Akers Mill Square in Cobb County will soon welcome a host of new anchors according to multiple sources with knowledge of the property's leasing efforts. The center, located along Cobb Parkway, was built in 1976 and most recently renovated in 2007. Located near Cumberland Mall, Akers Mill has been hit hard by retail bankruptcies with current vacancies including the former Sports Authority, Toys R Us/Babies R Us and Golfsmith anchor spaces.

In the past, Akers Mill has had success dividing larger spaces into smaller boxes or backfilling anchor spaces with other retailers. The former kmart was broken up into smaller shop spaces and leased to Sports Authority, OfficeMax and Party City, while the former Circuit City was sliced up into restaurant space that today includes Old Navy, LongHorn Steakhouse, Grub Burger Bar and Chuy's , among other tenants. The Linen Loft, a store similar to Bed Bath & Beyond, once occupied the space that Golfsmith later occupied. Golfsmith Xtreme opened in 2012 and closed in late 2016 after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Plans obtained by ToNeTo Atlanta indicate that Total Wine & More will occupy an 18,000 square foot portion of the former Sports Authority with the remaining roughly 22,000 square feet to be divided between smaller shops. Overall, the Sports Authority space is about 47,000 square feet.

The Total Wine at Akers Mill will be the retailer's fifth location in metro Atlanta. The Bethesda, Maryland-based company has existing locations in Kennesaw, Dunwoody, Alpharetta and their newest in Brookhaven , which opened in a portion of a former Harris Teeter/Kroger in 2016. Due to Georgia state law, retailers may only sell spirits in two locations. In the case of Total Wine, spirits are currently sold at their stores in Kennesaw and Alpharetta.

Local Vine, a new store similar to Total Wine, will soon open their first ever store in nearby Parkway Pointe, but will have the advantage over its larger competitor of being able to offer spirits in its roughly 18,000 square foot stores.

Former Sports Authority and current OfficeMax

OfficeMax, currently located adjacent to the former Sports Authority, is expected to relocate to a portion of the Golfsmith space. The new store, which will be slightly smaller than their current roughly 26,000 square feet, is expected to carry the Office Depot name, marking the return of the brand to the area following , currently located adjacent to the former Sports Authority, is expected to relocate to a portion of the Golfsmith space. The new store, which will be slightly smaller than their current roughly 26,000 square feet, is expected to carry the Office Depot name, marking the return of the brand to the area following its 2017 closure on Cobb Parkway . Overall, the Golfsmith space is about 39,000 square feet.

Former Golfsmith Xtreme

Nordstrom Rack would occupy the current OfficeMax, plus some of the former Sports Authority. This will mark Nordstrom's fifth rack store in metro Atlanta. The outlet division, which Nordstrom brought to the Atlanta market in 1998 in Buford near the Mall of Georgia, has expanded to include stores in Buckhead , Dunwoody and Alpharetta . The Nordstrom lease is reportedly not yet signed but is "very close."

Kroger was once in talks to take over what was essentially once the Kmart space (Sports Authority, OfficeMax and Party City), but a deal between the grocer, the landlord [Olshan Properties], and the other retailers never came to pass. Dick's Sporting Goods won the rights to the Sports Authority space in an auction, but they never came to terms on actually opening in the space either. Despite their failed attempts both in Akers Mill and at Cumberland Mall, Kroger remains interested in the area. Dick's, for its part, is reportedly now in talks to open in a portion of the Sears at Cumberland Mall.

The nearly 60,000 square foot former Toys R Us/Babies R Us space remains available, but sources say that the center is in talks with "an entertainment user" for the space.

Are you excited for the changes coming to Akers Mill Square? What "entertainment user" would you like to see added to the mix at Akers Mill Square? What is your favorite restaurant at Akers Mill Square?



