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Atlanta-America's newest shopping destination.


Lady Celeste

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While shopping may not be totally connected to urban development, it is an intricate part of the urban experience. I have long been amazed at the great amount of shopping options we have here in Atlanta.

It was not long ago that Rich's (now Macy's), JCPenney and Sears were the bigwigs and stores like Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor were Phipps Plaza oddities. My how time has changed. Since then, Atlanta has seen the addition of several malls and a plethora of lifestyle centers. Instead of just JCPenny, Sears, Rich's and one Saks, one Niemans and one Lord and Taylors, Atlanta is now home to two Nordstroms, Neimans, Saks Fifth Avenue, two Bloomingdales and countless highend boutiques. Lenox Square and Phipps are being transferred by Simons to not only become a shopping destination for the southeast but for the nation as a whole.

The Simon Property Group, which owns both Buckhead malls, has been busy wooing boutique and designer stores that are usually found on fashionable shopping strips in New York and Los Angeles.

"In the last year, we've had several additions of unique retailers that traditionally shy away from the mall environment," said Tisha Maley, assistant vice president of leasing for Simon. "These are stores more traditionally found on the open street. But having them here definitely gives the malls more of a boutique shopping experience, and I think they had lost that just a bit."

This says a great deal for the shopping destination Buckhead is becoming. I'm a shopping hound....to the peril of my poor husband so the more, the merrier. I am thrilled that the saavy shopper in Atlanta has now registered on the national market. Phipps and Lenox are leading the charge. Here's to more shopping. I only hope that some of these boutiques begin to choose smaller locations along Peachtree, 14th and 17th streets in Midtown. :thumbsup:

read more from the AJC.com here:

Phipps refines upscale image.

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My fiance works on Michigan Ave here in Chicago. While back in Atlanta for Thanksgiving, she noticed that Atlanta has a lot more of a selection of retailers than Chicago. While at Phipps, she pointed out a least a dozen shops that do not have Chicago locations. (But because I wasn't paying attention, I don't know which ones.)

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My fiance works on Michigan Ave here in Chicago. While back in Atlanta for Thanksgiving, she noticed that Atlanta has a lot more of a selection of retailers than Chicago. While at Phipps, she pointed out a least a dozen shops that do not have Chicago locations. (But because I wasn't paying attention, I don't know which ones.)

WOW! That's hard to believe, but nice to know

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I never even heard of Phipps Plaza until recently. I will have to check them out when I'm back in the area next weekend.

If you are a shopper and you know Lenox then you have to know Phipps Plaza. Thet are right across the street from each other so if you can't find that Dolce and Gabana outfit at Niemans and Bloomingdales, you hop in your car and drive right across the street to Phipps and you try finding in it in Nordstrom or Saks Fifth Avenue. I think Phipps Plaza aesthetically, on the inside, is Atlanta's most glamorous mall.

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This says a great deal for the shopping destination Buckhead is becoming. I'm a shopping hound....to the peril of my poor husband so the more, the merrier. I am thrilled that the saavy shopper in Atlanta has now registered on the national market. Phipps and Lenox are leading the charge. Here's to more shopping. I only hope that some of these boutiques begin to choose smaller locations along Peachtree, 14th and 17th streets in Midtown. :thumbsup:

read more from the AJC.com here:

Phipps refines upscale image.

"Buckhead is the shopping mecca of the Southeast, with more than 1,400 retail units and in excess of $1 billion a year in sales. Forty percent of Buckhead's shoppers come from more than 100 miles away." Atlanta Business Chronicle

That shows that Buckhead is already quite the shopping destination. Now its time for Midtown and Downtown to develop their own niche.

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"Buckhead is the shopping mecca of the Southeast, with more than 1,400 retail units and in excess of $1 billion a year in sales. Forty percent of Buckhead's shoppers come from more than 100 miles away." Atlanta Business Chronicle

That shows that Buckhead is already quite the shopping destination. Now its time for Midtown and Downtown to develop their own niche.

Yeah, Buckhead is a shopping destination for the Southeast but it appears that it's poised to go even further. I have a friend who flies to NYC twice a month just to shop for certain styles and she flies to Paris twice a year for seasonal clothing. I never see her dressed down and her styles are always unique. Of course she is childless so her husband can afford to fly her all over the place to shop.....this is the type of destination I'm referring to....not for the people who load up the Ford and drive to Lenox.

Martinman, if you had to choose a type of shopping mix to go in midtown, what would you put there?

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Buckhead is doing an amazing job of attracting retailers to its centers. Now if only Midtown can do a better job of attracting retailers to its streets we would really be in business. The Midtown area will become its own retail destination on its own one day. It just has so much land yet to fill in. I was on P

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Yea Buckhead is very impressive. If I were to live in Atlanta I would live there.

Is there retail in Buckhead outside of Phipps and Lenox?

As for Phipps, the movie theater feels a little out of place. It would be better in Lenox.

^^ Yes, Buckhead has much retail outside of the Lenox/Phipps area. Areas such as Piedmont rd, Peachtree Rd stretching down towards Pharr rd, towards the village area.

As far as movie theatres go, at one time Lenox had a 6 screen theatre (I think they closed them around 2000 or 2001). I think the economics of the theatre's small scale eventually did them in, as well as their reputation for becoming ghetto.

With Simon owning both malls, it was inevitable that only one mall would have the theatres. I agree with your point though, Phipps being the uber upscale mall, it would feel better to have a movie theatre at a less upscale mall (Lenox).

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Is there retail in Buckhead outside of Phipps and Lenox?
Yes, there are very extensive retail areas outside of Lenox and Phipps. I don't know this for a fact but I would have to guess they equal or exceed what's at the malls. I really think you'd be missing a lot if you didn't spend at least a few days exploring the incredibly diverse shopping in some of these other parts of Buckhead.

Miami Circle is probably *the* preeminent place in Atlanta to go for antiques. There must be 100 or more shops and galleries there. Further down on Peachtree, the Bennett Street area has dozens of fine art and furniture galleries, as do both the East Village and the West Village. All those areas are great for meandering, stopping off for a cup of coffee or a glass of wine at a cafe, and people watching. The amazing ADAC area in Peachtree Hills is mainly for the trade, but you can probably get in if you get your designer to twist a few arms, and a number of nearby shops are open to the public. If money is no object, check out the ritzy area just south of Peachtree Battle where the Marsden Galleries are located. Of course there's all sorts of other interesting clothing, jewelry and collectibles shopping all up and down Peachtree, Roswell Road and Piedmont. A cool new Whole Foods just opened on West Paces Ferry -- it's about the best gourmet grocery I've ever seen and you could easily spend an hour just browsing around there.

Many of the more interesting shops in Buckhead are tucked away in small shopping areas from the 1920s, such as Brookwood Hills, Garden Hills, Peachtree Hills, and the row of shops near Peachtree Creek.

Buckhead Shopping Districts

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Simon should build some sort of covered walkway connecting Lenox and Phipps. A lot of times whem I'm at Lennox, I want to go over to Phipps, but I'm too lazy to get in my car and drive across the street and deal with parking. I also don't want to deal with crossing a 20 lane road. I think having a covered walkway would be good for business and better for traffic. What do y'all think?

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Simon should build some sort of covered walkway connecting Lenox and Phipps. A lot of times whem I'm at Lennox, I want to go over to Phipps, but I'm too lazy to get in my car and drive across the street and deal with parking. I also don't want to deal with crossing a 20 lane road. I think having a covered walkway would be good for business and better for traffic. What do y'all think?

I did hear a few years ago that Simon's was wanting to tunnel under Peachtree Rd/Lenox Rd from Lenox Square to Phipps Plaza. I don't know what came of it. While I don't think there would be a mad rush to use it as Americans tend to not like to walk more than 50 feet in an outside environment, it would be beneficial as the drivers at this intersection would not have to worry about the occassional pedestrian darting in front of them.

As far as the movie theater being at Phipps instead of Lenox. I think that is the best decision possible between the two. For one, movie theaters to such highend malls are really not necessary to draw consumers from afar as anyone can go to a movie theater at home. This movie theater is necessary for local use and therefore Phipps serves the better option because Lenox tends to be more touristy and Phipps tend to have more serious shoppers. Most "mall walkers" will not take the time to go over the Phipps because the store mix tends to turn some off. This leaves the theater free from the "casual" person, if you will, and more readily available for the locals who want to enjoy a nice movie without all the commotion of a younger...less well-behaved...crowd.

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I would also like to add that in addition to great shopping, Buckhead does have some of the southeast best lodging options.

Five Star Accomadations

1) Ritz Carlton Buckhead

2) InterContinental

3) St Regis (to start in April of 2006)

Four Star Accomadations

1) The Grand Hyatt

2) The Westin Buckhead

3) JW Marriot Hotel Buckhead

For those on a budget, there are even several nice three star accomadations.

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Simon should build some sort of covered walkway connecting Lenox and Phipps. A lot of times whem I'm at Lennox, I want to go over to Phipps, but I'm too lazy to get in my car and drive across the street and deal with parking. I also don't want to deal with crossing a 20 lane road. I think having a covered walkway would be good for business and better for traffic. What do y'all think?

Hopefully the Peachtree corridor improvement project will make the trek a lot more pleasant.

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A lot of times whem I'm at Lennox, I want to go over to Phipps, but I'm too lazy to get in my car and drive across the street and deal with parking.

You might want to consider the Buc, which is the free trolley that runs around Buckhead. It makes several stops at various points in Lenox Square and at the front door of Phipps. It runs every 8 to 15 minutes. It also hits both the Lenox and Buckhead MARTA stations. Very handy.

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