Wayfair is set to open only its second large format retail store in metro Atlanta in 2026. The new Wayfair will occupy the former Walmart at The District at Howell Mill, according to a release Friday. The 150,000 square foot box has been vacant since the Bentonville, Arkansas-based discount retailer closed as of January 2023.
The store, located at 1801 Howell Mill Road, is situated below grade but offers visibility off of I-75 and easy accessibility for those in Midtown, Downtown, and Buckhead. Additionally, Howell Mill Road and the overall west side of Atlanta has become a furniture mecca of sorts, with more than a dozen retailers offering furniture and housewares at different price-points.
Room & Board, Westside Market, Bungalow Classic, Serena & Lily, Switch Modern, Natuzzi Italia, and IKEA, located less than three miles from Wayfair at Atlantic Station, are just some of the many furniture stores in the area.
Wayfair, originally an online only retailer, has expanded in recent years into brick & mortar storefronts, the most ambitious effort being their 150,000 square foot, two-story store that opened in the Chicago suburb of Wilmette this past May. The Wilmette store replaced Carson Pirie Scott, a regional department store that built the center in 1956 and was for decades its main anchor.
“We’re quite happy with the halo effect of the store,” Wayfair CEO Niraj Shah said at a retail conference this past December. Although vague on specifics, he and the company seemed pleased enough with how the store was positively impacting other areas of the business - the "halo" - to move forward with expansion. Atlanta is believed to be the "next store" he mentioned they were already working on in December.
"The Wilmette store has delivered outstanding results, contributing to sales from the state of Illinois growing more than 15% faster than the U.S. overall, from the store launch through the end of 2024" the company said in the Friday release.
The Boston-based company (NYSE:W), reached a new 52 week low Thursday when it closed at $31. Its 52 week high was $76.18. The company has been on a roller coaster over the past few years having reached an all-time high of $343.68 on March 26, 2021.
The company opened a new outlet store in Augusta this past January and also operates a fulfillment center in McDonough, which should ensure fast delivery of in-store purchases at the new Howell Mill store.
In addition to its namesake brand, Wayfair also operates AllModern: "Modern made simple," Birch Lane: "Classic style for joyful living," Joss & Main: "The ultimate style edit for home," and Perigold: "The destination for luxury home."
Atlanta-based Selig Enterprises developed The District at Howell Mill in 2006 but in recent years sold the majority of their interest in it to JLL Income Property Trust, a division of LaSalle Investment Management, a global real estate investment firm.
Another Walmart in Dunwoody that closed this past July remains vacant. Real estate sources tell ToNeTo Atlanta that the Dunwoody store in Perimeter Village (4725 Ashford Dunwoody Road) was at least briefly a contender for the Wayfair store, but ultimately the former Howell Mill store won out. At 183,500 square feet, the Dunwoody store is significantly larger than the Howell Mill store and is far more suburban.
Nothing is done yet, but separate real estate sources suggest that Kroger may be involved in talks to bring their large-format store to Perimeter Village instead.
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