The revolving door of stores continues to turn at local Simon malls. On the heels of several closures at Lenox Square including TYR, Moose Knuckles, Forever 21, and what seemed like a cameo appearance of Britto at Phipps Plaza, comes news that a pair of new names are coming soon
Creed, which according to the permit is coming to suite 1014, would replace existing tenant Robert Graham. Before the menswear retailer opened in the space it was home to Jimmy Choo before the luxury shoe designer decamped to The Shops at Buckhead (now Buckhead Village District). Jimmy Choo returned to Phipps Plaza, now near the ill-conceived food hall, in 2023.
The Creed space, measuring about 1,251 square feet according to the plans, would be situated just a few doors down from rival premium fragrance maker BYREDO.
Vacheron Constantin, one of the oldest watch manufacturers in the world with an uninterrupted watchmaking history since its founding in 1755, is planned for suite 1013, a 1,361 square foot space currently home to luxury shoe designer Giuseppe Zanotti. Prior to Zanotti's opening in October 2013, the space - then a former Tory Burch due to their own move elsewhere in the mall - was earmarked for a Bvlgari store that never materialized.
Like Creed and BYREDO, the new Vacheron Constantin is just a couple of doors down from rival watchmaker Omega. For those unfamiliar, Vacheron Constantin watches start at about $20,000, with some timepieces fetching upwards of $100,000. The company is owned by French holding company Richemont whose holdings include Baume & Mercier, Cartier, Chloé, Dunhill, IWC Schaffhausen, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Montblanc, Mr Porter, Net-a-Porter, Panerai, Piaget, Peter Millar, and Van Cleef & Arpels, among others.
Vacheron Constantin is the latest watch brand to attempt the Atlanta market. Hublot opened at Phipps Plaza in 2012 but was closed by 2018, after which Gucci expanded and took over its former space. Audemars Piguet and Rolex both operate boutiques at Lenox Square in partnership with Mayors, while Brown & Co. opened a stand-alone Patek Philippe boutique last month at Buckhead Village District.
The opening of second (unnecessary) locations of Gucci, Tiffany, and Balenciaga in Lenox Square in addition to those at Phipps Plaza has reportedly negatively affected the sales of the brand's Phipps boutiques, which has also affected foot traffic in general. Simply put, Atlanta is not and will never be Las Vegas, where high-fashion brands have multiple stores across the street from one another.
This latest pair of twin closings and openings comes on the heels of the flashy opening of Britto at the mall this past November, a store that lasted just a few months and is now, as ToNeTo Atlanta first reported in February, being replaced by a new Bvlgari boutique. Earl of Sandwich, which closed in March and seemingly reopened, but with both abbreviated hours and an abbreviated menu, leads many to believe their return will not be for long.
In case you have not been to Phipps Plaza lately, it's a very strange place with uber luxury stores on the first floor, a smorgasbord of randomness and empty storefronts on the second floor, and Legoland, the movie theater, and some casual eateries on the third.
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| Some of the many vacancies at Phipps Plaza |
When was the last time you visited Phipps Plaza? Have you been to Citizens Market at Phipps Plaza? Do you think the two new stores will do well at Phipps Plaza?
Please share your thoughts below.
13 comments:
IDK how those high end luxury stores stay open. Other than an occasional visit to Nordstrom or JJill I have no reason to visit. And the loss of The Tavern for lunch was the final straw. Hoping Alon's survives.
I haven't been to Phipps in years but have been confused about the supposed mix of stores. Does it want to be exclusively high end? Then why bring in Legoland or some of the other random stores? Why did Simon open competing stores across the street from one another? There seems to be no real plan or maybe the plan is to just kill the center?
With Patek Philippe offered by Brown & Co at Buckhead Village. An official Audemars Piguet house opening in Buckhead Village and now Vacheron Constantin at Phipps, Atlanta watch enthusiasts will have access to the "Holy Trinity" of watchmakers.
The plan is for Simon to sell Phipps and keep Lenox.
re: people still buying creed: luxury brands have priced out everyone from the entry-level items like sunglasses, scarves, etc. so fragrances have become the new hot thing for "aspirational" customers. creed sold to kering (gucci and saint laurent's parent company) not long ago. they're doing very well, even though you can find their products on discount at many places if you look hard enough. god knows i'd never buy anything of theirs at full price, but many people do. likewise with any of the trendy luxury fragrance houses, like byredo and le labo.
You have to be batsh*t insane to shop for a $20K+ watch at Lenox or Phipps. Talk about putting a target on your back. I guess they're hoping for business from out-of-towners who don't know any better.
You should stay home then, lock yourself in the basement and never leave again. Only use sun dials on street corners to tell time. Go outside naked so nothing to steal.
Le laboa stinks
@12:32 Or I could just go down the road to Brown & Co., where half the customers aren't convicted felons.
I agree. The Tavern's closing was such a loss!! Wish they could have opened somewhere else in the neighborhood. I lived right behind Phipps and went there all the time. Loved those Tavern chips!!
So glad that music group branched off to another lucrative source of income (Creed)
Haven't been to Phipps (or Lenox for that matter) in years. There used to be a nice crepe restaurant in Phipps eons ago near one of the entrances that I used to frequent all the time. Really lost interest when the Jil Sander store closed in Phipps.
Nice to stroll through Phibbs on a weekday afternoon. Quiet and peaceful shopping
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