Bits & Bites

Madewell is slated to open its new Buckhead boutique Wednesday April 5.  The new shop, located in The Shops Around Lenox, replaces South Moon Under which closed this past fall.  The new Madewell includes the brand's newish addition of men's clothing and accessories.  The new Shops Around Lenox shop replaces the Lenox Square outpost which "moved" across the street.   

Women's retailer Johnny Was is also relocating to Shops Around Lenox from neighboring Phipps Plaza.  Johnny Was replaces women's boutique The Impeccable Pig, which recently closed.  LA-based Johnny Was entered the Atlanta market in 2014, at which time the Buckhead outpost was just the ninth nationwide.  Today the company operates nearly 70 locations nationwide including a second Atlanta area boutique at Avalon in Alpharetta.  According to a store employee at the Phipps Plaza location, Johnny Was at the Shops Around Lenox is to debut Friday, May 12.  

Mahana Bowls, which ToNeTo Atlanta first reported on January 9, has opened in Sandy Springs.  The new bowl business opened April 1 at Glenridge Point (860 Johnson Ferry Road) where it joins fellow food neighbors Salata and Gruby's New York Deli.  Mahana Bowls, as its name suggests, offers a variety of hot and cold bowls not unlike fellow Florida-based business Bolay, which entered the Atlanta market this past August in Alpharetta.  

Duck Donuts has closed at the Publix-anchored Toco Hills Promenade shopping center.  The donut shop opened December 21, 2019 and reportedly closed quietly in recent days.  Other franchises of the Outer Banks-based business still operate elsewhere around metro Atlanta including those in Tuxedo Festival in Buckhead, Merchants Walk in East Cobb, Old Alabama Square in Alpharetta and another in Savannah. 

Mend Coffee & Goods is opening in Tuxedo Festival in Chastain Park.  The new coffee shop will open in place of Marcello's which closed in 2022, and was to have been replaced by Charlotte's The Good Wurst.  Plans for the Charlotte eatery, which promised brats and Montreal-style bagels among other offerings, failed to materialize and property owner Edens subsequently secured a deal lease with Mend to fill the void.  Mend is being opened by Jay and Katherine Wolf, the internationally recognized duo behind influential faith-based disability advocacy group Hope Heals.  Katherine survived a near-fatal brainstem stroke in 2008 and has since adapted to her "new normal" while also advocating for those with disabilities.  Mend will be staffed by disabled employees paired with volunteers.  The shop will serve java from Decatur-based Opo Coffee and kombucha on tap, plus breakfast and pastries. Menu offerings are to include overnight oats and egg bites made in house, plus potentially treats from Five Daughters Bakery and The Buttery. 

Emmy Squared Pizza will later this summer open its third location in Georgia.  Already with Atlanta area locations in West Midtown and Glenwood Park, the New York-based pizza shop will next open in Athens.  The new Athens outpost is headed for to 199 Prince Avenue, the old location of The Grit.  Emmy Squared started in Brooklyn in 2016 and has since expanded to more than twenty locations from New York to Nashville; Atlanta to Santa Monica.  

The former Cheeseburger Bobby's in Sandy Springs which rumors had suggested could reopen, is now permanently closed.  In its place, a new Pokeworks is slated to open in the roughly 2,000 square foot space in the coming months.  This would be the third Atlanta area franchise of the Irvine, California-based chain.  Existing Atlanta area locations are currently open in Peachtree Corners Town Center in Peachtree Corners and Cumberland Festival, near Cumberland Mall.   

Skincare and facial boutique Heyday will open its newest Atlanta area outpost Wednesday April 12 Peachtree Plaza along Peachtree Road in Buckhead.  The new studio is the fourth in metro Atlanta for franchisee L5 Skincare.  The company in 2022 opened locations at Ashford Lane in Dunwoody and at Midtown Promenade near Piedmont Park and in January opened at Krog District along the Atlanta BeltLine.  The Buckhead outpost will share a suite most recently occupied by Mattress Firm, with fellow L5 franchise brand Restore Hyper Wellness. The Buckhead outposts will be situated alongside longtime local favorite The White House Restaurant at 3158 Peachtree Road.  ToNeTo Atlanta reported March 15 that a fifth Atlanta area Heyday is planned for Pine Straw Place in East Cobb.  

A new Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q is coming to Augusta.  The new barbecue eatery will open in place of a onetime Romano's Macaroni Grill which closed after being heavily damaged in a fire in early 2016.  The restaurant is located at 275 Robert C Daniel Jr. Parkway near the sprawling Augusta Exchange shopping center.  The new Jim 'N Nick's will be a 4,800 square foot restaurant and occupy a roughly 1.6 acre parcel.  In related news, there is chatter that another new Jim 'N Nick's is planned for an outparcel of Northlake [Mall] in Tucker, and while the restaurant chain has expressed interest in the project, a source close to the property tells ToNeTo Atlanta that no lease has yet been signed.  

In February, ToNeTo Atlanta reported on a new Wawa planned for Waycross.  Another Wawa is planned for Brunswick in Glynn County, where it would encompass several parcels. According to planning documents, the new Wawa would come to 4374 and 4344 Community Road and 4354 and 4318 New Jesup Highway and would cover approximately two acres.  Sources say work on the fuel center and convenience store could begin as soon as this summer with an opening as soon as early 2024, pending weather, permitting, and supply chain issues.     

Beto's Tacos has announced it will open its fourth Atlanta area location Tuesday April 11 at Phipps Plaza in Buckhead.  ToNeTo Atlanta first reported on the restaurant's planned opening this past September.  The new Beto's joins existing locations in Johns Creek, Lawrenceville and Suwanee. Roberto “Beto” Correa opened the first Beto's in 2019.  The Buckhead Beto's is located on the third floor of Phipps Plaza where it replaces Moe's Southwest Grill, which closed in 2022.  The new Beto's is a stone's throw from Lego Discovery Center which reopened March 31 after a six month, $5 million renovation.