Business
The Forum faces store closings; new owner, new openings may spark turnaround
After nearly 20 years, Williams-Sonoma is in the process of closing its location at The Forum in Peachtree Corners. In the same mall, affordable women’s clothing store Dress Up has already closed its doors to shoppers.
Lindsey Hymel, marketing manager at The Forum, confirmed Dress Up has ended its lease, and the store is no longer listed on The Forum’s website.
Hymel said she could not comment on the status of Williams-Sonoma, the kitchenware and home furnishing company based in California that has two other metro Atlanta store locations in Alpharetta and Marietta. As of this report, the store is still operating at The Forum.
However, Williams Sonoma has placed a sign in its window announcing that it is closing soon and is in the process of selling off its current inventory.
Mario Mireles, an Atlanta-based commercial real estate property manager who has no specific knowledge of the Williams Sonoma situation, speculated that the closure could be due to a combination of poor sales and lease longevity.
“Williams-Sonoma, like some of the better-known names in The Forum has a very favorable lease deal — usually only pays a small percentage of sales as rent, both due to the low overall occupancy of the property and the landlord’s desire to keep the well-known stores in the property as a method to attract other retailers,” Mireles said.
“Due to its longevity at the property, Sonoma may have well been on a month-to-month agreement that is easily terminated. Depending on the location as well as the chain’s regional and national performance, retailers like Sonoma are opportunistically culling their locations as circumstances allow them. They could devote those resources to another store and see a sizeable increase in sales.”
New mall owner rumored
The Forum is currently managed by commercial real estate firm Bayer Industries, but a new opener could be announced soon, according to District 3 City Councilman Alex Wright
In an interview with Peachtree Corners Magazine, Wright said the most likely buyer could be North American Properties, which owns the Avalon mall in Alpharetta as well as the Atlantic Station mall in downtown Atlanta and Avenue East Cobb in Marietta.
A recent analysis by Forbes magazine shows that as the world moves toward a post-pandemic phase, physical retail is on the rise again. Even with online shopping becoming more prevalent, there is still an overall increase in demand for retail real estate.
New stores could appeal to fitness community
While The Forum is losing two stores, it’s already added a new one, and two more are on the way, according to a press release.
Versona, a women’s fashion boutique owned by The Cato Corporation, opened to the public on Dec. 16 and became the brand’s ninth location in Georgia. The Forum location is managed by Norcross resident Tina Cehic and is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
“Versona promises to be a fun shopping experience where women can find unique, on-trend styles at a great value,” said Cato Corporation president and CEO John Cato. “We are excited about our newest Versona store opening at The Forum on Peachtree Parkway.”
The other two stores could catch the eye of the health and fitness community within Peachtree Corners. Club Pilates, a studio fitness center that offers full-body workouts and a diverse range of classes, will take over the space previously occupied by Gigi’s Cupcakes, while Chopt, a chain restaurant specializing in inventive salads and sells 17 house-made dressings, will take up a portion of the former Atlanta Bread Company.
Hymel said there are monthly pop-up fitness classes at The Forum, which indicates Club Pilates will fill a big need within the Peachtree Corners community.
“Peachtree Corners is already a fitness community,” she said. “Once a month, we’ll bring in a gym to do pop-up fitness, and that’s already gone well.”
Out of 100 metropolitan areas, personal finance website WalletHub ranked the Atlanta area at No. 23 for active lifestyles making it an attractive market for fitness-related businesses.
Pilates is a low-impact, mind-body exercise routine that works to strengthen muscles and improve posture and flexibility.
According to its website, Club Pilates offers nine types of Pilates classes as well as a range of equipment that includes TriggerPoint foam rollers, TRX springboards, EXO-chairs “and other equipment designed to build strength, mobility and stability.”
Keeoma Page, owner and operator of the Club Pilates location at The Forum, said Club Pilates brings affordability to what is normally an expensive workout method.
“Pilates is super-expensive, and Club Pilates allows it to be affordable,” Page said. “Everyone has their own piece of equipment, which is totally unheard of. Club Pilates scaled it in a way so they could bring Pilates to the masses.”
Club Pilates thrives from its membership packages, Page said, and she’s already had more than 50 people sign up well ahead of its spring opening. The club offers packages of four classes a month, eight classes a month, or unlimited classes.
Page said she has been looking for the perfect venue since she became the owner of her franchise three years ago. The location at The Forum will be the 14th to open in the metro Atlanta area.
“It’s such a perfect fit for Peachtree Corners,” she said. “People already know about it. I’m not introducing anything they haven’t already heard of. It’s a very active area.”
Club Pilates and Chopt will also be located near the Press Blend Squeeze juicer, Hymel said, making The Forum a one-stop destination for people looking for a good workout and a healthy meal.
“They’ll all be next to each other, so it’s really going to be a good mix for that fitness-minded community,” Hymel said.
Leroy Hite, founder of Cutting Edge Firewood, was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award from Berry College in August
Berry College recently awarded its annual Distinguished Alumni Award for Entrepreneurial Spirit to Leroy Hite, founder of Cutting Edge Firewood (and Berry College graduate, class of 2008). The annual award recognizes and honors alumni who have demonstrated a range of positive entrepreneurial skills — including a commitment to turning a dream into a reality, the vision to create an enterprise, the courage to assume risks and the ability to make changes and take advantage of new opportunities.
“This award holds a special place in my heart, maybe more than any other I’ve ever received,” said Hite. “Being recognized by my alma mater is incredibly meaningful to me.
My entrepreneurial journey began at Berry College. It’s where that initial spark was ignited, and honestly, I’m not sure I’d be where I am today without it. Berry nurtured my curiosity, drive and resilience — the key ingredients to entrepreneurship.”
Innovative entrepreneurship
Berry College professor and leader of the school’s Entrepreneurship Program, Dr. Paula Englis, said that Hite took every class she offered. And when those ran out, he did directed studies with her.
“He always knew he wanted to run his own business, and the growth and success of his firewood enterprise has been a wonder to watch,” she said.
Hite was nominated by Berry alumni Alison Ritter, class of 1994. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp also supported Hite’s nomination.
“As a small business owner myself, I have strong appreciation for and recognize the perseverance it takes to build a business from the ground up,” said Kemp. “Leroy’s innovative approach to the firewood industry, focusing on product quality and customer service, mirrors the entrepreneurial spirit that has long driven Georgia’s economic success.”
The company
When Hite founded Cutting Edge Firewood in 2013, he created the world’s first luxury firewood and cooking wood company. He reinvented everything about the firewood industry, from how firewood is dried and stored to how it’s packaged, shipped and delivered. When the company began, it was just Leroy with a one truck and a trailer. Now Cutting Edge Firewood employs 40, stocks enough inventory to fill its 40,000-square-foot Peachtree Corners warehouse and ships wood to all 50 states.
The wide variety of wood from Cutting Edge undergoes a special drying process to ensure that it’s free from unwanted pests, mold or fungus and provides an unmatched clean and bright burn with pleasant aroma. Their focus on process and the use of hardwoods such as oak, hickory, cherry, apple, pecan and maple ensures their customers receive the highest quality firewood, cooking wood and pizza wood possible.
For more information about Cutting Edge Firewood, visit cuttingedgefirewood.com.
To learn more about the Entrepreneurship Program at Berry College, visit berry.edu/academics/majors/entrepreneurship.
Cornerstone Christian Academy was recently awarded a Top Workplaces 2024 honor by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Recipients of this annual award are chosen solely from employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by Energage, LLC. The anonymous survey uniquely measures multiple culture drivers that are critical to the success of any organization, including alignment, execution and connection.
In addition to their place on the 2024 list, Cornerstone was also ranked number one among small businesses and won a special award for company “Communication.”
“We were extremely humbled to hear that we were not only named on the list, but ranked first among small companies,” shared Colin Creel, headmaster at Cornerstone. “I am very thankful our staff has received this public validation of the amazing work that occurs here at Cornerstone. Our staff deserves all of the accolades they are receiving; Cornerstone is a very special place because of them.”
2024 marks the 14th year the AJC has recognized metro Atlanta businesses with the Top Workplaces award. And it’s the third time that Cornerstone has been named to the top spot in their category. This year’s recipients were selected from over 9,000 nominated companies and honored at an awards ceremony held at the Georgia Aquarium on August 14.
For more information about Cornerstone Christian Academy, visit cornerstonecougars.org.
To learn more about Top Workplaces, visit topworkplaces.com.
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