like to see again? Why?

Please share your thoughts below. 

ToNeTo Atlanta has learned that Chick-fil-A will soon relocate and rebuild one of their Snellville area restaurants.  The Atlanta-based quick-serve chain intends to close their existing restaurant at 2932 Main Street W (U.S. Highway 78) and open a new location at 3090 Main Street W.  The site of the new restaurant was most recently occupied by Doo's Seafood, but the local seafood eatery recently announced plans to relocate November 6 to a smaller inline location in the Kroger-anchored Midway Plaza shopping center at 910 Athens Highway in nearby Loganville.  

The Doo's site, originally a Ruby Tuesday restaurant, measures 1.22 acres, making it a good bit larger than the current .85 acre Chick-fil-A site.  The current Doo's building is both bigger and slightly newer than the current Chick-fil-A, but Chick-fil-A basically never makes use of existing buildings, so its size and relative newness (1989 compared to 1988) are meaningless, given that the building will undoubtedly be demolished.  

Interestingly, according to the Gwinnett County Tax Assessors, the smaller Chick-fil-A site is actually valued more than the future site.  For 2020, the county valued 2932 Main Street at $1.1 million while the county valued 3090 Main Street at only $776,400.

Built in 1988, the current Snellville Chick-fil-A is one of a dwindling number of "Gen 1" Chick-fil-A restaurants still in existence.  Although not exclusive to Gen 1 units, Chick-fil-A's "scrape & rebuild" initiative has replaced more than a dozen restaurants in the greater metro Atlanta area and around the south with boring, boxy restaurants that, unlike their predecessors, lack all of the characteristics that distinguished early Chick-fil-A restaurant building. 

The fact that the Snellville location is "moving" should mean that the restaurant will be able to continue operations until the new location opens, eliminating undesirable downtime and maintaining jobs in the community.   

On October 15, Chick-fil-A  reopened its Roswell Town Center restaurant at 604 Holcomb Bridge Road in Roswell.  This restaurant, originally built in 1987 in the same style as the current Snellville restaurant, was completely demolished and rebuilt.  The Roswell restaurant was the first full-service Chick-fil-A to be rebuilt using the company's "modular building program."  In the program, portions of the restaurant are built offsite and then shipped and set in place at the restaurant location, allowing work to be completed approximately six weeks sooner than through traditional construction methods.  

In Conyers, Chick-fil-A is also relocating to a larger site, and in the process eliminating another Gen 1 unit.  ToNeTo Atlanta last December first reported on the company's plans to relocate to the site of a then operating Piccadilly Cafeteria on Highway 138.  The Piccadilly, which has since closed, was demolished in June to make way for the new Chick-fil-A.  

A few miles from the Doo's site in Snellville, another Chick-fil-A at 1559 Scenic Highway near The Shoppes at Webb Gin is currently closed for an extensive renovation and reconfiguration.  This Chick-fil-A, unlike most that have been replaced, isn't getting completely rebuilt (it first opened in 2003) but is getting an extreme makeover.    

Elsewhere around metro Atlanta, several other Chick-fil-A restaurants have been rebuilt or replaced including those on Peachtree Parkway in Norcross, North Druid Hills Road near Brookhaven, South Cobb Drive in Smyrna, Lawrenceville Highway in Lilburn and GA Highway 5 in Douglasville, among others.  In addition to standard Chick-fil-A restaurants, the company has also completed scrape & rebuilds of several of their Dwarf House locations including those in Woodstock, Rome, and Newnan, where all are now boxy, less distinctive, and carry the moniker "Truett's Chick-fil-A."   

Representatives from Chick-fil-A did not respond to our request for comment but it's fair to surmise that the new Snellville Chick-fil-A will also utilize the modular building technique and should open sometime early in the first half of 2021.  

Are you excited for the new Chick-fil-A in Snellville?  Do you find it sad that Chick-fil-A is replacing so many of its legacy restaurants?  What is your favorite Chick-fil-A menu item?

Please share your thoughts below. 

In an incredibly quiet move, restaurants Doraku and Qing Mu have both permanently closed on East Paces Ferry Road at Buckhead Village District (formerly The Shops Buckhead Atlanta).  The restaurants, located adjacent to one another between Georgetown Cupcake and The Capital Grille, "temporarily closed" in March, but have now been removed from the Buckhead Village District (BVD) website and onsite maps. (The Buckhead location of Doraku has been removed from the Doraku website but the Buckhead Qing Mu location remains listed on the Qing Mu website.)   Earlier this week, BVD management also installed artsy window coverings on the fronts of both of the former restaurants.  

Following the Buckhead closures, online research suggests that there are three Doraku locations left in existence, two in Hawaii and one in Miami Beach; and one One Qing Mu, also in Hawaii.   

Each former Aoki Group restaurant (265 and 271 East Paces Ferry Road) measures 2,725 square feet now giving new center owner Jamestown two opportunities to improve the tenant mix while also attracting potentially local restaurants looking to take advantage of relatively new second generation restaurant space.   

ToNeTo Atlanta was first to report in September that the owners of popular Buckhead pasta eatery Storico Fresco Alimentari e Ristorante have leased the former Corso Coffee/The Mourning Dove space in BVD to open Storico Vino, a wine bar and cafe.  The hope is that the new concept will open before the end of the year.  

What would you like to see open in place of Doraku and Qing Mu at Buckhead Village District?  Are you pleased by the slight changes and new name for the challenged Buckhead project?  What is your favorite Buckhead area restaurant?

Please share your thoughts below. 

Cook Hall at the W Atlanta Buckhead has closed.  The restaurant, which opened in late 2012 in place of Market by Jean-Georges Vongerichten, has been "temporarily closed" for several months, but a newly released offering from JLL indicates the space will not reopen as Cook Hall and is instead being marketed for lease.  The listing indicates the restaurant space is 5,772 square feet and is available "immediately."  Neither the lease term nor the lease rate are explicitly listed but are instead said to be "negotiable."  

A second Cook Hall at the W Dallas-Victory Hotel is also closed with sources close to the hotel indicating that it will reopen sometime in 2021 as a new concept.  

ToNeTo Atlanta reported in July that the W Atlanta Buckhead hotel is slated to be reflagged as an Autograph Collection by Marriott property.  Sources close to the hotel indicate those plans are still in place but that the conversion was pushed several months due to low occupancy due to the pandemic, among other factors.  The conversion is reportedly now on track to take place sometime in December.  

What would you like to see open in place of Cook Hall in Buckhead?  What is your favorite Atlanta area hotel restaurant?  What is your favorite hotel brand?

Please share your thoughts below.  

COVID-19 has certainly slowed commercial real estate projects and other businesses around the world.  The owners of Northlake Mall and many other commercial real estate developers are still moving forward, albeit at what seems like a glacial pace.  ToNeTo Atlanta spoke this past week with Tony Ruggeri, co-founder and partner at ATR Corinth, the current owners of Northlake Mall, about the project and coming updates.  Ruggeri was quick to dispel rumors that his firm was either putting the project on the market or removing the retail component from the re-development.

Emory Healthcare, which in late 2019 signed a lease for 224,000 square feet at the mall, will occupy the former Sears store at the mall, with a workforce of at least 1,600.  The Emory space is what ATR will initially work on, making infrastructure and other improvements to the space to complete their responsibilities before they turn it over to Emory's contractors for the space to be built out to suit their needs.  As Ruggeri put it, "they do the book, we do the book cover." Emory will likely occupy the space in late 2021 or early 2022.  

While the Sears space is spoken for, the fate of the rest of the mall and surrounding outlots is far less clear at this point.  It's also worth noting that ATR now also controls the two-level, 180,000 square foot JCPenney space which was vacated in October when the struggling retailer closed its store.  Pre-COVID, Ruggeri and his firm were deep in talks with several restaurant and retail operators, among other prospective tenants.  Some of those talks have stopped altogether, while others have slowed as business owners re-evaluate their expenditures and expansion plans in the wake of the pandemic.  

Ruggeri described restaurants as "least active," with so many either closing or on limited hours.  Many restaurant operators who are still looking to expand are far more likely to seek out cheaper second generation restaurant space versus making the financial commitment of building out completely new restaurant space. 

The area already has a strong evening and weekend population, but the completion of the initial office component is what will bring the weekday population needed to attract restaurants and other tenants.  Ruggeri anticipates the project will eventually have "slightly more" office and "a little less" retail, but with the addition of more service-oriented uses.  

Despite many companies either downsizing or implementing work from home programs, medical office space seems to be one of the safer bets when it comes to commercial real estate.  Securing a significant lease with Emory may not be the "sexiest" use of mall space, but can you imagine if the developer had instead moved forward with a movie theater operator or something crazy like that?  

What restaurant or retailer would you most like to see open at the reimagined Northlake Mall?  What is currently your go-to Northlake area restaurant?  When was the last time you shopped at a store in Northlake Mall other than Macy's?

Pleas share your thoughts below. 

VF Corporation Monday announced plans to acquire popular streetwear brand Supreme for $2.1 billion.  The deal, which Denver-based VF indicated would close by the end of the year, nearly matches the firm's $2.2 billion 2011 acquisition of Timberland.  The company, which moved its corporate headquarters from Greensboro, NC to Denver in 2018, also owns Vans, The North Face and JanSport, among other brands.  

A new restaurant called The Orient will open in place of Sage Woodfire Tavern (which was before that Houston's) on Powers Ferry Road at Windy Hill Road, not far from Truist Park.  The restaurant, under renovation for several months, recently installed "coming soon" signage, finally confirming its new identity.  

Blue Martini on Piedmont Road near Atlanta Tech Village has opened.  

Andy's Frozen Custard plans to open a second Georgia location, this time in Athens.  The new Andy's - 2180 West Broad Street - will open in place of a former KFC.  Building plans indicate that the roughly 3,100 square foot former KFC will be demolished and a new nearly 2,200 square foot building will be constructed in its place.  The new Athens outpost should open in 2021 and joins the original Atlanta area location which debuted in 2019 just off Old Milton Parkway in Alpharetta.  Springfield, Missouri-based Andy's Frozen Custard has about 50 locations throughout the country.  

THE CHASTAIN, a New American neighborhood cafe and restaurant, officially opened Monday in the space that formerly housed Horseradish Grill (4320 Powers Ferry Road) in Chastain Park.  The property has been "reimagined" to include an on-site garden, multiple patios and a to-go counter, among other updates. Helmed by Executive Chef and Operating Partner Christopher Grossman, the restaurant’s menu features a seasonal selection of refined New American cuisine.  THE CHASTAIN will initially launch with morning counter service and dinner service, with plans to add lunch, brunch, and a to-go menu with online ordering, in the weeks to come. 

McAlister's Deli and Your Pie will each open new locations in a recently built outparcel building in the Kroger-anchored Butler Creek shopping center at 3330 Cobb Parkway in Acworth.  The McAlister's, owned by Atlanta-based FOCUS Brands, will be 3,300 square feet and feature a drive-thru with Your Pie, owned by Atlanta-based Georgia Oak Partners, coming in at 2,700 square feet.  

Following the recent opening of Jeni's Spendid Ice Creams at The Battery Atlanta, original ice cream shop Häagen-Dazs has closed.  

A new location of locally owned Reveille Cafe is opening at Matt Town Center in Cumming.  The breakfast and lunch eatery will occupy a 3,330 square foot space in the Publix-anchored center at the 5310 Matt Highway near Banister Road.  The Cumming outpost will be the sixth location for the J. Christopher's sibling concept.  Reveille operates existing restaurants in  Acworth, Alpharettta, Sandy Plains, Sugar Hill and West Cobb.  

Taffer's Tavern has opened its first ever location on Main Street in Alpharetta. Jon Taffer, host of Paramount Network's reality series Bar Rescue, created the concept which he envisions being a powerful franchise operation.  The Alpharetta restaurant "soft opened" October 29 with a "Grand Opening" planned for November 19.  Additional locations are said to be in the works for Boston and Washington D.C., among other markets.   

Big Dave's Cheesesteaks plans to open its long awaited Doraville outpost November 14.  The eatery, first announced over a year ago, was originally expected to open September 2019.  It's unclear what caused all the delays, but undoubtedly cheesesteak fans are excited for the opening.  The new restaurant is located in the Super H Mart-anchored Peachtree Pavilion shopping center just off Peachtree Boulevard at I-285 and joins the existing location on Forsyth Street in downtown Atlanta.  

Dunkin'plans to open a new doughnut & coffee shop in place of a former drive-thru only Wendy's at 2525 Barrett Creek Boulevard in Kennesaw.  The small format Wendy's closed early this year, as did another traditional Wendy's on Sandy Plains Road in Marietta.  The Barrett Creek Wendy's was a mere 1,310 square feet and operated exclusively as a drive-thru restaurant.  

Marlow's Tavern has closed at Mall of Georgia in Buford.  The closure, which leaves the Atlanta-based company with 16 locations in Georgia, comes a few months after the closure of the Marlow's at Emory Point in Atlanta.  Both closures are meant to help stabilize the company for future growth.  In addition to the Georgia locations, four units remain in Florida after closures in Orlando and Winter Park.  

Hardee's has closed its freestanding restaurant at the corner of Salem and Flat Shoals Road in Conyers.  The restaurant is at least the second Hardee's to close in the greater metro Atlanta area in just the past few months.  ToNeTo Atlantareported August 13 that the Hardee's on South Main Street in Alpharetta also closed after nearly 40 years in business.  

NTB in February sold a total of 112 stores to Mavis Discount Tire.  The sale resulted in NTB's complete exit from the Georgia market.  Only within the past few weeks has the change been noticeable with new Mavis signage going up in place of NTB at shops around town.  New Jersey-based Mavis first entered the metro Atlanta market in 2018 with the acquisitions of Kauffman Tire and DeKalb Tire.  The company subsequently also acquired several independent shops in metro Atlanta including Northlake Automotive in Tucker and Georgia Tire Depot in East Cobb.

American Eagle Outfitters will expand and add its Aerie brand to its existing space at Lenox Square in Buckhead.  The new store, expected open during the first half of 2021, will measure more than 10,000 square feet.  American Eagle's expansion is being made possible by the imminent closure of Ann Taylor.  According to a permit filed with the City of Atlanta, American Eagle will spend at least $500,000 building out the new store.  The current American Eagle store at Lenox Square is just under 6,000 square feet.  

Tesla has closed its showroom in the Luxury Wing of Lenox Square in Buckhead.  

H. Stockton and Stuart Weitzman both remain closed in the Luxury Wing at Lenox Square following a water leak from above the two stores over the summer.  Both stores appear far from reopening.  

According to a Simon Property Group (SPG) leasing document, luxury timepiece retailer Breitling is slated to occupy a portion of the former DVF space. 

O'Charley's has closed its restaurant on Townpark Lane near the intersection of George Busbee Parkway and Chastain Road in Kennesaw.  The Kennesaw closure comes on the heels of earlier closures in Tucker, Lawrenceville, and Snellville, among others.  

Swiss Watch Expo has relocated from a strip center on Peachtree Road to 315 East Paces Ferry Road across from Cafe Agora.   The shop, which now occupies the freestanding building that was most recently home to the sales center for The Charles, sells luxury timepieces from its store as well as through its robust online presence.  According to the company's website, Swiss Watch Expo is "The internet's leading retailer of authentic, pre-owned luxury watches."   The store carries watches from such brands as Omega, Cartier, Breitling, Rolex and Patek Philippe, among others.  

Women's clothing and accessories retailer Luna has closed its shop at Buckhead Village District and a separate company has acquired the store's merchandise to liquidate from a familiar space. (The same firm previously liquidated the inventory of former Buckhead Atlanta (now Buckhead Village District) tenants Robert Talbot and Kit + Ace from the same space.)   "Selene" has opened in the Piedmont Peachtree shopping center (aka the Disco Kroger shopping center) and will remain in business until the end of the year or until all inventory is sold, whichever happens first.  The liquidator can't use the name "Luna" to publicize the store, so they did the next best thing, naming the store Selene for the goddess of the moon in Greek mythology.  For those unfamiliar, Luna had been in business in Buckhead for many years, first in Buckhead Exchange shopping center, later the Shops Around Lenox and most recently at Buckhead Village District (fka The Shops Buckhead Atlanta). There were once plans for the store to reopen at Andrews (and it's still listed on the center's siteplan), but sources close to the retailer say those plans have long since been abandoned.  The Selene space, located in a roughly 2,000 square foot suite in Buckhead's "Disco Kroger" shopping center, is full of trendy women's merchandise from such brands as Tom Ford, Blank NYC, Michael Stars, SPANX, Seven for All Mankind and Citizens of Humanity, among others.  Most everything is 20-30% off the lowest marked price with the exception of TOM FORD sunglasses which are 10% off.  ToNeTo Atlanta readers who mention the site at checkout will receive an extra 10% off.  

After a prolonged "temporary closure,"Jason's Deli at Cumberland Mall near Smyrna officially has permanently closed.  The restaurant, located on the mall's first floor, was near the former Sears wing, where Round1, an entertainment venue will soon open.  Jason's Deli first opened at Cumberland Mall in December 2003 when it replaced what had been the once popular Lettuce Souprise You.  

According to a report by Restaurant Business Online, Jason's Deli had as of October 1 permanently closed 22 restaurants nationwide - about 10% of its total unit count - since the start of the pandemic in March.  

Following the closures, Jason's Deli operates a total of sixteen restaurants in Georgia, of which ten are in metro Atlanta, including locations in Buckhead, Dunwoody, Midtown, Tucker, North Point and Kennesaw, among others. 

Jason's Deli is the second restaurant to close at Cumberland Mall since the start of the pandemic.  Atlanta-based Ted's Montana Grill closed its restaurant at Cumberland Mall (and in Decatur) in early June.  GW Gyro & Wings, the latest iteration of Gyro Wrap, has not closed its unit in the food court, but is for sale.  The eatery, which not long ago rebranded from "Gyro Wrap Street Food Kitchen," is owned by the Atlanta-based company and is being marketed for sale for a mere $15,000 with no transfer fees, reduced royalties, full training and free rent until the end of 2020.  

Despite the two closures and challenging retail environment, Cumberland Mall has managed to add several new tenants to its mall including new eateries and retailers, among other new additions.  

ToNeTo Atlanta reported previously that Dick's Sporting Goods, Golf Galaxy and Planet Fitness have all opened in portions of the upper level of the former Cumberland Sears store, while the aforementioned Round1 is expected to open in early 2021 on the lower level.  The food court is also expected to welcome new Charleys Philly Steaks and The Original Hot Dog Factory outposts.  

Charming Charlie, which closed all of its stores in 2019 following its most recent bankruptcy filing, reopened in its former space at the mall in late September, marking the retailer's first new brick and mortar store to open following the company's return to retail.

Are you surprised by the recent closures of Jason's Deli in metro Atlanta?  What is your favorite casual sandwich shop?  What would you like to see open in place of Jason's Deli in Alpharetta?  

Please share your thoughts below.  

A new Burlington [Coat Factory] will be joining the lineup at Briarcliff Village in Tucker.  Burlington will open in the nearly 26,000 square foot space vacated earlier this spring by Office Depot.  In Briarcliff Village, Burlington joins existing anchors TJ Maxx and Publix in the nearly 200,000 square foot center.  With about 750 stores, the Burlington, New Jersey-based retailer is the third largest off-price department store in the country after TJ Maxx and ROSS.  

The new Tucker store, located less than four miles from North DeKalb Mall, will reportedly replace, rather than be in addition to, the  North DeKalb store.  [The current North DeKalb store occupies a onetime Uptons, as does the current Publix in Briarcliff Village.]  Sources close to the retailer indicate plans call for the new store to open summer 2021.  

According to the Burlington website, the company opened a staggering 17 stores on September 10 alone, a remarkable accomplishment in the current retail climate.  

Are you excited for the opening of Burlington at Northlake?  What is your favorite off-price retailer?  What other retailers would you like to see open in the Northlake area?  

Please share your thoughts below. 

ToNeTo Atlanta is pleased to announce that the former YEAH! BURGER at 1017 North Highland Avenue in Virginia-Highland will next year reopen as Farm Burger!  YEAH! BURGER, one half of Atlanta's "Young + Hungry" restaurant group, first opened in 2010 and closed over the summer.  

[Farm Burger is a ToNeTo Atlanta favorite. Their hand-cut "FB Fries" tossed with spicy garlic, parmesan and herbs are AMAZING.] 

Co-founded by farmer and rancher Jason Mann and restaurant veteran George Frangos in 2010, Atlanta-based Farm Burger has grown to include eleven locations spread across Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee.  2020 has been a challenging year for basically all restaurants and the owners of Farm Burger have had to make some tough decisions, not the least of which was the late September closure of the short-lived outpost at Peachtree Corners Town Center in Peachtree Corners.  The company also temporarily closed their location in the street level of the new-ish Whole Foods Market in Midtown.  

We are never ones to recommend opening a new burger joint in place of an old burger joint, but Farm Burger should - as they've done before [we incorrectly foreshadowed struggles when they opened in place of Atlanta Bread in Buckhead] - do quite well.  In addition to their existing fan base and name recognition, they also are likely better equipped financially thanks to a late 2016 investment by private equity firm Georgia Oak Partners.   

Opening in Virginia-Highland makes a lot of sense when you consider the success that the original Decatur location has had a few miles away and the similarities in the two intown neighborhoods.  It's also worth noting that Morelli's Gourmet Ice Cream - Farm Burger's co-tenant in Dunwoody - is expected to soon open a new ice cream shop in the former Yogli Mogli, basically across the street from the new Farm Burger.  

When it opens in early 2021, the new Farm Burger will be the seventh in metro Atlanta, joining existing locations in Buckhead, Decatur, Dunwoody, Grant Park, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the aforementioned outpost at Whole Foods Market in Midtown, which is currently "temporarily closed."  

Are you excited for the opening of Farm Burger in Virginia Highland?  What is your favorite burger joint?  Who in Atlanta do you think makes the best French fries?

Please share your thoughts below.  

The former Hudson Grille Brookhaven will reopen soon as "Atlanta Bar & Grille."  The new restaurant, in the works for the past few weeks, could reopen as soon as November 27.  Sources close to the restaurant indicate that the interior of the roughly 8,000 square foot restaurant has been "heavily renovated."  ToNeTo Atlanta stopped by the space Saturday morning and observed plenty of work going on but no new signage up and seemingly plenty still to do inside.  

The restaurant's Instagram page further indicates that [as of October 30] they were actively hiring management, support staff, cocktail waitresses, servers, cooks and hosts.  

Atlanta Bar & Grille seems to be hoping it can find the same success in the space at Brookhaven Station that Hudson Grille had for many years, and which Jocks & Jills experienced before that.  

The new eatery marks the second replacement restaurant planned for the center.  ToNeTo Atlanta was first to report October 20 that Rapz wraps & smoothies plans to open soon in the former Sugar Shack.  Both Hudson Grille and Sugar Shack, which closed in March, were concepts owned and managed by Atlanta based Metrotainment Cafes.  

Operating an existing restaurant over the past few months has been challenging for basically everyone not named Chick-fil-A.   Opening a completely new restaurant during the pandemic and as we head into colder months where patios become less viable options will no doubt present unique challenges for the upcoming restaurant.  Hopefully, the food will be good, the service will be better, and the community will embrace it the way locals in nearby Chastain Park have taken to Mediterranean quick serve Sahara Cafe, which opened June 1.  

Have you heard anything else about Atlanta Bar & Grille?  Do you think Atlanta Bar & Grille will find success in the former Hudson Grille space?  What is your favorite Brookhaven area restaurant?  

Please share your thoughts below. 

For the second time in just the past few weeks, an Atlanta area Moe's Southwest Grill franchise has closed.  The restaurant, located in the Publix-anchored [and Publix owned] Shallowford Corners shopping center (4401 Shallowford Road), seemingly closed in recent days without prior notice, and while permanently removed from the Moe's website, still shows as occupied on the property's website.  Moe's was situated on a 2,265 square foot endcap space adjacent to Jet's Pizza at the corner of Shallowford and Johnson Ferry Roads in East Cobb.  

Brian Ferris, once a significant Moe's franchisee with several locations in metro Atlanta and Alabama, has reportedly been reducing the number of units he operates either by selling or closing them.  Ferris was the owner of both of the now closed East Cobb units, but is also the financial backer and business partner of chef Pat Pascarella's new Italian eatery, Grana, which opened earlier this year in Piedmont Heights.  

At least six Moe's have closed in metro Atlanta in recent years including Atlantic Station (now Salata), Sandy Springs (now Salata), Midtown (now Chopt) Roswell Road (empty), in addition to the two recent East Cobb closures.  

A freestanding Moe's on Roswell Road near Northridge Road in Sandy Springs closed over a year ago due to fire and was finally demolished in early October with plans for it to be rebuilt and reopen next year, according to sources close to the restaurant.  The Moe's website has said since the day after the fire that the location is "temporarily closed."    

What would you like to see open in the now former Moe's in East Cobb?  Between Moe's, Willy's or Chipotle, which is your favorite and why?  What is your favorite East Cobb area restaurant?

Please share your thoughts below.  

The family that owns Atlanta's Landmark Diner has acquired the former Folks Southern Kitchen restaurants in Marietta and Tucker and plans to open new restaurants at each site in the coming months.  Planning documents suggest each new restaurant will operate as "Landmark Diner" but sources close to the restaurant indicate that while both may feature a menu similar to Landmark's, the name is expected to be different.  Anastasios (Tom) & Carolyn Lambrou opened the original Landmark Diner at the intersection of Piedmont and Roswell Roads in Buckhead in 1994.  A second location, in the street level of the Helen M. Aderhold Learning Center at Georgia State University's downtown campus, opened in 2003.  

Local real estate brokerage Norton Commercial had been marketing both the Marietta and Tucker former Folks restaurants for sale.  ToNeTo Atlanta is aware of at least one other interested party in the Tucker location but the fact that the Lambrou family purchased both sites likely helped their case in getting the deal done.  [ToNeTo Atlanta reported in 2018 that RaceTrac was planning a new location in place of the Marietta Folks and adjacent Chevron but later called off those plans and it's unclear if they were ever back in the picture or expressed interest in the site following the restaurant's closure.]  

ToNeTo Atlanta first got wind of the Lambrou's reported purchase of the former Folks in Tucker over the summer but at the time was unable to confirm the sale.  

Tax documents in Cobb and DeKalb counties confirm the sales of both former Folks to "Piros Enterprises, LLC," an entity controlled by Anastasios (Tom) & Carolyn Lambrou with headquarters at their home on Lake Forrest Drive in Sandy Springs.  

The sales listings from Norton - both of which are still active - indicate the asking price for the 5,049 square foot Marietta restaurant which occupied a .98 acre site, was $1.795M.  In Tucker, where Folks occupied both a larger parcel (1.49 acres) and had a larger building (6,329 square feet), the asking price was $2.6M.  

Tax documents filed September 25 in both Cobb and DeKalb counties indicate the Marietta site sold for $1.32M (about 74% of asking) and the Tucker site sold for $1,544,400 (about 59% of asking).  Both sites were sold by "King & Pratt LLC," the parent company of Folks Inc., named for Folks founders, Richard J. Pratt and Richard W. King.  

The addition of a diner-type restaurant should be a welcome addition to the Tucker community where local favorite Galaxy Diner closed on Henderson Mill Road at Embry Village this past December after fifteen years in business.  In the 90s, Northlake Diner operated from 3824 LaVista Road next to the Northlake Barbara Loar Library where Georgia United Credit Union today operates from a former BB&T building built in place of the former diner.  

In Marietta, the Lambrou's new restaurant will put it in competition with Cobb Parkway icon the Marietta Diner, a 24-hour eatery and an area mainstay since its debut 25 years ago.  Marietta Diner owner Gus Tselios also owns several other restaurants in the area including Marietta Fish Market, Casa Grande, Cherokee Cattle Co., Pasta Bella and Yeero Village.  Marietta Diner, easily Tselios' most popular and successful restaurant, has been featured on Food Network’s “Diner, Drive-ins and Dives” and even added a custom "drive-thru" earlier this year to help facilitate sales for the restaurant as the effects of the pandemic limited their ability to serve customers as they had previously.  

In addition to the two Landmark Diner locations, the Lambrous, together with their son, chef Nicholas Lambrou, also own Midtown Diner on Peachtree Street in Midtown and Delray Diner on Delk Road in Marietta which they opened in 2017 in place of what was for many years Spaghetti Warehouse.  [Cobb tax records indicate the family spent $1.7M on the 3.66 acre Delray Diner site.] 

It is clear from the outpouring of comments and shares on our earlier coverage of the Folks restaurant closures in metro Atlanta that many diners still enjoyed the classic southern fare of the local eatery.  Hopefully the Lambrous keep this in mind when fine-tuning their concepts and deliver a restaurant the Marietta and Tucker communities will embrace.  

Are you excited for the planned openings of these new restaurants in Marietta and Tucker?  Were you a fan of Folks?  What is your all-time favorite diner menu item?  

Please share your thoughts below  

Chama Gaucha Brazilian Steakhouse has made their Buckhead outpost closure permanent.  The restaurant, located at Tower Place along Piedmont Road in Buckhead, had been "temporarily closed" since March, with reported plans to reopen "in the fall."  As months passed, that reopening seemed less and less likely.  A ToNeTo Atlanta reader alerted us Sunday to the restaurant's website which has been updated to reflect the Atlanta closure is now permanent.  "We regret to inform you that Chama Gaucha Atlanta is permanently closed." reads a pop-up on the Chama Gaucha website.   

A Chama Gaucha location in the company's home market of Houston, Texas remains open as does another in San Antonio.  A third location in Chicago is "closed until further notice," but unlike the Atlanta outpost, is still listed as an "active" tab on the restaurant's main website.  

The 13,000 square foot Chama Gaucha Atlanta space would be a tremendous undertaking for any restaurateur - local, chain or otherwise - but it does feature "in your face" street visibility and a large patio with bar access.  When Chama Gaucha opened it replaced the short-lived Modern which itself replaced Copeland's.  The shops at Tower Place also includes fellow restaurants Twin Peaks, Farm Burger and Ru San's.  

The restaurant industry has experienced 100,000 closures tied to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a September survey from the National Restaurant Association.  With temperatures falling and patios become less viable and multiple large cities reintroducing restaurant restrictions, we could soon see an "extinction level event" for restaurants, predicts restaurateur and celebrity chef Tom Colicchio.

What is your favorite steakhouse in Buckhead?  What would you like to see open in place of Chama Gaucha?  When was the last time you dined in a restaurant?

Please share your thoughts below  

After one name change, three locations and a combined 40 years in business, a popular East Cobb area restaurant is throwing in the Windex and calling it a career. Christos Giannes, 65, owner of Kouzina Christos, made the vague announcement on his restaurant's Facebook page early Monday.  "FYI...Open for service Saturday till..." read the post which received several comments from concerned longtime patrons.   

Throughout all the moves, the restaurant's core menu remained essentially the same, specializing in calzones, gyros and grinders, but the 2012 name change brought an elevated offering which added more depth to the menu and also emphasized sit-down service.  Sources tell ToNeTo Atlanta that Christos was considering closing months before the pandemic but that the shutdown and substantial drop in sales that resulted were the final straw that made Christos' decision for him.   

Those looking to enjoy the Giannes' family food and their authentic Greek recipes, look no further than Avondale Estates (and next year Brookhaven) where John "Johnny" Gianoulidis, 55, Christos' younger brother, operates Kafenio and will open The Greek Pizzeria & Gyros in 2021 along Clairmont Road in Brookhaven.  

Will you miss Kouzina Christos?  What is your favorite Greek dish?  What type of restaurant would you like to see open in place of Kouzina Christos?

Please share your thoughts below    

At a time when many restaurants are struggling, two local business partners and restaurateurs are expanding into the most unlikely of concepts: breakfast!  Brian Kennington and Terry Kirby plan to open 1911 Biscuits & Burgers later this month along South Cobb Drive in Smyrna.  The restaurant, situated in front of Smyrna Thrift Store and adjacent to a recently rebuilt Chick-fil-A, occupies a one-time Huddle House (3120 South Cobb Drive) that has over the years been home to several independent restaurants serving everything from Cajun cuisine to barbecue.  The gamechanger for 1911, however, will be the addition of an all important - some might say "pandemic proof" - drive-thru.  

The main menu at 1911 will be both approachable and affordable with most entrees only a few bucks.  The single most expensive breakfast item is the Smoked Brisket Breakfast Plate which includes a biscuit, 2 scrambled eggs, choice of meat and grits or plain gravy and clocks in at $7.85.  

Some might call Kirby and Kennington crazy for opening a new restaurant during a pandemic, but it wouldn't be the first crazy thing they've done.  The duo's first local restaurant, Red Sky Tapas, opened in East Cobb in 2008, during the financial crisis, but is still going strong twelve years later. 

For those who might wonder about the significance of 1911 in the restaurant's name, Kirby explains:  

"The restaurant's name is an ode to our military and first responders. The Colt 1911 was the standard-issue sidearm for the United States Armed Forces from 1911 until 1985. The "911" in the name is a nod to our police, fire and emergency medical teams who respond to 911 calls.  The outside design of an old country store is a fitting tie-in to handcrafted buttermilk biscuits reminiscent of what one could have enjoyed back in 1911."

Kirby is especially appreciative of our local emergency service providers given that he credits them with saving his life.  In 2002, Kirby was in training to be a manager at the now closed Sidelines Sports Grille in Sandy Springs.  Barbara Kriewald, the restaurant's co-owner, was seven months pregnant and was training Kirby to run the restaurant when she went on maternity leave.  In the early morning hours of March 7, a masked gunman burst into the restaurant demanding money.  Despite being given the money he requested, the gunman repeatedly tazed Kreiwald and later shot both her and Kirby.  Kreiwald was able to call the police but she and her unborn child died en route to the hospital.  Kirby, who doctors say could very well have died of his injuries had paramedics not responded as fast as they did, is paralyzed from his injuries, but has not let that prevent him from achieving his professional goals.

Kirby and Kennington both grew up in Lithia Springs and have been friends since high school.  Today Kirby lives a few miles from 1911 and Kennington lives in nearby East Cobb.  Kirby spent more than ten years working for Martin's Restaurants, a popular local eatery specializing in biscuits and assorted other breakfast fare,  He says 1911 was definitely inspired by his time at Martin's but will be fresher and better than the local chain.  

1911 will be open Monday through Friday from 5:30 am until 3:00 pm, Saturday and Sunday: 7:00 am until 4:00 pm.  

Kirby tells ToNeTo Atlanta that pending final approval from Cobb County, he plans to "soft open" December 21 and 22 with all pre-tax revenue to be donated to the Heroes Fund in Smyrna who provides food and toys to kids in need, and to Veterans/Wounded Warriors. 

Are you excited for the opening of 1911 in Smyrna?  What is your favorite breakfast food?  How have your dining habits changed as a result of the pandemic? 

Please share your thoughts below  

Ulta Beauty, a cosmetics and skincare retailer often found in suburban shopping centers, will next year open a new location in a legacy intown center.  The new store, measuring about 11,000 square feet, will open in Toco Hills shopping center in a large portion of what was most recently an Office Depot.  The office supply store, which had been in the center about 15 years, closed in November.  

Despite serious struggles in the retail industry, Ulta continues to be a bright spot.  The company announced December 3 in its Third Quarter Fiscal 2020 results: net sales of $1.6 billion compared to $1.7 billion in the year-ago quarter.   Earlier this year (pre COVID-19), Ulta opened a new store in Johns Creek Town Center in Suwanee/Johns Creek.  The nearly 10,000 square foot store opened adjacent to PetSmart in previously exposed outdoor space that was once the garden area of a long-since-closed kmart store. 

Elsewhere in Toco Hills, Bezoria, a locally based Mediterranean quick serve eatery, seems to have abandoned plans to open in the former The Local Pizzaiolo spot.  The roughly 2,400 square foot space is marked as "available" on the site plan for the center, whereas it had previously indicated Bezoria was "coming soon."

Are you excited for the opening of Ulta Beauty at Toco Hills?  What other restaurants, retailers or services would you like to see open at Toco Hills?  What is your favorite/most frequented Toco Hills tenant?

Please share your thoughts below.  

After months of delays of various kinds, Fire Hen is now open in Buckhead Village.  The restaurant, located at the corner of Cains Hills Place and Irby Avenue adjacent to Woody's CheeseSteaks, serves a variety of items including rotisserie chicken, vegetable and meat hand pies, as well as assorted sides and desserts.  

A new restaurant called Big Bang Katsu House is coming soon to Windward Parkway in Alpharetta.  The new eatery will open in a restaurant-heavy strip center at 5250 Windward Parkway adjacent to Home Depot and across the street from Costco.  Big Bang replaces Which Wich, the struggling sandwich franchise which closed in the space several months ago.   

Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant will open the first of two planned Atlanta area locations December 15 before the end of the year .  The Buckhead restaurant, which occupies about 7,800 square feet of the former Pirch/Filene's Basement/decor, features premiere Peachtree Road visibility facing Phipps Plaza.  A second Iron Hill is expected to open in 2021 in the street level of the new Twelve24 office tower along Hammond Drive in an outparcel of Perimeter Mall in Dunwoody.  

Nitrolicious Ice Cream in Buckhead has closed.  The wannabe trendy ice cream shop replaced what had been several Planet Smoothie iterations in The Peach shopping center on Peachtree Road.  The local shop opened last fall and closed permanently within the past couple of weeks. The 1,200 square foot space is currently being marketed for lease.

Coastal States Bank will open soon in Sandy Springs.  The Hilton Head Island, South Carolina-based bank will open at 6160 Roswell Road, which was most recently home to Starbucks before the mega coffee shop relocated to a custom building on the site of the old American Pie a few blocks south.  The 3,749 square foot building was built in 1960 and first operated as First Federal Savings.  A nearly identical building was located on Piedmont Avenue in Piedmont Heights, and is currently a Starbucks after the coffee chain butchered the Mid Century Modern building to better suit their needs.  The Sandy Springs location of Coastal States will provide the bank with both a traditional branch as well as regional office space above the branch that had gone under-utilized in its days as Starbucks.  Coastal States currently has only a handful of Atlanta area locations in total, including one in Cumming and another in Dawsonville.  We at ToNeTo Atlanta are thrilled to see the bank make use of the building rather than demolish it as we feared might happen.   

Painted Tree Marketplace will open its second Atlanta area location next year in Roswell.  The new store, coming to Sandy Plains Village at the corner of Sandy Plains and Woodstock Road, will open in the former Walmart Neighborhood Market/Kroger, where there was talk last year that Ignite Adventure Park would open. (In June, center owner SITE Centers sought to have the former grocery box and adjacent parcels rezoned for a townhome development.)  Painted Tree Marketplace is similar to intown multi-vendor stores Kudzu Antiques and Westside Market, but with an emphasis on new products.  The first Painted Tree opened in Little Rock, Arkansas in 2015, and the chain has since grown to ten stores with another four more coming soon, according to the company website.  The company entered the Atlanta market late last year when they opened in a former DSW/ Stein Mart in Buford's Marketplace at Millcreek.  The store opened December 19, 2019, then closed March 23 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and local restrictions, and reopened May 15.  At 60,000 square feet, the Roswell location will be twice the size of the Buford store.  In boilerplate verbiage that seems unlikely to be currently accurate, Painted Tree claims  "Thousands of shoppers looking for home decor, fashion, and more come to this market every day!"  "Painted Tree is aiming for 10 to 12 new store openings per year. Store sizes will range from 30,000 to 50,000 square feet, with a typical footprint of 35,000 square feet," according to an October press release announcing the company's upcoming expansion.  

AutoZone will soon open a new location in the former Eckerd/RiteAid at 2200 Roswell Road near the Pavilions at East Lake shopping center in East Cobb.  

Just Love Coffee Cafe opened Monday December 7 at The Shops at Arabelle Perimeter at the corner of Hammond Drive and Peachtree Dunwoody Road in Sandy Springs.  The roughly 2,000 square foot breakfast and lunch eatery is situated adjacent to ToNeTo Atlanta favorite The Local Expedition in the street level retail of the apartment complex first known as Hanover Perimeter.  ToNeTo Atlanta first reported on the Sandy Springs opening of the Brentwood, Tennessee-based franchise February 12.  

A new location of Five Below is coming soon to Stone Mountain Square in Stone Mountain.  The nearly 9,000 square foot store is expected to open February 12, 2021, according to signage at the center.  

A new location of Team Rehabilitation will open in January along LaVista Road in Oak Grove.  The new physical therapy clinic will open in Vista Grove Plaza in a 4,400 square foot space most recently home to The Vista Room, a special events venue operated by the owners of neighboring Napoleon's Grille.  The Vista Room closed in March, while Napoleon's, which was also slated to close, has remained open.   Team Rehab's Oak Grove clinic, which will specialize in outpatient PT needs for all ages, is being opened by Clinic Director and nearby resident Daniel Bernath, PT,DPT,OCS, who joins Team Rehab after five years with BenchMark Physical Therapy.

FORD'S BBQ finally opened Thursday December 3 on Main Street in downtown Tucker.  The eatery, which ToNeTo Atlanta first announced April 30, 2019, is located at 2337 Main Street, and according to locals, was well worth the wait!  

Locally owned outdoor goods and apparel retail DAS Outfitters is closing in Chamblee at the end of the year.  The roughly 4,300 square foot store, located in the Whole Foods Market-anchored Peachtree Station shopping center, first opened in October 2017.  The store is currently liquidating all in-stock merchandise with savings of 20-90% off retail prices. The closure of DAS marks the second locally owned retailer to close in the center in just the past few months.  The Cook's Warehouse closed its store in the center over the summer after opening in August 2017.    

Supercuts has closed its studio and training center at Toco Hills shopping center. The corporately-owned location had been a Toco Hills mainstay for more than 20 years.  

Urban Wok plans to open Monday December 21 at TOWN Brookhaven.  ToNeTo Atlanta first reported on the planned opening of the new stir-fry franchise September 5.  The nearly 1,300 square foot Brookhaven outpost replaces Olive Bistro, which closed in late 2017.  Local franchisee Artimus Hart plans to open a total of four locations in metro Atlanta in the coming years.   

Several local BB&T and SunTrust branches have closed in recent days in wake of the consolidation of the networks following their merger and rebranding as Truist.  SunTrust branches at Lenox Road and the Buckhead Loop and Roswell Road near Powers Ferry Road have both closed.  Several others, including the SunTrust branch in Sage Hill shopping center on Briarcliff Road, SunTrust on North Druid Hills Road at I-85 and the BB&T at City Center Crossing on Roswell Road in Sandy Springs, are closing soon. 

GAP is closing its store at Atlantic Station in Atlanta.  The store, which opened with the mixed-use center in 2005, is actively liquidating with all in-stock merchandise at 30-50% off.  The sale is expected to continue through the end of January or until all merchandise is sold.  GAP is the latest in a string of "typical mall retailers" that have closed in the project including American Eagle and Kay Jewelers.  Sibling GAP brand Banana Republic remains open at Atlantic Station.

Bed Bath & Beyond revealed Monday that it plans to sell its Cost Plus World Market division to focus on its core business.  The home-goods retailer will sell Cost Plus to Los Angeles-based private equity firm, Kingswood Capital Management.  The sale includes the brand’s 243 brick-and-mortar locations, e-commerce business, two distribution facilities and corporate office in Alameda, California.  Union, New Jersey-based Bed Bath & Beyond spent $495 million to purchase Cost Plus in 2012.  Bed Bath & Beyond did not disclose terms of the sale.  Cost Plus has several locations in metro Atlanta including those in Buckhead, Buford, Dunwoody, Smyrna and Kennesaw, among others.  

Great American Cookies and Marble Slab Creamery will open a co-branded storefront at Parkside West Cobb on Dallas Highway in West Cobb.   The new, roughly 1,400 square foot shop, will open in the former Peace of Popcorn which closed in the development this past February.  The new cookie and ice cream shop will sport the two businesses' new logos which, as we reported in September, appear to have been created by a child.  

KBBQ on Fire in Alpharetta has closed.   The Korean barbecue restaurant opened in the location that was formerly a Burger 21 on Old Milton Parkway in Alpharetta earlier this year.  There was reportedly no advance warning of the closure, but signs on the window indicate the restaurant is permanently closed.     

E.M. Bop, another restaurant specializing in Korean BBQ, has closed its Alpharetta restaurant at 800 Main Street.  According to a ToNeTo Atlanta reader, the popular Alpharetta eatery closed in recent weeks, but remains open on Pleasant Hill Road in Duluth. 

Popular Roswell restaurant Foundation Social Eatery announced Saturday that it will be closing for good at the end of the year.  "It’s with heavy hearts we must announce that we’re closing our doors at the end of the month. Our last dinner service will be December 31, 2020 — New Year’s Eve."  The New American eatery was opened by chef Mel Toldeo, a veteran of local restaurants Bacchanalia and Posh.    "To those not in the know, we have been searching for a new and better location for the last couple of years. Our lease officially expired in March 2020, and we’ve been continually extending it by a few months at a time while we continued our search for a new location. A week ago, our landlord informed us they had found another tenant to take on a long term lease and gave us our 45 day notice to vacate." The Facebook message continued.  Toledo opened Foundation Social Eatery in early 2014.   

Chicken Salad Chick opened its newest Atlanta area location December 8 on Highway 124 (Scenic Highway) in Snellville.   The new outpost, which ToNeTo Atlanta first reported on August 5, occupies a former Wendy's and features an ever-more important drive-thru.  The Auburn, Alabama-based chain now has 15 locations in metro Atlanta and a total of 32 locations in the state, making Georgia their largest market across their 17 state footprint. 

Modular furniture retailer Lovesac plans to open a pair of new Atlanta area locations in coming weeks.  The new locations, which will bring the company to three in the market, are coming to The Avenue East Cobb in East Cobb and The Avenue Peachtree City in Peachtree City.  The company's current Atlanta area location is at Lenox Square in Buckhead but it previously operated stores at North Point Mall in Alpharetta and Mall of Georgia in Buford, among others.   The Stamford, Connecticut-based company was started by entrepreneur Shawn Nelson in 1995 and is "having a moment," some might say, with more consumers working from home and looking for flexible furniture.  The company last week reported better than expected sales and a surprise profit, sending its stock price up even higher.  In the months since its March low of $4, Lovesac stock, NASDAQ: LOVE, is up approximately 900 per cent and now trades at about $40 per share.

Two local business founders died in recent weeks.  Arden Zinn, founder of popular juice and smoothie company Arden's Garden died November 23 due to COVID-19 and Parkinson's. Zinn was 83.  Jean Mori, co-founder of Mori Luggage & Gifts, died December 1, five days shy of what would have been his 84th birthday.  "A brief cancer illness" was cited as the cause of Mori's death. 

Cost Plus World Market will close its longstanding store in Smyrna at the end of the year. Located in Heritage Pavilion on Cobb Parkway, Cost Plus occupies a prized freestanding junior anchor space in the sprawling center.  The Cost Plus space measures 18,750 square feet, provides premium visibility from Cobb Parkway, and is close not only to Cumberland Mall but also Truist Park and I-75.  

ToNeTo Atlanta reported December 16 that Bed Bath and Beyond, parent company of Cost Plus, had reached a deal to sell the home furnishings retailer to a private equity firm.  Terms of the deal were not disclosed but Bed Bath & Beyond paid $495 Million to purchase Cost Plus in 2012.  

Heritage Pavilion, previously owned by SITE Centers and today owned by Nuveen Real Estate, is home to several successful retailers including a combo HomeGoods/TJ Maxx store, Marshalls, Ulta Beauty, PetSmart, American Signature Furniture and Shoe Carnival, among others.  The Cost Plus space is not yet shown as vacant or available on the center's site plan, but is the only known vacancy in the development.  

There is an ever-dwindling list of retailers capable of backfilling a store the size of Cost Plus but we are confident there will be a replacement tenant(s) for the junior anchor box in the new year. 

Are you surprised to see Cost Plus World Market closing its Smyrna store?  What is your favorite home-goods retailer?  What would you like to see replace Cost Plus World Market in Smyrna?

Please share your thoughts below