Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Bits & Bites [Atlanta Commercial Real Estate News]

Emerald City Bagels quietly opened earlier this morning at 6AM and by 10am was nearly sold out.  The bagel shop, located on Glenwood Avenue in East Atlanta Village, had been delayed a few weeks but it's clear people were eagerly awaiting its opening.   A formal Grand Opening and ribbon cutting is scheduled for Saturday, Februay 3.  
La Madeline has reportedly pulled the plug on their planned restaurant at North Point Parkway and Haynes Bridge Road in Alpharetta. 

ToNeTo Atlanta reader Joe Duffy reports that electronics and gifts retailer Brookstone is closing at North Point Mall in Alpharetta.  ToNeTo Atlanta confirmed that the store is actively closing with plans to close permanently this Friday, January 26.  The store is currently offering 50% off all in stock merchandise.  In addition to the North Point store, the retailer is also closing its location at Mall of Georgia in Buford this Friday. Following the closures, the retailer will operate just one Atlanta area store, at Lenox Square in Buckhead.  The retailer also operates five stores in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.  

The Dunwoody Restaurant Group will open their ninth overall restaurant later this fall in Dunwoody.   The Duke of Wellington Pub will open in a freestanding 6,000 square foot space  between the new Residence Inn and the Spruill House on Ashford Dunwoody Road. The restaurant hopes to be up and running by late September.  The group opened their eighth overall concept, Black Swan Tavern, last fall in East Cobb.  The group's other concepts include Dunwoody Tavern, Iron Horse Tavern and King George Tavern, among others.   

California's Poke Bar will be opening at Perimeter Village in Dunwoody in place of the former "The Pro Cleaners."  The restaurant, which measures 1,200 square feet, is situated on the corner of the  center's outparcel along Meadow Lane alongside Jason's Deli and Pita Mediterranean Street Food.  Poke Bar's first Atlanta area location opened at Abernathy Square in Sandy Springs in late  2016. Since then, the chain has added other locations around Atlanta with others coming soon to communities such as Chamblee.  Poke is fast becoming the next frozen yogurt with plenty of new shops popping up all over metro Atlanta.  Sweet Tuna, a local poke upstart, was previously announced to be opening in Perimeter Place, but after months of renovations, has yet to open.  

Nancy's Chicago Pizza will also be opening in the outparcel of  Perimeter Village, but at the opposite end.  The pizza restaurant will open in the 5,086 square foot space previously home to alfred angelo Bridal.  The exterior of the space is recognizable as previously being home to a location of the once popular Just For Feet footwear retailer.  Late last year, Nancy's returned to Buckhead with a location in Buckhead Crossing shopping center on Piedmont Road.  Earlier in the year, the chain opened a location in Johns Creek on State Bridge Road.  There are also Atlanta area Nancy's locations off Camp Creek Parkway in East Point and on Ponce de Leon Avenue in Midtown.  

Restaurant operator Rodney Johnson will open metro-Atlanta’s newest stand-alone Chick-fil-A restaurant in North Decatur at 650 Decatur Village Way this Thursday, January 25. The opening brings 90 new jobs and a chance for 100 adults to win free Chick-fil-A meals for a year as part of the company's  "First 100" promotion.  The restaurant, located along Scott Boulevard, is part of phase two of Fuqua Development's Decatur Crossing project. 

In related news, ALDI, Chick-fil-A's neighbor in the Decatur project, will open Thursday, February 1.  The store, which will sport the company's recently introduced new logo, will be "the greenest" store in metro Atlanta for the grocer.  “ALDI cares about its customers, employees, communities and its role as a business, working every day to help create a better world,” the company said in a press release. “To reduce the store’s impact on the environment, this location is the first ALDI in Georgia to have rooftop solar panels and an environmentally sustainable refrigeration system. Over a 20-year period of time, these features are expected to avoid 2609 metric tonnes of CO2 emissions, which is equivalent to keeping 559 cars off the road for one year. The Decatur store will also receive GreenChill Platinum Certification, the highest level awarded by the Environmental Protection Agency, for the use of an innovative refrigeration system.”

Lizard Thicket and Solar Dimensions have closed their locations at Emory Point.  Lizard Thicket, a women's clothing boutique, likely closed due to poor sales.   Solar Dimensions on the other hand, closed as a result of their recent acquisition by Palm Beach Tan.  

The Boutique Bargains Warehouse Sale returns to Buckhead this weekend with their pop-up shop in the former Cost Plus World Market store at the Piedmont Peachtree shopping center.  The sale, which features merchandise from over 20 different shops and designers, will offer savings of 50-70% off retail prices.  

Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q and Hattie B’s Hot Chicken will host a Hot Chicken pop-up event at Fox Bros. on Saturday, February 3 from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. (or until they sell out). Hattie B’s executive chef, John Lasater, will be traveling from Nashville and partnering with pit masters Jonathan and Justin Fox to create a mash-up of Hattie B’s meets Fox Bros. plates.   Three varieties of fried chicken will be available:    Dark Meat Plate-¼ dark meat chicken and two Fox Bros. side items…$12     

White Meat Plate-¼ white meat chicken and two Fox Bros. side items…$12     
Half Chicken Plate-½ chicken and two Fox Bros. side items…$16    
(No chicken only option available for this pop-up)     
All levels of Hattie B’s legendary spice will be available: Southern (no heat), Mild, Medium, Hot, Damn Hot, and Shut the Cluck Up. Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q regular menu will also be available during the pop-up.  Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q is located at 1238 DeKalb Avenue.  Hattie B’s plans to open its first Atlanta location later this spring on Moreland Avenue in Candler Park.

Brash Coffee is now open adjacent to Souper Jenny in the Atlanta History Center on West Paces Ferry Road in Buckhead.  Brash also operates in a converted container at Westside Provisions District on Howell Mill Road on the Westside.  

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sheesh, Atlanta. "_______ has closed" "_______ has closed". Over and over again. Do yall people ever get out your house and support businesses? Or are you all in debt and lack real wealth?

Anonymous said...

"Or are you all in debt and lack real wealth?"

YES, but don't we look good driving around in our luxury autos!

Anonymous said...

The hand of the free market decides which businesses live or die. Anyone with real wealth would know that.

Anonymous said...

and for each one that closes, a new one opens in its place.

CloseOTP said...

@Anon @ 1/24 @12:19PM (& 2:11PM). Such an uneducated response. Many factors go into a business closing. Sadly, many times, less factors go into a business opening. Many businesses (especially small local ones) open because the owner has a dream or a desire. They don't do the necessary research. They open and their dreams are dashed. It has nothing to do with Atlanta. You see it in Atlanta because presumably, you live in Atlanta - or at the very least read a blog about Atlanta retail & restaurants. On a related topic, many experts say we're going to hit a restaurant bubble. I tend to agree. So many restaurants open, but there are only so many quality restaurant workers. The more that open, the more diluted the talent becomes. Additionally, there are only so many customers. New restaurants doesn't mean new customers, it means spreading the same number of customers to more restaurants. If I spend $1,000 a month dining out and go to 4 restaurants, they each get $250 (assuming I spend evenly). If I start going to 4 new restaurants, but don't change my attendance at the previous restaurants, that amount goes to $125. Multiply that by all the people who go out to eat. Then throw in the people who enjoy cooking and do so not because they can't afford to eat out, but because they want to eat healthier or want to host dinner parties. It's simple economics, marketing and really just changing habits. It's not "Atlanta doesn't support business."

Anonymous said...

We just had Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q for the first time at an event held at Sweetwater Brewery. Their food was excellent, from the rolls to the meats and of course their signature sauces.

I doubt they will ever close since they have a great product along with great service. That is all you need plus a great location to keep your restaurant from closing. Don't make it complicated. Keep it simple from food to decor.

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