Where the Escalators Used to Creak
There was a time when a Saturday at North Point Mall meant three hours in Rich’s, a cinnamon pretzel from the food court, and the carousel humming behind tall glass. The mall opened in 1993, during a retail boom that sprawled across suburban Atlanta.
Homart Development Company built it as one of their final projects, with anchor stores lined up like a roster: Sears, JCPenney, Rich’s, Mervyn’s, and Lord & Taylor.
It was new but styled like a memory. Rich’s had wood tones and railings that nodded to its downtown flagship, which had closed in 1991. By 1995, they added Dillard’s and a new parking deck, crowding the lot with over 7,000 spaces.
For anyone searching for things to do in Alpharetta, Georgia, the mall still has over 100 stores, a carousel, and a Cheesecake Factory just past the deck.
Opening Day Inventory – 1989 to 1993
Homart announced North Point Mall on April 20, 1989. The plan called for 400,000 square feet of gross leasable area, fitting up to 140 stores.
By fall 1993, five anchors had signed on: Sears, JCPenney, Rich’s, Mervyn’s, and Lord & Taylor. Construction finished that October.
The mall officially opened on October 20, 1993. Foot traffic poured in. What made Rich’s unusual was its throwback interior, echoing its former flagship on Broad Street.
It had been shuttered for two years, but the name still pulled weight. The North Point Mall version included design details meant to recall the downtown store.
Macy’s was part of the original plans but hit a wall during bankruptcy. The mall launched with five anchors instead of six. That space stayed in limbo.
The early years were packed but cautious. Lord & Taylor and Mervyn’s gave the property a range from businesswear to home goods.
Across the two main floors, shoppers could move from one anchor to the next without hitting a wall of shuttered gates or plywood.
Expansion, Upscale Push, and Parking Math – 1995 to 2005
Two years after opening, North Point Mall added a sixth anchor. Dillard’s broke ground in 1995 and came with a new parking deck to handle the extra load.
The lot count ticked up again, eventually reaching 7,400 spaces. Dillard’s helped pull a different kind of shopper, one looking for polished brands and larger departments.
Mervyn’s didn’t last long. By 1996, they pulled out of the Southern market entirely. The North Point Mall location closed and left a gap.
In 1997, Parisian moved in. The store aimed higher than Mervyn’s had, stocking designer clothing and higher-end lines.
The mall started leaning toward an upscale profile without saying it outright.
By 2003, updates came inside, too. The center court got more seating, and the tired tile was replaced. A year later, they shifted the escalator that sat in front of Starbucks down toward the Sears wing. That move opened up floor space in East Court.
Outside the building, The Cheesecake Factory opened in June 2004. It was their third in Georgia and first outside Atlanta.
They built it in the parking lot past the new deck, connecting it to the mall with a footpath marked by yellow bricks. The restaurant stayed full for years.
Tenant Shuffle and Anchor Gaps – 2005 to 2011
Lord & Taylor closed in 2005. Their parent company had been cutting underperforming stores, and this one was on the list.
That left an empty anchor just twelve years after the mall’s debut. The building sat for two years until Parisian’s lease ended in 2007.
Belk acquired the brand but didn’t reuse the Parisian location. Instead, they took over the old Lord & Taylor space.
Belk stayed for less than two years. By 2009, they were gone too. Two large anchors, both shuttered. It was the first time the mall started to feel oversized for its retail base.
In 2010, Von Maur announced it would take over the former Belk store. They didn’t just repaint the walls. Construction expanded the space from 115,000 to 140,000 square feet.
The redesign used red brick, a copper-colored cupola, and columned entrances, picking up on traditional Southern architecture.
The buildout took more than a year. When Von Maur opened in November 2011, it had two levels and a tailored interior.
With Macy’s still in place and JCPenney steady, the mall held four anchors again. The vacancy from Parisian remained, but the gap didn’t show from the parking lot.
Entertainment Footprint and Market Warnings – 2012 to 2019
In January 2012, AMC Theatres confirmed plans to replace the old Parisian building with a new 12-screen theater. Construction moved quickly.
By September of that year, AMC North Point opened with a MacGuffins bar, Coca-Cola Freestyle machines, recliners, IMAX, and ETX.
The mall leaned hard into entertainment, filling a hole that retail alone could no longer cover.
By June 2018, Sears was done. The chain had been cutting locations for months, and North Point’s store joined the list.
After the closure, Brookfield floated a plan to demolish the Sears building and replace it with a mixed-use project. Apartments, restaurants, trails, and even a lake were discussed.
In February 2019, Alpharetta’s city council approved the 83-acre concept. It aimed to rework the northeast side of the mall with retail pads, small parks, and an updated playground.
The city’s mayor backed the plan publicly. But behind the scenes, it unraveled. The project never broke ground.
Property Transfer, Temporary Fixes, and Walkouts – 2021 to Early 2024
On November 19, 2021, Dino Safari opened in the former Sears space. The exhibit used animatronics and covered two floors. It stayed open for nearly two years before closing in October 2023.
Ownership of the mall changed in March 2022. Brookfield sold it to Trademark Property. The new firm rebranded the site as simply “North Point” and announced plans to revive the old Sears section with apartments, new retail, and green space.
But during a public meeting, those plans ran into opposition. The proposal was pulled soon after.
The carousel shut down in March 2020 due to a lack of traffic and finally restarted in November 2023. Its original parts came from Brooklyn, built by the Fabricon Carousel Company, and modeled after a vintage Coney Island ride.
It had been sitting behind floor-to-ceiling windows in the food court since 1993. Current hours run noon to 6 p.m. on weekdays and noon to 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
Sports Pitch and Feasibility Spending – 2024 to Mid-2025
In March 2024, Alpharetta Sports & Entertainment made a move. The group, fronted by former NHL player Anson Carter, pitched a full redevelopment of the North Point Mall site to support a professional hockey team.
Their concept included a multi-purpose arena, event space, and public-use zones meant to draw year-round traffic.
The same month, a competing project gained attention: The Gathering at South Forsyth. That proposal, tied to a private land assembly near the Forsyth-Fulton county line, offered an 18,500-seat arena just six miles north of North Point Mall.
By May 2025, Alpharetta’s Development Authority voted to spend up to $150,000 on a feasibility study. The city contracted CAA ICON, the same firm that advised on arenas in Seattle and Las Vegas.
The purpose was to vet what a sports complex might look like on that mall footprint and what it would take to make it real.
Trademark Properties, still listed as owner and manager, didn’t release a detailed statement. Carter’s group continued lobbying the NHL, even as the league made no guarantees about a new expansion timeline.
Master Plan Drafts, Park Promises, and Redevelopment Pressure – Spring 2025
Torti Gallas + Partners, working with Trademark Property Company, released a master plan outlining a mixed-use conversion of the mall site.
It included 900 residential units, 300,000 square feet of retail space, 100,000 square feet for offices, and a boutique hotel.
The mall itself would be partially demolished, replaced by pedestrian corridors and live-work lofts.
In March 2025, Alpharetta’s city council approved a planning document known as the North Point Development Framework.
It called for parks, mid-rise buildings, small public plazas, and trail linkages connecting to the Alpha Loop and Big Creek Greenway.
The plan was developed with input from consultants and retail analysts.
One feature that got attention was Encore Greenway Park and Gateway.
It broke ground in March 2025 on the other side of North Point Parkway, planned as a public green space tied to the mall’s redevelopment.
It’s designed to sit beside new housing and storefronts, with lawns, trees, and gathering areas.
The project falls under the North Point Development Framework and connects visually to the Alpha Loop and Big Creek Greenway, though it stands on its own. Completion is expected in fall 2026.
By now, leasing stalls and tenants cycle out with no clear pattern. The property sits in limbo, caught between scrapped plans and new ones still on paper.
As newer centers draw traffic, North Point’s aging layout and half-empty corridors make it harder to compete. Businesses still open get no firm updates on timelines or lease terms.
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