Commercial and Residential Locksmiths in Alpharetta

A jewelry brand from Laguna Beach is continuing to grow in the Peach State, with a new gorjana storefront opening this summer at Avalon in Alpharetta.

Gorjana was founded in 2004 and now has more than 65 storefronts across the country, including one at Ponce City Market that opened in 2023.

The Alpharetta shop will feature the brand’s popular designs, including gold jewelry featuring diamonds, opals, sapphires and more. The designs include necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings and more designed to mix, match and layer. Complimentary engraving is available for online orders.

“Since we opened the doors to our first Georgia store in Ponce City Market last spring, we’ve loved getting to know the creative and bustling Atlanta community,” co-founder Gorjana Reidel said in a news release. “Atlanta welcomed our SoCal brand with open arms, and we could not be more excited to join the incredible Alpharetta and Avalon communities this summer.”

The shop at Avalon will provide a “warm, welcoming space” with “blush terrazzo, plush seating, custom artwork and a focus on open, natural light throughout the space.”

Since its inception, gorjana has worked with nonprofit organizations that support a range of causes, with a particular focus on women and children through its annual partnerships with The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Baby2Baby, Toys for Tots, Dress for Success and more. The brand also partners with local charities in each of its locations. Local nonprofit organizations in Alpharetta are encouraged to complete a donation request form for efforts that support the local community.

Avalon opened in 2014 and will be celebrating its tenth anniversary later this year. The $1 billion, 86-acre mixed-use destination includes nearly 100 retailers and restaurants and 11,000 square feet of open-air gathering space.

“As we approach the first decade of Avalon, we’re looking for opportunities to refresh our merchandising mix and introduce the community to new brands they may not have experienced in person before,” said Adam Schwegman, partner and executive vice president of leasing at North American Properties (NAP). “To continue building on Avalon’s legacy as an industry leader, we’re constantly shifting our strategy and seeking out influential brands that complement our vision.”

Conshohocken, PA – March 28, 2024 – Today, IKEA U.S. announced plans for a new Plan & order point with Pick-up located in Alpharetta, GA, which is set to open in summer 2024. This new customer meeting point, conveniently located in the Mansell Crossing Shopping Center, brings the IKEA experience closer to metro Atlanta area customers and will focus on providing interior design planning with IKEA experts.

The IKEA Alpharetta Plan & order point with Pick-up is one of many new format stores that are part of the growth strategy for IKEA U.S.—increasing accessibility to the brand and ensuring there are more ways to meet customers where they are and how they like to shop. It is different from the traditional large-format IKEA stores as it gives customers the opportunity to meet with the IKEA store team to plan and order home furnishing solutions that require a bit more help, such as kitchens, bedrooms, and bathrooms. It will offer items for delivery and pick-up, arrangements can be made to have all items conveniently transported to a customer’s home or the option to pick-up orders on site.

“The good news keeps coming! I couldn't be more thrilled to share our latest location for an IKEA Plan and order point with Pick-up in Alpharetta. It's all about bringing the magic of IKEA closer to customers, making it easier and more affordable to access our home furnishing products and solutions,” said Javier Quiñones, CEO & Chief Sustainability Officer, IKEA U.S.

IKEA has been in the Atlanta market for nearly 20 years, since opening the first store in Midtown in 2005. IKEA Alpharetta will be located in 4,306 square feet of leased retail space in an open-air, lifestyle retail center called Mansell Crossing at 7681 North Point Pkwy, Alpharetta, GA. By introducing IKEA Alpharetta, more customers in the Atlanta metropolitan area now have access to affordability and convenience. However, for their beloved meatballs and other IKEA Food offerings, customers will still need to make a trip to IKEA Atlanta.

“I'm beyond excited to welcome customers at IKEA Alpharetta this summer. No more trekking through that notorious Atlanta traffic—now you can enjoy IKEA and our inspiring home design with less hassle. The IKEA Alpharetta Plan and order point with Pick-up brings our signature styles closer to the community—making it more accessible, more convenient, and of course, more affordable,” said Brandon Lomax, Market Manager, IKEA U.S.

In addition to opening new Plan & order points in city centers, IKEA U.S. has made significant investments to enhance its e-commerce experience and service offerings, including new IKEA Family benefits, lower priced shipping and delivery, Click & collect, and TaskRabbit assembly services.

For more information, please contact: IKEA U.S. Press Office press.us@ikea.com

Although Alpharetta cracked the top 10, there were two metro Atlanta cities in the top 25.

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — With a booming population and a vibrant downtown district that has been revamped over the past decade, it's no surprise that Alpharetta made the cut as one of the top rising cities, according to Southern Living.

The magazine compiled a list of 25 cities after conducting an online survey among over 20,000 Southern Living customers, asking them to rate their favorite places across the South from July to August 2023.

The city of Alpharetta ranked in at No. 9 on the top 25 of "The South's Best Cities On The Rise 2024" list.

Southern Living wrote that Alpharetta "has become a walkable, family-friendly hub filled with restaurants and shops surrounding a central greenspace." With numerous restaurants, breweries and even a rooftop bar in the downtown area, the entire city also has roughly 750 acres of green spaces to take in and enjoy.

Alpharetta also features Avalon, a sprawling mixed-use area with high-end restaurants, shops, apartments, and a movie theater, which comprises 500,000 square feet of retail space. Avalon is just about a five-minute drive from Downtown Alpharetta.

In a 2022 study, Alpharetta came in as the 13th-largest city in Georgia -- totaling over 65,000 people and still growing.

RELATED: Atlanta is the largest city in Georgia. But after it, which cities are the most populated?

Credit: Awesome Alpharetta

Downtown Alpharetta

Whether you stay at Hotel Avalon or the recently built Hamilton, a 119-room hotel located in the heart of downtown, you are just a short walk or drive away from many different attractions.

The city of Alpharetta is also known for its beautiful greenery, which features trails along the Big Creek Greenway. There, you can take in the fresh air and also may run into deer, ducks and other wildlife.

Although it's just a short drive north of the hustle and bustle of Downtown Atlanta, about 26 miles away, Alpharetta has its own unique feel.

RELATED: Atlanta set to soar: 7.9 million population forecasted by 2050, projections show

"For years, Alpharetta has made regular appearances on lists of the fastest growing cities in the South, and it’s just getting started," Southern Living said.

Another Georgia city also cracked the top 25, with Gainesville, Georgia, coming in at No. 17. Gainesville was touted for it being a "resort destination," with Lake Lanier among one of its draws.

Here's the full list below:

Come support the City of Alpharetta and the Alpharetta Natural Resources Commission (NRC) for community recycling collections on Saturday, March 23, 2024. The collections will be at Alpharetta’s Public Works Department, 1790 Hembree Road, Alpharetta, Georgia from 8:30am to Noon. North Fulton businesses and residents will be able to recycle electronics, documents for shredding, plastic film, and packaging Styrofoam®.

ELECTRONICS

Alpharetta has teamed up with Atlanta Recycling Solutions to collect electronics for recycling. The event is designed to give residents and businesses the opportunity to properly recycle and safely dispose of unwanted electronics. Atlanta Recycling Solutions recycles everything they accept.

Please see the attached list of acceptable items that are free of charge. Please note that there will be cash charge for:

Items Accepted-Electronics Recycling

No console units, projection TVs, or TV tubes are accepted. (Please note that ARS is only able to accept cash for these items.) We request that businesses with a large amount of electronics to recycle contact Atlanta Recycling Solutions directly at (678) 566-6665 to discuss pick up options.

DOCUMENT SHREDDING

This shredding and recycling collection will offer residents and small businesses the opportunity to safely discard confidential documents using a mobile, on-site shredding truck. Residents can have comfort knowing that the shredded materials will be recycled into new paper without risk of their confidential information falling into the wrong hands. There’s no need to remove the staples, paper clips, rubber bands and sticky notes from your files. Please do remove any larger binders or metal items. No Hard drives! There is a strict five boxes limit per household/business. NOTE: Should the truck fill before noon this collection will end.

The Alpharetta Natural Resources Commission is requesting that participants enhance this act of “giving back” by bringing a canned food item per box brought for shredding. All collected food items will be dispersed to neighbors through the North Fulton Community Charities Food Bank. Participants are asked to remain in their vehicle. We will unload for you.

NEW!

Plastics and Styrofoam®

We have added plastic film and Styrofoam® as acceptable items for this collection. Clean and dry plastic film and clean white colored packaging Styrofoam®, free of any tape, will be accepted. Colored Styrofoam®, packing peanuts or takeout food containers will not be accepted.

Please continue to recycle #1 and #2 plastics in your curbside recycling bin.

Glass Bottles

The Alpharetta Public Works Department has a permanent glass recycling drop-off in the front parking lot. It is important to note that only clean glass beverage and food containers can be dropped off at the 1790 Hembree Road location.

For more information about this event please contact Terry Porter at tporter@alpharetta.ga.us or (678) 297-6213.

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Alpharetta officials expect to get new redevelopment plans for the aging North Point Mall within the next three months.

The mall, which opened in 1993, has struggled in recent years to compete with Avalon, a nearby mixed-use development.

Many of North Point Mall’s stores have since closed.

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“North Point Mall will continue to be a key anchor,” Alpharetta Assistant City Administrator James Drinkard said. “That property will continue to be a prime driver of activity throughout Alpharetta and the region.”

Drinkard said the mall owner, New York Life, expects to submit a redevelopment plan sometime in the first quarter of the year, but it’s unclear what it will include.

“We’re really looking to make it more of an experiential center, a gathering place for the community, with a variety of uses and activities within it,” Drinkard said.

In 2022, a developer presented a $500 million plan to redevelop North Point Mall. The Trademark Property Company planned to demolish the mall and create an outdoor-centric village environment. Its proposal called for an upscale hotel, restaurants, office space, 18 acres of green space, for-sale townhomes and 875 apartments.

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But city officials balked at the number of rental homes, wanting no more than 650. In November 2022, city council members rejected the plan, in part because of the number of apartments. The city aims to have no more than 35% of its housing as rental property. Drinkard said city leaders had other qualms with the plan.

“The developer wanted to put in all of the residential units first, with no guarantee of when the commercial components would follow, and that’s something we could not get comfortable with,” Drinkard said.

Shoppers at North Point Mall are eager to see the 84-acre property transformed into something that will lure people back.

“More restaurants and outdoor living and playing for the kids and walking around,” said Alpharetta resident Lisa Brennan. She also said she’d like to see more apartment living offered at North Point Mall. “I just think it would bring a lot more people to the area if there was a place to live and they could come out and dine and shop and have fun,” she said.

Mark Whelan, a longtime Alpharetta resident, said he too would welcome more apartments in the city. “I mean, everybody’s looking for housing,” he said. “I don’t care if it’s apartments or whether they put something else in here. I don’t think that matters so much.”

Channel 2′s Bryan Mims emailed the property owner for information about a development plan, but did not hear back Tuesday.

City officials say other mixed-use developments in the North Point area have been approved and will break ground this year. In April, council members approved Windward Park, a 47-acre mixed-use development at North Point and Windward parkways that will include residential, retail and office space. City council members also approved a 24-acre development on Morrison Parkway that is set to get under construction this year.

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