A new kind of tenant is coming soon at Midtown Promenade (931 Monroe Drive) in Midtown. The Athlete's Foot, yes, that The Athlete's Foot, will soon debut both a new corporate headquarters as well as a concept store on the back side of the Trader Joe's anchored shopping center.
Established in Pittsburgh in 1971, The Athlete's Foot (taf) has for many years been based in metro Atlanta and has over the years had several owners but has since 2021 been owned by Arklyz Group, a Swiss firm.
The retailer's focus is on shoes and apparel but not unlike rivals like Foot Locker, The Athlete's Foot also stocks other related accessories.
The Athlete's Foot in 2016 relocated its North American headquarters from Wildwood Towers in Cumberland/Galleria to the Ellsworth, an adaptive reuse property in West Midtown. The company previously had headquarters in Kennesaw and Norcross before that.
ToNeTo Atlanta was first tipped off to The Athlete's Foot move to Midtown Promenade in January and while permits were filed a short time later, our visit earlier this week suggested that there is still plenty to do before the space is ready to welcome employees and customers.
The Athlete's Foot was once a mall mainstay with locations in most metro Atlanta malls including Lenox Square, Northlake and North DeKalb, among others, but has closed many of them over the years. The company also had a location at Plaza Midtown - 950 West Peachtree Street - in Midtown.
In 2004, The Athlete's Foot filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and closed all of their 124 company-owned stores in the United States, leaving the brand with 593 independent franchise locations around the world.
Today, The Athlete's Foot is present in 30 countries with over 550 stores, from United States and Australia, to Europe, Asia, Middle East and Latin America.
Last May, The Athlete's Foot opened a new concept "neighborhood store" at Atlantic Station, one of the company's first new shops to open in metro Atlanta in many years.
Handel's Homemade Ice Cream is also opening in the Midtown center where it will open in place of a freestanding building that has in years past been home to Bruster's Real Ice Cream (twice) and Rita's Italian Ice, among others.
Are you excited by the continued return of The Athlete's Foot to intown Atlanta? Where do you typically buy your footwear and streetwear? Where else in metro Atlanta would you like to see The Athlete's Foot open?
Please share your thoughts below.