The new Forever 21 flagship at Atlantic Station could open as soon as Saturday, Dec. 14.
“It will be soon, it could be as early as tomorrow, but more likely by Monday or Tuesday,” confirmed Nick Garzia, director of leasing for Hines Retail, with What Now Atlanta (WNA) over the phone.
“The merchants have been in there for about a week now preparing and setting up the store,” Garzia said.
A reader who wrote in to WNA concurs: “In the last 48-72 hours there has been a lot of activity. A few nights ago there was someone in the store almost all night. Mannequins went up yesterday and there’s a team of people stocking the store right now. At this pace, and given the fall/winter look of the clothes, I suspect they may try to open very soon.”
In August of this year, Atlantic Station posted an update photo and alongside it wrote: “The new Forever 21 flagship is coming along nicely, with iridescent basketweave tile currently being installed. Forever 21 will open in Atlantic Station this fall.”
And then nothing.
An Oct. 1 bankruptcy court filing listed 178 already operating locations, including Lithonia’s The Mall at Stonecrest and the Tanger Outlets Savannah in Pooler, that might close.
Google and Yelp also assigned the Atlantic Station listing the dreaded “Permanently Closed” banner at one time.
But Garzia assures that the Atlantic Station flagship was never in jeopardy, and at the end of October, gestured toward the removed baricades and work taking place around the store.
“We’ve always been on the good list,” said Garzia.
“The company just needed to work through what they needed to work through with the bankruptcy.”
Forever 21 will be adjacent to the H&M flagship between Park East District and Market Street.
Other large format stores in Lenox Square in Buckhead, Cumberland Mall near Smyrna, Perimeter Mall in Dunwoody and North Point Mall in Alpharetta, were spared for now.
A Forever 21 spokesperson did not immediately respond to WNA’s request for comment.
One Response
I lived in Atlantic Station for 2 years and saw retailers open and close regularly. It’s private property so they don’t allow Atlanta Police to patrol, except for a courtesy cop who comes by every once in a while. And the murder last year in the parking garage was the final straw. We moved out in a hurry. Poor management and poor design.