[SO FETCH!] Lilly Pulitzer To Mark Buckhead Return With New Boutique in Neighborhood Center

A little more than two years after closing in Phipps Plaza, Lilly Pulitzer is returning to Buckhead, but rather than reopen in one of the area's major malls or Buckhead Village District, the preppy brand is instead setting up shop in a neighborhood shopping center.  

Andrews Square (56 East Andrews Drive) in Buckhead Village, currently home to such tenants as Lucy's Market, Henri's Bakery, Yebo, and Miller Collective, will soon welcome the popular women's retailer.   

When Lilly Pulitzer closed its shop on the first floor of Phipps Plaza after ten years in business, a source close to the retailer told ToNeTo Atlanta that the company hoped to return to the Buckhead area in the future when "the right location" became available. (Shortly before the Phipps closure, the company opened a new store at Avalon in Alpharetta on April 9, 2022.)  Andrews Square, which has seemingly shelved a previously announced multifamily redevelopment, appears to have had that "right location" for a Buckhead return.   

The new Lilly Pulitzer, which showcases the label's latest branding and design aesthetic, measures about 2,000 square feet, roughly 600 square feet smaller than its former space in Phipps Plaza.  Haute couture label Givenchy now occupies Lilly's former space in Phipps Plaza.  (Mint Julep, a "Lilly Pulitzer Signature Store," previously closed in nearby Peachtree Battle shopping center.) 

Owned by Atlanta-based Oxford Industries, Lilly Pulitzer is the latest in a string of retailers that have vacated either Lenox Square or Phipps Plaza only to reopen elsewhere nearby.  Madewell (owned by J. Crew) and Johnny Was (also owned by Oxford Industries) relocated from Lenox Square and Phipps Plaza, respectively, to The Shops Around Lenox.  Lilly's move, like the others before it, signals that the brand still believes in Buckhead, but realizes that significant changes at the two Simon-owned malls meant they needed to relocate if they still wanted to reach their target consumers.  

The new Lilly Pulitzer, which according to signage at the store is slated to open Saturday September 21, joins fellow newcomers to the center Skin Laundry, a laser facial clinic, which opened in May, and Means & Carney, a locally owned interior design, furniture, and gift store, which opened in August.  

Are you excited for the return of Lilly Pulitzer to Buckhead?  Have you reduced or eliminated your shopping or dining trips to Lenox Square and Phipps Plaza? What other restaurant or retailer would you like to see open in Buckhead Village?  

Please share your thoughts below.