Monday, August 28, 2017

North Point Mall, Alpharetta/Roswell (Atlanta), GA

     Sometimes a city's best can be simply ignored as another mall that is simply doing well. It doesn't matter that the mall is becoming or will be upscale. It doesn't matter that this mall is an architectural beast, in more than one ways. It doesn't matter that there is a stupid lifestyle center an exit up that I hate more than much else. North Point Mall falls into this deep category that it shouldn't be in. North Point simply needs more respect and love in Atlanta, and there are serious reasons why.

We begin this rant-filled post with shots of the stunning Rich's/Macy's store at NPM. Reason numero uno to respect NPM. This Macy's store was very busy on the Saturday afternoon I visited the mall. This photo is of the interior RICH'SATLANTA clock. There is another clock of the same on the outside.

Main Macy's entrance with a Rich's labelscar beneath the sign. Yes, a very visible Rich's labelscar, after the chain's final phase twelve years to this post. 


The outside is filled with these engravings describing the history of the store. I am excited that Macy's never removed these vestiges following the chain's consolidation.
     While I would normally kick off a post with the history, I can't get this rant over me. The Avalon, a lifestyle center recently constructed an exit up GA 400, shouldn't have been built. All the yuppies moved into the apartments above the stores and apparently can't get off the center's back. A recent CBS 46 article reveals my cries - apparently some very irking shoppers are done with North Point. Those interviewed showed some very detailed thoughts. "It's just nice to walk around. They have good restaurants", said one questioned. I mean, I personally love walking in hot and humid weather during a baking summer, and then eating at restaurants that are found across the rest of the city. I see no reason to avoid NPM, giving that it is larger, much cooler, and bright enough to make you think you are outside. Another cited they only visited the Macy's if they had a coupon, because the rest of the mall is invisible? Most of the stores are exclusive to NPM, and aren't half-bad stores. And did I mention that the Avalon has zero anchors, and NPM has five? I see no advantage. So I end this with a call to General Growth. Please add a Nordstrom, Neiman-Marcus, Saks, Lord and Taylor, Bloomingdale's, or something more upscale. The surrounding demographics are absolutely insane, and would love these stores joined with the existing Von Maur. Capture the crowd needed to be captured. Give The Avalon the middle finger that it needs. Turn NPM into an upscale showcase filled with expensive wares. This would do miracles.



Is this not the most beautiful mall you've seen? It was bright enough that I actually had to be extra careful with my locations for photo-taking. If I took a photo in the sun, it came out weird. Normally I would be mad, but I love the architecture and hope it's copied elsewhere.
     North Point Mall was constructed on hopes and dreams that luckily came true. Constructed in 1993, the mall was located in an area consisting of mainly farmland and rural area, similar to what Mall of Georgia had to deal with in its opening six years down the road. This slowed down traffic for a while, enough that it could have been called a dead mall straight off the bat. This thought was pushed ahead farther when the original Mervyn's vacated its spot two years into operation. Fortunately, all other anchors remained. These other anchors were Lord and Taylor, JCPenney, Sears, and a stunning Rich's, to pay homage to the closed downtown flagship store that died two years before. This Rich's featured most of the mainstays of the downtown store, included with beautiful Greek-inspired landscaping on the outside. Also with the mall was an empty anchor pad, filled by Dillard's in 1996. Parisian filled in the Mervyn's space, which improved the mall with an upscale anchor. Around this time, growth kicked off in the area, and soon the Alpharetta area was very wealthy and populated. This came just in time, as the exciting Mall of Georgia opened up in Buford in 1999, with similar anchors and 400,000 more square feet. This made it the largest mall in Georgia, and a Southeastern draw.


First-floor mallway views. This is truly a shiny, stunning masterpiece with the beautiful architecture and modernity of its time beyond nothing else. 
     Even with a competitor on the rise, NPM kept steaming ahead. A minor renovation in 2003 still had the mall in favor. A small hit was taken when L&T vanished from mall maps and was subsequently replaced by Belk, which failed in 2009. This formed a big problem the mall needed to face, with Parisian now empty as of 2007 due to the Belk buyout. There were two vacant anchors, and following consolidation (that forced Rich's to become Macy's) there were less candidates for replacement. The solution was quick and simple. Parisian became an AMC theatre, and Atlanta's first Von Maur was opened in the Belk space. The new Von Maur was seriously beautiful, with a treatment similar to the Saks at Phipps. Included was a interior façade of red brick, which while it would seem it would clash with the all-white interior, added a nice accent and some change in the mall. VM also brought another upscale anchor to the mall, to take advantage of the surrounding demographics. The aforementioned Avalon was opened in 2014, taking Apple, Pottery Barn, William-Sonoma, and GAP. Ugh.


The trusswork and skylights here are uncomparable. 



     While it doesn't seem like it, North Point is in the right position to beat the Avalon. In my circa-2021 plan, JCPenney becomes Nordstrom, Sears becomes Neiman-Marcus, and if needed, Macy's becomes Saks or L&T. Belk may work somewhere if it goes for an A-class Belk, like one found at Phipps. This would better fit the mall and the area and beat Avalon, which I hate with my life and passion. One of the entrances could become a Cumberland Mall-esque lifestyle area, with PF Chang's, Cali Pizza Kitchen, and lifestyle tenants to compete with the Avalon on a new stage. I mean, that's what they want right?

When the elevator moves, the Starbucks sign does too. That's some genius engineering.



Absolutely beautiful. Compliments the mall so well, and looks like a start to an upscale makeover.
     With all my hope and might, I very well want North Point to stay well and alive for years to come. Truthfully, I can't say I'm surprised with the love for Avalon, given that's the tendency of Atlanta shoppers, but this can be taken advantage of. The redev plan above is pretty much foolproof for sustained success, but the one problem would be bringing in the anchors. Von Maur is a start, and is attractive to more upscale stores. It's not going to be easy, but nothing is in the world of retail. But as so, the Avalon will learn that lesson too. :/

AMC with a children's play area in front.


The world will end whenever Sears makes a store look different than the plain tiled look. 

Here's the food court, with a carousel at the back. 




1 comment:

  1. That looks an awesome place. I'm gonna try to visit it. I'm pretty sure me and my friends are going to love it. Try visiting Museums in Manila, you'll love it too. Anyway, Thanks for sharing!

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