We are in the post-mall era. Although there are examples of super successful malls (Lenox Square, Mall of Georgia, Perimeter Mall), down to malls having moderate success (North Point Mall, Mall at Stonecrest), many malls are not doing well across metro Atlanta and the country. I included Mall at Stonecrest in the list of moderately successful malls. This is because it is. I am aware that there’s been a lot of news about the mall in the last few years (potential bankruptcy, some crime, stores closing, and new entertainment and retail attractions). There are some that like to portray the Mall at Stonecrest in a negative light, saying it’s ‘ghetto’, ‘dangerous’, and there’s ‘nothing there.’
You may remember news stories about the Mall at Stonecrest being ‘close to being foreclosed on’. It didn’t happen. Town Center at Cobb did file for foreclosure in 2021. Even North Point Mall in Alpharetta had some recent troubles. Now that mall is getting a new mixed-use development to help make it viable. Keep in mind that North Point has had a few renovations since it opened in 1993.
This is brought up to make a point: Mall at Stonecrest has not had a major renovation since it opened 22 years ago. This is something that we must make happen. I’m not saying that we should break out the construction tools and paintbrushes, but we should use the power of words to let the owners of the Mall at Stonecrest know that it’s time for an overhaul.
In the northside areas, the retailers and developers know the people in those areas. They know that they can’t afford to ‘wait’ to do major renovations, and or redevelopment. They understand that their mall and retail store customers will shop elsewhere if a store is looking like it did in 1995. Residents in our area have strong median household income, but retailers may not see us the same way they see the north siders. What if they see us as a great community to make money off of (just as the others), but a community that they don’t have to make the same improvements as the others. These statements may sound more opinionated, but all one need to do is drive on the north side and compare the differences between the retail stores and malls there and here.
I’m not saying there’s a conspiracy to purposely not invest in our area so that it negatively affects our potential for wealth accumulation (from our home values).