Friday, February 6, 2015

Pigs Fly! Brookhaven Plaza Getting Two New Anchors

Brookhaven Plaza has finally found new tenants

The nearly 45,000 square foot anchor space, once home to beloved Harris Teeter, is slated to become a Stein Mart and a Total Wine & More.

A look inside the former Harris Teeter earlier this week 
The Harris Teeter opened in 1993, and was one of the more successful and popular locations for the Charlotte-based grocer, but it closed in 2001 amidst stiff competition and the chain's exit from the Atlanta market. Kroger, which purchased the lease, for a time operated it as a Kroger (approximately 2001-2003.) Even with Cherokee Plaza (former A&P turned Kroger) across the street, Kroger still controls and has been paying the lease (due to expire 08/2018) and had thus prevented another grocery store from opening.  Wilson and Sons Antiques opened in the space over six years ago but closed soon after. Since then, the space has been vacant.  
 
Total Wine & More has been working to get a store in Brookhaven / Buckhead for many years.  At one point, the retailer was reportedly in talks to take over the former The Container Store at Piedmont and Peachtree Roads, but Haverty's eventually opened instead.  Total Wine operates three locations in metro Atlanta in Alpharetta, Dunwoody and Kennesaw. 

Georgia Law stipulates that no single business can operate more than two retail businesses that sell hard liquor.  This is why only two local Costco stores sell hard liquor (Dunwoody & Alpharetta.)  This being the case, the Brookhaven location of Total Wine is likely only to offer beer & wine but not hard liquor.  Red's 2 Spirit & Wine in nearby Cherokee Plaza should be able to coexist with Total Wine as it does offer hard liquor.  

Total Wine Brookhaven will likely be about 15-20,000 square feet and should open late this fall. 

Stein Mart's planned opening would mark the chain's re-entry inside the perimeter (ITP.)  While the chain operates a number of suburban locations in Alpharetta, Buford, Marietta and Dunwoody, among others, the chain vacated intown markets years ago.  Two intown stores I recall were locations on Roswell Road in Buckhead (now Goodwill) and at North DeKalb Mall (now "Great Price Furniture.")

Stein Mart Brookhaven will likely be 24-29,000 square feet and should also open late this fall. 

Brookhaven Plaza is also home to popular neighborhood eatery, Terra Terroir, as well as a Rite Aid and, of course, the obligatory Mattress Firm. 

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't care about the Stein Mart (Marshalls and TJ Maxx are cheaper with better selection). But will look forward to the Total Wine, though they won't have liquor.

cafeej said...

Great reporting once again Eli - thank you for your hard work.

It will be interesting to see how the Total Wine will impact Sherlock's in Brookhaven and Le Caveau in Chamblee. Both specialize in offering wines from boutique vineyards but their location also is convenient to the neighborhood. Additionally, Terra Terrior has a relationship with Le Caveau.

Jim said...

The Kroger store in Brookhaven (Cherokee Plaza) has a large wine and beer selection, so I'm surprised that Kroger would give up the Brookhaven Plaza lease and allow a competitor to open so close by.

Carl said...

Despite being from the state where Stein Mart originated (not its current HQ), I'd kinda forgotten it even exists. Is it still relevant? Guess we'll see.

I miss Teeter as well. I used to think we just weren't sophisticated enough to support them. Now that they're owned by KR, though, they'll likely eventually become as generically all-over-the-map as their parent.

Anonymous said...

Total Wine...yes! Stein Mart..meh

Anonymous said...

Awesome news about Total Wine! Not so much stein mart. Btw, I moved to Bhaven in 2006 and that old Kroger was still open...years after the estimate provided in the article.

Anonymous said...

Another liquor store??? They are on every other corner, plus all the stores! Welcome back to Steinmart.

Anonymous said...

I could've sworn there was a Publix in that space that closed when the one in Brookhaven Town opened.

Anonymous said...

"A liquor store on every corner"? I wish, there are no liquor stores in Buckhead proper, Tower is the closest and it is a logistical nightmare to get to, and get in and out of.

Anonymous said...

I have lived in Bhaven for 15 years... that space was the Harris teeter then Publix and when public close Kroger bought the lease so no other grocery store could move in.

Anonymous said...

There was never a Publix in that space. Harris Teeter sold the location directly to Kroger along with several other Harris Teeter locations in town at the same time. Publix has had the store at Lenox Marketplace for years but was not in Brookhaven until they opened in Town Brookhaven. They had a store on Buford Hwy nearby that closed but that's it.

Anonymous said...

Yep that Harris Teeter site was never a Publix. It was sold to Kroger. Used to love the walk in Beer Freezer. The Harris Teeter at Ashford Dunwoody and Johnson Ferry in Brookhaven was also sold to Kroger, though that is still A Kroger. Publix built a relatively small supermarket across the intersection from that one.

amyers said...

I remember years ago thinking "Is Kroger so big that they don't realize that they put two stores across the street from one another?" - glad they finally found a use for it!

Anonymous said...

Well, Kudos to Terra Terroir and their staff (my absolute favorite restaurant) for making it through 10 years of real estate famine. That little restaurant has lived and survived and thrived in a ghost town-something that normally would kill an establishment. Not only that, they have emerged to be one of the best restaurants in Atlanta-so I pray they stay put!

Anonymous said...

As people are saying, that is a LOT of wine stores in a small area - Kroger, the liquor store in the Kroger shopping center, POUR on Dresden, Savvi Urban Market that sells wine & beer, too (not sure about hard liquor), and now Total Wine SuperStore, I guess. Plus Publix up at Town Brookhaven. What does it say that the Peachtree Street side of Brookhaven consumes this much wine? If it was the Buford Hghwy side of Brookhaven, with liquor stores, I know what people would say....

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