Misc Info FYI:
This is one of at least half a dozen+ blogs that I have about Kennesaw and all of them are pretty much out of service as I have been gone from K for just over 3 yrs, after 15 years living there.
So with the passage of time I have posted less and less. The site 'may' now and then have another post but it is pretty much off my radar scope these days. So take a look, you might find something of interest, I see that several folks come back repeatedly and are probably disappointed to find nothing new here. Thanks for looking in -
Bill Harris, Canton, Ga.
12/9/17
KENNESAW MARKETPLACE MALL
The final restaurant at the Kennesaw Marketplace Mall is now open.
Below Photo is From June of 2017 -
Took a year to get it opened. Far to many restaurants in that mall, wonder how many will last until the Fall???
Took a year to get it opened. Far to many restaurants in that mall, wonder how many will last until the Fall???
May 8, 2018 Update:
Overture Barrett is now open for rentals.
Brand New 55+ Apartment Living
Bedrooms: 1-2, Baths: 1-2, Rentals Starting At: $1,395
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Those keeping up with the West end of the Marketplace Mall and the 55+ housing going up there might be interested in a few photos of how this is progressing.
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10/9/17
Harry’s Farmers Market in Marietta sees massive crowds on final day
MARIETTA — An iconic Marietta grocer welcomed its last customers yesterday after nearly a quarter of a century in business.
Harry’s Farmers Market at 70 Powers Ferry Road near the Big Chicken, was flooded with customers Thursday hoping to take advantage of heavily discounted goods. Every item in the high-end grocery store — excluding beer and wine — was 50 percent off in preparation for the Whole Foods-owned store’s move into its new location in Kennesaw, which opened today.
Shopping carts were so scarce, many people followed other customers out to their cars and asked for their carts once they loaded groceries into their cars. The checkout lines were so crowded, many of the grocery aisles were inaccessible and full of people waiting to get to the cashiers to check out.
At 1 p.m., two of the cashiers said they had been there since 6:30 a.m. and that there had been a constant swarm of customers.
Harry’s Marietta location opened in 1993 under Harry Blazer’s ownership. Blazer’s brother, Robert, opened the popular DeKalb Farmer’s Market in 1977 and Harry Blazer came to work as the store manager. After nearly a decade of working with his brother, Harry Blazer broke away from his brother’s store and began opening his own stores with the same concept but under the name Harry’s Farmers Market.
In 2010, Whole Foods Market acquired Harry’s and, in 2011, the Cobb grocer underwent renovations. Ironically, rumors swirled during renovations that Harry’s was closing due to the opening of a new Whole Foods store in the east Cobb development Merchant’s Walk.
“Our store is staying open and we have no plans to close in the future,” said marketing director Martha Oh, at the time. “We’ve heard all sorts of rumors, but our west Cobb shoppers would be very disappointed if we closed this location.”
Whole Foods announced in spring of 2015 that it would be relocating Harry’s Farmers Market into a 46,000-square-foot space in Kennesaw at the corner of Barrett and Cobb Parkways and that it would lose the Harry’s name. The new Whole Foods store opens at 9 a.m. today and the first 500 customers will receive free gifts cards ranging in amounts from $5 to $50, with one $500 card in the mix.
Five percent of opening-day sales will be donated to the Swift-Cantrell Foundation, which supports the development of Kennesaw’s Swift-Cantrell Park.
As for the now-former Harry’s space, Studio Movie Grill is expected to open in the shopping center in November, according to its website. The in-theater dining concept will feature several screens along with an American grill menu and premium bar, which moviegoers can order from while they watch their films or enjoy at the bar or lounge.
The development will include 1,285 luxury lounge chairs and recliners in 11 auditoriums outfitted with the latest digital projection. The company has 30 locations in the U.S., including Duluth and Alpharetta.
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10/4/17 Kennesaw Opening Day Festivities
KENNESAW OPENING DAY FESTIVITIES
Whole Foods Market will open its tenth Atlanta-area store in Kennesaw on October 6, 2017!
Kennesaw will greet opening-day shoppers with an array of product demonstrations and samples; the first 500 customers will get free gift cards ranging in amounts from $5 to $50 with one $500 card!
The festivities will begin at 8am with coffee, music and more!
Doors open for shopping at 9am. Regular hours after opening day will be 7am - 10pm.
The 46,000 square-foot store includes:
- Revelator Coffee Company coffee bar featuring their seasonal, fresh coffee.
- Hops ‘n’ Sauce, an in-store barbecue and beer venue.
- Two exclusive made-in-house breads: potato dill and sundried tomato, basil and parmesan.
- Quick-serve venue Tori Bird by Genji featuring a selection of sushi and karaage, classic Japanese fried chicken tossed in sauces like Yuzu Citrus Mayo, Orange Sauce, Curry Salt and Classic Texas BBQ.
- Marietta favorite Williamson Bros. Bar-B-Q spices and sauces as well as Williamson Bros. Signature items that include meats smoked in-house with their spices.
- Numerous specialties made in-house including: smoked salmon, seasonal salsa and dip selections, and hand-tossed, wood-fired pizza.
- An array of seating options as well as a play area for kids.
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Whole Foods will open in Kennesaw Oct. 6th
Whole Foods Market is set to open a new store on Friday, Oct. 6 in Kennesaw at 1300 Ernest Barrett Parkway.
A relocation of Whole Foods Market’s Harry’s Farmers Market store in Marietta, which will close October 5, the new store will feature offer opening day product demonstrations and samples, and the first 500 customers will receive free gifts cards ranging in amounts from $5 to $50 with one $500 card.
Five percent of opening day sales will be donated to the Swift-Cantrell Foundation, which supports the development of Kennesaw’s Swift-Cantrell Park.
see also: https://mayormathews.blogspot.com/
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9/14/17
Lopez et al v. Castle Lake Homes Corp - Case 15-1-1129
The Final Approval Hearing is still pending but the proposed order granting preliminary approval of the stipulated class action suit against Castle Lake Homes Corp, Masal Partners Ltd and Amak Partners LP is now published on the Cobb County Superior Court site.
The Pleadings and exhibits run 52 pages and were filed 8/22/17.
Members of the class are current and former tenants who paid Castle Lake for water and sewer charges and those who paid any fines to Castle Lake.
A 'Settlement Fund' of $125,000 will be provided by the Defendants to the Plaintiff's lawyers to be held in escrow pending approval of claims.
Plaintiff lawyer's costs and assorted fees are the responsibility of the Defendants.
The recently published documents are to large to publish here but the filing and other court documents are available at the Superior Court Site
Here is a sample of the latest documents.
If you were (or are now) a tenants of CLMHP during the covered dates you should contact the Carroll Law Firm at their below address. If you are in contact with others who may be covered, please forward the information about the coming settlement to them so that they can put in their claims.
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Friday, September 8, 2017
9/8/17
Here are photos of what it looks like today and you might note that in the parking area there are 4 spaces set aside for charging electric cars.
GRAND OPENING SET FOR OCTOBER 6th
Of course it is always possible that they open a day or so earlier so as to work out all the bugs THEN hold the 'Grand Opening' and ribbon cutting.
Here are photos of what it looks like today and you might note that in the parking area there are 4 spaces set aside for charging electric cars.
Q&A on the News
Q: Some stores’ parking lots now have charging spots for electric cars, and they are clearly marked as such. I always see non-electric cars parked in these spots though, mostly because these spaces are close to the door. Can you be ticketed for this, and if so what is the fine? —Shirley Pyle, Dallas
A: Many businesses, universities and organizations with charging stations maintain and enforce their own rules when a non-electric car parks in one of their vehicle charging spaces.
A: Many businesses, universities and organizations with charging stations maintain and enforce their own rules when a non-electric car parks in one of their vehicle charging spaces.
For example, Georgia Tech requires a special permit for electric cars, and charges a $50 fine for anyone parking in a charging space without the correct pass.
Kroger, which has electric vehicle stations at many of its stores statewide, also manages these spots itself.
“Our parking lots are monitored, and our associates and security team work hard to enforce proper parking procedures, which includes Kroger reserving the right to tow or boot non-electronic vehicles parking in the electronic vehicle charging stations,” Felix Turner, the corporate affairs manager for Kroger’s Atlanta division, told Q&A on the News. Ponce City Market in Atlanta also handles the parking violations like any other and issues a ticket, a spokesman for the mixed-use development told Q&A on the News.
BEER WINE AND SUNDAY SALES License application -
A hearing before the Mayor and Council of the City of Kennesaw shall be held on the 18 Day of September 2017 at 6:30 pm. All interested persons take notice. Place: City Hall Kennesaw, Ga.
NOTE: The opening date is set for October 6th.
8/13/17
Interior Build Out continues at the new Whole Foods location in the Kennesaw Marketplace Mall:
More work done at the new 55+ senior rental project:
7/23/17
Things continue to move along at Whole Foods and the Senior Apartments:
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Sunday July 9, 2017
Saturday, July 1, 2017
Those few who look in from time to time to see what progress is being made at the Marketplace Mall / Castle Lake Site have a few new photos to slightly update the work.
First some more interior shots of the WF build out:
The Overture on Barrett site:
And Last is: Cielo Blue, at 1575 Crater Lake Dr, Kennesaw a Mexican Grill and Cantina, see details on this chain at: http://www.cielobluecantina.com/.
6/16/17
AMAZON BUYS WHOLE FOODS MARKETS
for $13.7 billion in cash.
It remains to be seen whether the Kennesaw (and other locations) will retain the WF brand name or take on one of the several Amazon brand names already in play.
Amazon has been desperately trying to break into the grocery business for some time, but that’s proven a difficult nut for the online mega-company to crack.
They’ve tried AmazonFresh, Amazon Prime Pantry, and a bunch of other initiatives to get customers to order groceries online, but it’s been slow going. In May, Amazon opened two grocery-pickup stores for the public to use.
See article at:
https://consumerist.com/2017/06/16/amazon-buying-whole-foods-for-13-7-billion/#more-10281247
Those few who look in from time to time to see what progress is being made at the Marketplace Mall / Castle Lake Site have a few new photos to slightly update the work.
First some more interior shots of the WF build out:
The Overture on Barrett site:
And Last is: Cielo Blue, at 1575 Crater Lake Dr, Kennesaw a Mexican Grill and Cantina, see details on this chain at: http://www.cielobluecantina.com/.
6/16/17
AMAZON BUYS WHOLE FOODS MARKETS
for $13.7 billion in cash.
It remains to be seen whether the Kennesaw (and other locations) will retain the WF brand name or take on one of the several Amazon brand names already in play.
Amazon has been desperately trying to break into the grocery business for some time, but that’s proven a difficult nut for the online mega-company to crack.
They’ve tried AmazonFresh, Amazon Prime Pantry, and a bunch of other initiatives to get customers to order groceries online, but it’s been slow going. In May, Amazon opened two grocery-pickup stores for the public to use.
See article at:
https://consumerist.com/2017/06/16/amazon-buying-whole-foods-for-13-7-billion/#more-10281247
6/11/17
KENNESAW SENIOR 55+ HOUSING
Work continues on this project located at the West end of the Kennesaw Marketplace Mall.
One thing this development will have is a LOT of corridors, they stretch on forever.
The Build out of the Whole Foods is on track and work continues. Here is the interior as of Sunday June 11th.
6/11/17
KENNESAW MARKETPLACE MALL - Restaurant Overkill
Mystery partly solved as to what this stand alone building will be. I've said all along it would be a restaurant, that turns out to be correct as the Kennesaw building permit issued to Fuqua Development lists it as a restaurant, just has no info on what the chain is, but it will be a restaurant of some sort. This will be the 20th restaurant within 3 blocks of the intersection of Cobb and Barrett Parkways. The only real question is which will be the first one to go out of business. There are just to many restaurants in that area to realistically believe that they will all be here 6 months from now.
6/7/17
Still not sure what this is going to be. It is the last retail build out.
The only active building elsewhere on the property is the 55+ senior housing.
June 3, 2017
Work continues on this project located at the West end of the Kennesaw Marketplace Mall.
One thing this development will have is a LOT of corridors, they stretch on forever.
The Build out of the Whole Foods is on track and work continues. Here is the interior as of Sunday June 11th.
6/11/17
KENNESAW MARKETPLACE MALL - Restaurant Overkill
Mystery partly solved as to what this stand alone building will be. I've said all along it would be a restaurant, that turns out to be correct as the Kennesaw building permit issued to Fuqua Development lists it as a restaurant, just has no info on what the chain is, but it will be a restaurant of some sort. This will be the 20th restaurant within 3 blocks of the intersection of Cobb and Barrett Parkways. The only real question is which will be the first one to go out of business. There are just to many restaurants in that area to realistically believe that they will all be here 6 months from now.
Mystery partly solved as to what this stand alone building will be. I've said all along it would be a restaurant, that turns out to be correct as the Kennesaw building permit issued to Fuqua Development lists it as a restaurant, just has no info on what the chain is, but it will be a restaurant of some sort. This will be the 20th restaurant within 3 blocks of the intersection of Cobb and Barrett Parkways. The only real question is which will be the first one to go out of business. There are just to many restaurants in that area to realistically believe that they will all be here 6 months from now.
6/7/17
Still not sure what this is going to be. It is the last retail build out.
The only active building elsewhere on the property is the 55+ senior housing.
June 3, 2017
Things are moving along at both the Whole Foods and the Senior Housing, both at the Kennesaw
Marketplace Mall.
At W.F. the cement floor is finally finished and work continues on the interior walls.
The Sales Office is opening for the Overture at Barrett Senior Housing, it is just a few doors down from the Whole Foods construction.
Saturday, May 27, 2017
Below: Still wondering what this will be?
5/17/17
The Whole Foods shell progresses slowly:
The 55+ Overture at Barrett continues to grow:
5/10/17
WHOLE FOODS TRIES TO AVOID SELLING ITSELF BY REPLACING MOST OF ITS BOARD
Consumerist May, 10, 2017
A month after shareholders told Whole Foods to shape up and see if someone was interested in buying the chain — Amazon and Kroger, apparently, for a while — the health foods store hasn’t put up the “for sale” sign yet. Instead, the company says it will completely revamp its board.
Whole Foods announced today that it would undergo a board “refreshment” by appointing five new independent directors and new board leadership.
That means that more than half of the supermarket chain’s board of directors is being replaced, including the Chair and other leadership positions.
Whole Foods says the “robust refreshment process” is meant to help ensure that the board “has the best mix of skills and experience necessary to support Whole Foods Market’s leadership team in accelerating shareholder value creation.”
The change comes a month after activist investor Jana Partners and other companies bought a 9% stake in Whole Foods. Following the purchase, the company immediately began pressuring the chain to bring in fresh board members to turn around the retailer’s faltering sales.
With today’s changes, Whole Foods co-founder and CEO John Mackey says the chain is now well positioned to enter the next phase of its evolution.
“We believe that we have the right plan – and the right team – to execute on our initiatives at an aggressive pace, deliver results and enhance value for our shareholders,” Mackey said in a statement.
Though Jana Partners may be the impetus for these changes, the firm tells the Wall Street Journal that it turned down the chance to claim two board seats for itself.
Instead, the investor will “watch carefully” to see how Whole Foods’ board works to maximize shareholder value.
Whole Foods outlined those plans today, including an accelerated affinity program that combines the best elements of the company’s My 365 Rewards and pilot programs.
The chain says these programs have successfully driven increased trips and bigger orders from customers.
The company says it also plans to realize $300 million in additional cost savings by 2020. This, it says, will be achieved by standardizing in-store processes and optimizing its supply chain.
5/7/17
Progress continues. Last Sunday NO concrete had been poured for the floor, this Sunday (5/7/17) about 20% of the floor has been done in 3 areas.
Above/Below new concrete on the floor
Below: Blueprint shows final configuration of the store.
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5/5/17
One more building going up at the shopping center. To soon to say for sure, with all those windows it is probably another restaurant:
4/30/17
Not much change this week from last. Both the Senior apartments and the Whole Foods continue to be built out slowly. The WF may soon have the concrete floor put in, rebar for that is on hand and about half the interior floor has been packed down and almost ready to proceed.
4/25/17
WILL WHOLE FOODS KENNESAW END UP AS AN ALBERTSONS?
The AJC in their 4/25 issue is reporting that Albertsons is considering a buyout of Whole Foods.
Albertson's is the 2nd largest grocery company with 2,200 stores, mostly in the West and South-West, but also with a Florida division. (Kroger is the largest grocer)
Since there is no current Albertson's presence in Georgia the proposed Whole Foods location in Kennesaw could end up as an Albertson's store.
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Sunday, April 23, 2017
This is what the 'Overture Barrett' will look like when it is finished. The complex is 55+ and is on the West side of the Kennesaw Marketplace Mall. Apartments will begin at approximately $1675 per month.
A showroom will be open in early May 2017 at 1300 Ernest Barrett Parkway NW, Suite 200, Kennesaw Ga 30152 where there will mock ups of apartment interiors and exteriors. They anticipate the first units will be available in early 2018.
Here are some shots of the construction FYI:
Construction on the interior of the Whole Foods store continues (slowly), mostly trenching, wiring and filling in the trenches. AC will be next
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Lots of wide interior corridors!
On the back side of the property are garages and storage units.
Construction on the interior of the Whole Foods store continues (slowly), mostly trenching, wiring and filling in the trenches. AC will be next
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4/19/17
Dropped by WF this afternoon (4/19)and you can see from the photo from today compared to ones further down which are from 4/8/17 that some work continues.
The area involved has had the underground lines covered over and tamped down, so those trenches are now covered up and it seems similar work continues under further towards the far wall.
