[Quiet Closure] Montie's Public House Has Closed in Brookhaven

Montie's Public House quietly closed early this month after about nine and a half years in business.  The restaurant, located on Buford Highway at Corporate Boulevard in Brookhaven, first opened as Zuffy's Place in August 2008 before rebranding as Montie's Public House in late 2013.  Both restaurants trace their roots to Fuzzy's Place, a longstanding restaurant on North Druid Hills Road near Buford Highway that closed in late 2007.

Bits & Bites

City of Atlanta building permits confirm that Fendi does plan to relocate and expand into a portion of the recently closed Ralph Lauren store in the "Luxury Wing" at Lenox Square.  ToNeTo reported earlier this month that Fendi was eyeing the space for an expansion of their existing store.  Permits indicate that Fendi intends to take over 2,735 square feet of the former Ralph Lauren's overall 5,932 square foot first level space.  Currently, Fendi is located in the main mall corridor, having opened in late 2010.  The newly expanded store is expected to open late this year and will feature a wider selection of the label's men's and ready-to-wear collections.  

The first floor Ralph Lauren space at Lenox Square 

[EXCLUSIVE] Smokebelly BBQ to be Replaced by "Baja Mexican" Concept

Smokebelly BBQ plans to convert to an as yet unnamed "Baja Mexican" concept early this spring.  The barbecue eatery, which opened in June 2014, is located at 128 East Andrews Drive in Buckhead's West Village.  Smokebelly, which was previously expected to close this coming Sunday, February 4th after the Super Bowl, instead closed this past Sunday, January 28th.  

The Dapper Doughnut to Debut at Lenox Square in March

The Dapper Doughnut, a new-to-market franchise, will open its first Atlanta area location in Buckhead's Lenox Square.  The eatery being opened by franchisees Bob & Donna Huntley and Richard & Tracey Holcomb will be a kiosk on the mall's market level within the "Fashion Cafe" aka the food court.  The Dapper Doughnut kiosk will be at the front of the Fashion Cafe, along the wall between FIVE GUYS and The Farmer's Basket.  The franchisees hope to be open by mid-to-late March.   

The Dapper Doughnut kiosk at Haywood Mall in Greenville,SC

ROAM No More: Millennial-Focused Retailer Fails to Find Audience at Ponce City Market

ROAM by Mori, the millennial-focused concept store from Mori Luggage & Gifts, has closed after about two years in business at Ponce City Market.  The store, located on street level of the mixed-use development, opened in late November 2015, and closed abruptly earlier this week. 

To Infinity And Beyond! After 43 Years in Midtown Woody's CheeseSteaks is Branching Out to Buckhead

Midtown favorite Woody's CheeseSteaks plans to open a second location in Buckhead in about six months.  The new eatery, on Irby Avenue near its intersection with Cains Hill Place, will open in the former Sabot women's boutique at 45 Irby Avenue.  Sabot, along with neighboring businesses Beth Ann and Razzle Dazzle, closed in 2016. 

[EXCLUSIVE] JW Marriott to Anchor Redeveloped Georgia Dome Site

A well placed source tells ToNeTo Atanta that the upcoming 1,000 room hotel planned for a portion of the former Georgia Dome site downtown will be flagged by JW Marriott. The hotel, likely to be called the JW Marriott Atlanta Downtown, would be the second property in Atlanta to carry the JW name, the first being adjacent to Lenox Square in Buckhead.  

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.  

[BREAKING NEWS] Toys R Us to Shutter Eight Georgia Stores

Toys R Us announced late Tuesday that it will close about 180 stores with plans to restructure and emerge from bankruptcy protection.  The closures, which still need court approval, documents show, equate to about one-fifth of its U.S. store count.  If approved, affected stores would begin liquidation sales as soon as early February, with plans to shut down completely by mid April.

The former Toys R Us in Buckhead 

[UPDATE] Wayback Burgers Coming to Embry Village, Kroger Marketplace...?

Cheshire, Connecticut-based Wayback Burgers plans to open a new location near Tucker later this year.  The restaurant, located in Embry Village shopping center on Chamblee Tucker Road, would open adjacent to Moe's Southwest Grill in the one-time Washington Mutual that more recently operated as a Verizon Wireless authorized retailer.  

[ALERT] California's Chronic Tacos is Coming to Atlanta

Aliso Viejo, California-based Chronic Tacos is opening at least two new locations in metro Atlanta in the coming months.  The two confirmed locations are in Alpharetta and Chamblee and will bring the chain to about 50 units nationwide.  The chain also operates three locations in Canada.

Bits & Bites

Julius Bolton, proprietor of Cigar City Club on Roswell Road in Sandy Springs, plans to open a sibling concept, a sports bar, in the coming weeks.  Cigar City Sports Bar is expected to open in about two months just south of Cigar City Club, in a space previously home to Sunlighting lamp and shade center.  

Former Buckhead Firestone and Historic Howell Mill Church Targeted For Redevelopment

The Firestone store at 3369 Lenox Road in Buckhead has closed.  While exact plans for the site have yet to be made public, Parker G. Blanchard of Blanchard Real Estate, who purchased the property last year, reportedly plans to tun it into a retail only development.  The parcel, which is just under half an acre, sits at the corner of  Wright Avenue and Lenox Road, across from the J.W. Marriott Hotel and adjacent to the Atlanta Buckhead Marriott Hotel & Conference Center. 

Photo courtesy of Blanchard Real Estate 

[UPDATE] Crazy Cuban to Reopen...Soon

A fire at the 14th Street Convenience Store on September 17, 2016 destroyed it and heavily damaged Crazy Cuban Sandwich Shop next door.  Now, nearly a year and half after the fire, the popular Cuban eatery is finally inching towards reopening.  Although permits have not yet been filed with the City of Atlanta, a job for "interior demolition" of the site is out for bids with a "bid date" of January 30th. 

Photo courtesy of Crazy Cuban Facebook page 

[Open & Shut] Jefe's Closing in TOWN Brookhaven, Red Pepper Taqueria Opening

Jefe's Tacos & Tequila will close for good tomorrow, Sunday, January 21, after just under a year and a half in business.  The restaurant, a sibling eatery to Kaleidoscope on Dresden Drive, opened in September 2016 in place of Noche, which had occupied the space since early 2011, shortly after TOWN Brookhaven opened.  Noche closed abruptly on October 5, 2015 along with all other Here to Serve restaurant concepts amidst a liquidity crisis.   

Atlantic Station Kinnucan's Closed, H&M to Move In Temporarily

Kinnucan's Specialty Outfitters closed its Atlantic Station store Thursday night after about three and half years in business.  The Auburn, Alabama-based retailer entered the Atlanta market with their store at Atlantic Station in May 2014. The store opened in place of City Sports, a Boston based sporting goods retailer that originally occupied the space.

The new H&M at Atlantic Station 

[Opening Alert] Woodstock Mattress Outlet Bringing its Bed Business to Buckhead

Woodstock Mattress Outlet is planning to enter the metro Atlanta market with a location in Buckhead.  The retailer, known primarily for their furniture business [Woodstock Furniture & Mattress Outlet], is expanding their standalone mattress business.  

Woodstock Mattress Outlet in Canton

Chopt to Open in Chopped Off Portion of Former Petite Auberge at Toco Hills

After announcing yesterday that New York based quick serve salad concept Chopt will open in Buckhead's Tuxedo Festival, ToNeTo Atlanta can now confirm that a second lease has been signed for a location in Toco Hills shopping center.  Chopt at Toco Hills will be located in a roughly 3,100 square foot space, adjacent to Maggie's Neighborhood Bar, in a portion of what was previously French restaurant Petite Auberge. 

Chopt at The Arboretum Shopping Center in Charlotte, NC

[EXCLUSIVE] Chopt Sees Green in Buckhead

New York City based Chopt Creative Salad Co. will soon make its highly anticipated entry into the Atlanta market.  With numerous job postings on various career sites in Atlanta, Chopt is preparing for what sources say will be a late second quarter debut.  The job postings indicate that Chopt is hiring an Assistant Commissary Manager as well as an

Assistant General Manager, among other positions.  

[Growth Goals] Marietta Square Apparently "Purrrfect" Spot for Second Java Cats Cafe

Java Cats Cafe owner Hadyn Hilton has her heart set on a second location, and just as with her first location, is seeking significant financial support from interested consumers in making her "dream" a reality.  Having opened the original Atlanta "cat cafe" this past March on Memorial Drive in Grant Park, Hilton now plans to open a second, larger location near the Marietta Square. 

Hadyn Hilton at left - image courtesy of GoFundMe page 

[UPDATE] Huff Furniture Finally Confirms Plans to Close

Huff Furniture announced this past week that it will be closing its Buckhead retail store after 61 years in business.  ToNeTo Atlanta reported last year that the furniture shop, located at 3178 Peachtree Road, was having a "restructuring sale," and that despite being advertised as a "complete inventory liquidation," was reportedly in an effort to clear inventory for a remodel and not in preparation for a closure.

Huff Furniture July 2017 

[SPECIAL] Crafthall Kitchen Invites Community Input on Fourth Concept

In November, ToNeTo Atlanta was first to share details of Jennifer Rotondo's Crafthall Kitchen, a micro food hall planned for Sandy Springs.  At the time, the plan was to feature four concepts: fried chicken [Fowl and Scratch], chicken wings [Sugar Britches], bowls [Bowl Cookhouse] and tacos [Salty Bandita].  Given that the overall concept is a work in progress, some things have changed.  

[UPDATE] SIMON Says Starbucks May Close Teavana Stores, Others to Close Soon

Teavana, the Atlanta-born tea business purchased in late 2012 by Starbucks, was announced to be closing all 379 stores this past July.  Starbucks said at the time that the chain of tea shops were "struggling and would likely continue doing so."  Indianapolis-based mall owner Simon Property Group filed a lawsuit in Marion County, Indiana in August to prevent Starbucks from closing stores in Simon-owned malls, numbering 77 at the time of the announcement.    

Teavana at Phipps Plaza courtesy of Rasheed Stevens 

[CLOSURE ALERT] J.Crew to Close Five Metro Atlanta Stores This Month

New York City based J. Crew will close five of its Atlanta area stores by the end of January.  The troubled retailer, which announced plans this past November to close at least 39 stores nationwide, will shutter its stores at the Westside Provisions District and The Avenue East Cobb this coming Sunday, January 14.  Stores at Mall of Georgia in Buford, North Point Mall in Alpharetta and The Forum on Peachtree Parkway in Norcross are slated to close Saturday, January 27. 

J.Crew's Westside Provisions District store 

Following UGA's Loss, Dantanna's Closes in Sandy Springs

Dantanna's has closed its Sandy Springs location after just less than four years in business.  The restaurant, located in a 5,900 square foot out-parcel of Abernathy Square shopping center at the corner of Abernathy & Roswell Roads in Sandy Springs, closed after UGA's devastating loss yesterday, Monday, January 8.  The restaurant opened in April 2014, replacing what had for many years been an Applebee's restaurant before it closed in late 2013.  

[BREAKING NEWS] Cowtippers to Close January 28

Popular Midtown eatery Cowtippers Steaks & Spirits will close at the end of business on Sunday, January 28.  The restaurant, located on Piedmont Avenue near its intersection with Monroe Drive, has been in business since 1993.  Cowtippers, like a number of other in-town eateries, is owned by Metrotainment Cafes.  While a representative for the restaurant confirmed the closure, they did not shed any light on the reasoning or timing of it.  

[EXCLUSIVE] Insomnia Cookies' Munchies Relief Comes to 2nd Atlanta Location

Insomnia Cookies is adding a second metro Atlanta location.  On the heels of their entry into the Atlanta market in January 2016, Insomnia plans to open their next location on Cleburne Terrace, just off Ponce de Leon Avenue near The Majestic Diner and the Plaza Theatre.  

[CLOSURE ALERT] Impossible Burger Not Enough to Keep The Counter Viable

The Counter Custom Burgers in Roswell is closing after business tonight.  The 2,800 square foot restaurant, located on Mansell Road near its intersection with Alpharetta Highway, opened in 2008 in a former SouthTrust Bank branch.    

[BREAKING NEWS] Ralph Lauren to Make Graceful Exit From Lenox Square

Ralph Lauren will close its two level store at Lenox Square in Buckhead at the close of business on Saturday, January 27.  The store, which opened in the Luxury Wing of Lenox Square in 2007, was the relocation of the Polo Ralph Lauren store which had for years operated from its space on the main mall corridor.  Today, Vineyard Vines and Ted Baker occupy the former Ralph Lauren space. 

[CLOSURE ALERT] Burger King Relinquishes Its Throne in The Shops of Dunwoody

The freestanding Burger King at 5468 Chamblee Dunwoody Road in Dunwoody Village has closed.  The restaurant, located in an outparcel of The Shops of Dunwoody shopping center, closed Friday afternoon after over 30 years in business.  

[CLOSURE ALERT] One Rooster Closes As The Year of The Rooster Nears Its End

One Rooster Mongolian Grill, the "create your own" stir fry eatery on the Westside, has closed.  The restaurant, which opened this past February, was meant to be the next evolution of the restaurant that had occupied its space previously, The Original Chow Baby.  

[CLOSURE ALERT] McCormick & Schmick's Sleeps With the Fishes in Dunwoody

McCormick & Schmick's has closed its location in Dunwoody near Perimeter Mall.  The restaurant, which closed quietly and without advance notice on Monday, had been open since mid-2000.  The chain's downtown location at CNN Center, which opened in late 2002, remains opens.  

[EXCLUSIVE] MOD Pizza Moving Into Chamblee, Tokyo Belly Not Happening

MOD Pizza, an industry leader in the "create your own pizza" segment, has signed its fifth Atlanta area lease.  MOD Pizza will open in Chamblee at the Whole Foods Market anchored Peachtree Station, at the corner of Johnson Ferry Road and Peachtree Boulevard. The pizza joint will occupy an approximately 2,000 square foot endcap space near Club Pilates.  

Typical MOD interior 

[CLOSURE ALERT] DaVinci's Pizza Dunzo in Decatur

Pizza eatery DaVinci's has closed its location in Decatur.  The restaurant, located in the CVS Pharmacy anchored Commerce Square shopping center at the corner of Commerce Drive and West Ponce de Leon Avenue, opened in early 2015.  Food delivery site GrubHub indicates that the restaurant closed last week, something that the Midtown DaVinci's indicates is accurate.  

Chicken Salad Chick Restaurants to Hatch By Spring in Vinings, Cumming and Evans

A local development group is opening three new locations of Chicken Salad Chick in Georgia.  The restaurants are planned for Evans (near Augusta), Vinings and Cumming and are all expected to open by April.  The three new openings will bring the number of Chicken Salad Chick locations in Georgia to over 20.      

Chicken Salad Chick on Roswell Road near Chastain Park 

[CLOSURE ALERT] Union Hill Kitchen Shutters in Chamblee

Union Hill Kitchen has closed.  The restaurant, opened by Executive Chef Alexis Hernandez in late 2013, closed as of December 22 according to a notice on the restaurant's website.  The restaurant's facebook page, last updated December 14, makes no mention of the closure.

Chef Alexis Hernandez, photo courtesy Union Hill Kitchen 

Bits & Bites

A franchised location of McDonald's closed on South Main Street in Alpharetta December 31.  The restaurant, which has already been stripped of basically all McDonald's signage, was a dated McDonald's and had not received much "love" in the way of renovations or updates.  Signage at the restaurant Tuesday directed would-be patrons to other McDonald's on Crabapple, Windward Parkway and North Point Parkway.  There are reportedly no current plans for the property.   

Greenwood’s on Green Street and Swallow at the Hollow Shutter in Roswell

The AJC reports that longtime Roswell restaurants Greenwood’s on Green Street and Swallow at the Hollow both closed December 31.  The closures, which were not announced and are not mentioned on the restaurant's Facebook page, were confirmed via a recorded phone message at both restaurants.