Mall of Georgia

Mall of Georgia is an enclosed super-regional shopping center in unincorporated Gwinnett County, near Buford and approximately 35 miles northeast of Atlanta. Developed, built, and retained by Simon Property Group, it opened in August 1999 and became one of the principal retail destinations in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The center was planned at a scale intended to draw shoppers from a broad portion of northeastern metro Atlanta, including customers who had historically visited Gwinnett Place Mall. The mall occupies a large regional retail complex with three levels, an outdoor village section, restaurants, entertainment facilities, and an amphitheater with seating for approximately 500 people. Its retail mix has historically combined department stores, specialty retailers, restaurants, services, and leisure uses. The main enclosed mall has included such anchor and major tenants as Von Maur, Macy's, Dillard's, Belk, JCPenney, Havertys Furniture, Barnes & Noble, Dick's Sporting Goods, and a 20-screen Regal Cinemas complex. The surrounding Mall of Georgia Crossing adds a separate open-air retail component anchored by stores including Best Buy, TJ Maxx, Target, Hobby Lobby, Nordstrom Rack, HomeGoods, Ulta Beauty, and Staples. The property opened with Dillard's, JCPenney, Lord & Taylor, and Nordstrom as its principal department-store anchors. Bed Bath & Beyond, Haverty's, and Galyan's, later associated with Dick's Sporting Goods, served as additional major retail components. The center continued to change as department-store ownership and operating strategies evolved. An Atlanta-based Rich's location was added in 2000; after Federated Department Stores consolidated several nameplates, the store became Rich's-Macy's and subsequently Macy's. Lord & Taylor was later replaced by Belk in 2005. In 2015, Simon announced that Von Maur would join the center in the space previously occupied by Nordstrom. Mall of Georgia also has a strong entertainment and public-realm identity. Its cinema complex includes Regal Cinemas and an IMAX theater, while the outdoor village provides dining and lifestyle-oriented uses. A portion of the Ivy Creek Greenway runs along the shopping-center area, linking the property to the surrounding landscape. A statue of Button Gwinnett, a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence and the namesake of Gwinnett County, is positioned atop the mall and serves as a distinctive landmark. In 2018, the indoor food court underwent an update involving seating layouts, furniture styles, and color schemes. Beginning in late 2024, the mall started removing or simplifying some of its original geographic theming. This process included the removal of regional murals, distinctive lighting fixtures, section names, and town and city labels that had appeared above stores on the second floor. These changes indicate an effort to give parts of the property a more contemporary and less thematically segmented appearance while retaining its role as a major regional shopping and entertainment destination.

Mall of Georgia was developed by Simon Property Group as a large-scale enclosed shopping center for the rapidly expanding retail market in Gwinnett County and northeastern metropolitan Atlanta. The property is located near Buford, approximately 35 miles northeast of Atlanta, and was conceived as a destination capable of serving shoppers across a broad regional catchment area. Before the mall opened, Gwinnett Place Mall was one of the area's established large shopping destinations. Mall of Georgia's arrival increased the supply and variety of major retail space in the region and redirected part of the area's shopping traffic. The mall officially opened on August 13, 1999. Several of its principal department-store anchors—Lord & Taylor, Dillard's, and JCPenney—opened on August 11, two days before the formal center-wide opening. Nordstrom was also among the original major anchors. The initial tenant plan combined traditional department stores with junior anchors and specialty retailers. Bed Bath & Beyond, Haverty's, and Galyan's were among the additional major components; Galyan's later became associated with Dick's Sporting Goods. A 20-screen Regal Cinemas complex and an IMAX theater added an entertainment function beyond ordinary shopping. The property expanded its commercial offer in 2000 when an Atlanta-based Rich's store was added. Rich's was subsequently affected by Federated Department Stores' consolidation of retail nameplates. The store operated under a Rich's-Macy's identity before the Rich's name was eliminated in 2005. Department-store changes also affected the original Lord & Taylor space. Lord & Taylor was repositioned and ultimately closed at the mall, with Belk replacing it in 2005. Over time, the center developed as more than a conventional enclosed mall. Its large village section provided an outdoor setting for lifestyle tenants and restaurants, while an amphitheater offered space for performances and public events. The mall area also sits alongside a portion of the Ivy Creek Greenway, giving the broader complex a connection to nearby open space. A statue of Button Gwinnett, one of the signers of the United States Declaration of Independence and the person for whom Gwinnett County is named, became a prominent visual landmark above the mall. A further anchor transition was announced in 2015, when Von Maur was selected to replace Nordstrom. This reflected the continuing adjustment of the property's department-store mix as national retailers changed their location strategies. In 2018, the mall refreshed its indoor food court with new seating arrangements, furniture styles, and color schemes, updating a high-traffic common area without changing the center's basic role. Beginning in late 2024, Mall of Georgia started to remove some of the geographic design language that had characterized its interior. The work included taking down murals associated with different regions, removing distinctive lighting fixtures, eliminating geographic section names, and removing town and city labels that had appeared above second-floor stores. The changes represented a move away from the mall's original highly themed presentation toward a simpler contemporary environment. The mall remains owned by Simon Property Group and continues to operate as a major regional retail and entertainment complex. Its offering combines department stores, specialty retail, restaurants, services, cinema, an IMAX venue, an outdoor village, and the adjacent Mall of Georgia Crossing. The property is therefore best understood as a mixed retail destination rather than simply a collection of enclosed mall stores.

• 2024

  Interior de-theming begins

  [1]Mall of Georgiaen.wikipedia.org

  The mall began removing several geographic design elements, including regional murals, themed lighting, section names, and second-floor town and city labels.

• 2018

  Food court renovation

  [1]Mall of Georgiaen.wikipedia.org

  The indoor food court was refreshed with revised seating, furniture, and color schemes.

• 2015

  Von Maur announced as a new anchor

  [1]Mall of Georgiaen.wikipedia.org

  Von Maur was announced as the replacement for Nordstrom at the mall.

• 2005

  Belk replaces Lord & Taylor

  [1]Mall of Georgiaen.wikipedia.org

  Belk took over the former Lord & Taylor space after Lord & Taylor closed at the property.

• 2005

  Rich's name retired at the property

  [1]Mall of Georgiaen.wikipedia.org

  The former Rich's store completed its transition from Rich's-Macy's to Macy's as part of Federated's broader nameplate consolidation.

• 2000

  Rich's added to the center

  [1]Mall of Georgiaen.wikipedia.org

  An Atlanta-based Rich's department store was added to the mall during its early expansion period.

• 1999

  Official opening

  [1]Mall of Georgiaen.wikipedia.org

  Mall of Georgia officially opened on August 13, 1999, with a major department-store lineup and a regional retailing strategy aimed at northeastern metropolitan Atlanta.

A large, destination-oriented super-regional shopping and entertainment center serving northeastern metropolitan Atlanta and the wider Gwinnett County market.

• Shopping mall · 1999

  Enclosed regional shopping center

  The core property is a three-level enclosed mall with a broad tenant mix spanning department stores, apparel, home goods, books, beauty, sporting goods, restaurants, services, and entertainment. Its scale and anchor lineup position it as a destination serving customers beyond the immediate Buford area.

• Lifestyle retail and dining · 1999

  Outdoor village

  The village section extends the property beyond the enclosed mall format through an outdoor setting containing lifestyle-oriented tenants and restaurants. It contributes dining and leisure uses that complement the main retail corridors.

• Entertainment · 1999

  Regal Cinemas and IMAX

  A 20-screen Regal Cinemas complex and an IMAX theater provide film and entertainment facilities within the mall. The cinema component supports the property's role as an all-day destination rather than solely a shopping venue.

• Open-air retail complex

  Mall of Georgia Crossing

  The adjacent Mall of Georgia Crossing is a related open-air retail component anchored by stores including Best Buy, TJ Maxx, Target, Hobby Lobby, Nordstrom Rack, HomeGoods, Ulta Beauty, and Staples. It broadens the overall complex's value and outlet mix.

• 2024

  Remove original geographic themingStrategy

  Background

  The property's interior had used geographic section names, murals, themed lighting, and town and city labels as part of its original design language.

  Action taken

  Beginning in late 2024, the mall started removing or simplifying those geographic design elements.

  Aftermath

  The changes moved portions of the interior toward a more contemporary and less thematically segmented appearance.

  Source

• 2018

  Refresh the indoor food courtOther

  Background

  The food court was a high-use common area requiring an updated interior environment.

  Action taken

  The mall renovated the food court by changing seating arrangements, furniture styles, and color schemes.

  Aftermath

  The work modernized the food-court environment while retaining its role as a central dining area.

  Source

• 2015

  Replace Nordstrom with Von MaurStrategy

  Background

  The mall needed to update its department-store anchor lineup after Nordstrom's departure or planned departure from the property.

  Action taken

  Simon Property Group announced that Von Maur would join Mall of Georgia in the former Nordstrom space.

  Aftermath

  The announcement preserved a major department-store use in the space while changing the national retailer represented at the mall.

  Source

1. 1Mall of Georgiaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Mall of Georgia - Simon Property Groupsimon.com