Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Bits & Bites

Downtown Atlanta's new Walgreens, originally slated to open June 10, is now "tentatively scheduled" to open June 24th. The store, located in the Olympia Building at the corner of Edgewood Avenue, Peachtree Street and Decatur Street, has been in the works since 2014.  The Olympia Building was built between 1935 and 1936 and the new Walgreens recreated the motif of the building's former anchor tenant, Wormser Hats.  

Emory Healthcare has leased the 6,500 square foot former Justin's Restaurant and Bar at 2200 Peachtree Road in south Buckhead.  The building will reportedly be completely renovated to serve as as a medical office that focusing on primary and specialty care. The building is expected to reopen at the end of 2016. Over two years ago, Buffalo Wild Wings announced it would be moving its Lenox Marketplace location to the Justin's building, but after filing for initial permits, they abandoned those plans.


Metro Atlanta's newest Bojangles' opened yesterday at 4071 Cherokee Street in Kennesaw.  The freestanding restaurant is a franchised unit and is operated by Trickum Ops, LLC.


Penn Station East Coast Subs, Sport Clips and Burger Fi have signed on to join previously committed tenants Jason’s Deli, Paciļ¬c Dental, AT&T and Willy’s Mexicana Grill at Duluth Highway Shops.  The recently built center is located in the 900 block of Duluth Highway in Lawrenceville. 

According to Mike Thornbrugh, manager of public/government affairs for QuikTrip, the new "gas-less" QT in midtown is scheduled to open next Thursday June 23rd.  As of now, the location, at Peachtree & 6th Streets, will maintain typical QT hours (24/7) but could see its hours tweaked depending on demand/traffic.  The QT will feature an increased variety of prepared and packaged foods and will also feature limited outdoor seating.  
Additionally,  Thornbrugh indicated that the controversial QT planned for Howell Mill Road is finally progressing, with a recent second appeal from concerned residents having been denied.  The sixteen pump gas station and convenience store will be built on Howell Mill Road between Chattahoochee and Defoor Avenues.  Although Thornbrugh was unable to provide an exact timeline, I'd expect the station to open by the third quarter of next year.  

Costa Vida, a Lehi, Utah-based Mexican restaurant, has closed its lone Atlanta area location in Cumming.  The restaurant, which opened in October of 2014, had replaced Laredo's Mexican Bar & Grill, a similar local restaurant. Sources indicate that the local Costa Vida franchisee had sold the restaurant about a month ago with talk then of the restaurant remaining in business.  Something changed, and the decision was made to close the restaurant, despite local sources indicating the restaurant often did a robust business. 

A new Del Taco is planned for Watson Boulevard in Centerville, a suburb of Warner Robins.  The new freestanding, approximately 2,400 square foot restaurant will be built as part of Warner Robins Plaza.  The center is being built on vacant land across from Warner Robins Dodge Chrysler Jeep RAM and will also house new locations of Wing Stop and Batteries + Bulbs, among other tenants. When the Del Taco opens, it will be the chain's tenth in Georgia. 

T.I., who last year dipped his toes in the restaurant waters with Scales 925 in the former F.A.B. in downtown Atlanta, is now venturing in the gentleman's club business.  T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris Jr., along with business partner Damon Cobbs, plan to open V Live this Friday at 1271 Marietta Boulevard. Like Scales 925, V Live also replaces a former gentleman's club, Diamonds of Atlanta.  Cobbs already runs V Live in Houston, Texas, often advertised as "#1 Strip Club in the country."  The Houston location was reportedly originally open 24/7, but has reduced those hours substantially to Tuesday through Sunday, 2AM-6AM.  It's unclear what the hours of operation of the Atlanta location will be.  Earlier this week, T.I. held open auditions for "talent" where a reported 1,600 ladies showed up to fill a reported 100 open positions. About five miles from V Live is Magic City, another successful, largely African American strip club that many credit with launching the careers of hip hop stars like Future.  (A GQ article and video last year are both worth checking out if you want an education on just how influential Magic City is.)


A one-time Wendy's has been reborn as an energy-efficient Dunkin' Donuts on Buford Highway in Doraville.  The eatery, located at 5872 Buford Highway, is just north of where a Krispy Kreme closed this past January.  This Friday June 17th at 10AM, Dunkin' Donuts will celebrate the location's grand opening with free coffee, product samples and mascots Cuppy and Sprinkles appearing until noon.  



Industry, California-based alt-retailer Hot Topic plans to open a new store at Sugarloaf Mills in Lawrenceville.  The nearly 1,700 square foot store will be located in the Dave & Buster's and  Medieval Times "zone" and should open in September. There are currently six Hot Topics stores in Georgia, but well placed sources indicate that the Sugarloaf store may replace the existing store at nearby Gwinnett Place Mall.  The Gwinnett Place store may stay open through the holiday season, but is expected to close shortly after the new year.  Another location at Mall of Georgia in Buford is expected to remain open.  


Hastings Entertainment, the parent company of actively liquidating Movie Stop, has itself filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.  The Texas-based company has about 125 stores, mostly in the midwest, and is reportedly in active discussions with a handful of parties interesting in buying their business. Movie Stop stores are all closing and are not expected to reopen under any of the current plans. 
A sign on the door at Superica says "Opening Soon!" 
Ford Fry's new Superica Buckhead, originally slated for a late-May and then  mid-June opening, is now targeting late June or early July.  The most recent delay was reportedly caused by "floor issues."  

8 comments:

Theron Sapp said...

Been wondering for weeks: Why does the sign at the new Superica read "Super Rica"?

Ham said...

The new Walgreens looks good and the QT is probably a good addition to the area, but not sure Atlanta really needs another strip club. Of course with 1600 showing up for an audition I guess there are a lot of female college students looking to work themselves through school.

Anonymous said...

Spare us, TI. Just go away.

Scales is a blight on downtown already and now a strip club? SMH

Anonymous said...

TI's club will be less than a mile from the fulton county jail. How convenient!

Anonymous said...

I imagine it says "Super Rica" in an attempt to clarify how the name is supposed to be pronounced.

ImAndy said...

Keep the trashy strip clubs in Atlanta. Brookhaven is pushing them out slowly and Doraville has Oasis on a last appeal at the Supreme Court. So glad I moved out in the burbs.

Anonymous said...

Scales is awful! I got sick from the food and will never go back. It should go.

Anonymous said...

"Oasis on a last appeal at the Supreme Court"???
You have no idea what you are talking about.

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