Town Center at Cobb: Kennesaw's Regional Mall

Town Center at Cobb, in Kennesaw, Georgia, is a 1.3-million-square-foot regional mall located about 25 miles north of downtown Atlanta between Interstate 75, the major northwest route out of Atlanta; Interstate 575; and Barrett Parkway, a major commercial route through the Kennesaw office market. Town Center's primary trade area includes nearly three-quarters-of-a-million people, and its secondary trade area extends into eastern Alabama and Tennessee. Kennesaw is in Cobb County, the fourth-largest county in Georgia. Cobb has several major office markets, and Home Depot and Lockheed Martin Aeronautics make their homes there. The economy in Kennesaw is also driven by Kennesaw State University, one of the largest and fastest-growing universities in the state with over 21,000 students.

Town Center at Cobb was built in 1986. The mall is anchored by Macy's, Macy's Men's Store, Belk, Sears and JCPenney. It has undergone two major renovations, the second completed in May 2009. This latest renovation was primarily cosmetic and included new interior and exterior signage, paint, carpet and tile, lighting and seating. The food court was also completely remodeled, and a children's play area was added. The mall renovation has inspired several existing tenants to remodel or upgrade their own spaces, and it has attracted some new, more upscale stores to Town Center, including Coach, Charlotte Russe, Swarovski Crystal and H&M, a higher-end Swedish retailer.

JCPenney, which has occupied the mall since 1997 when it replaced Mervyn's, is also completing its first major renovation. Although sales at the store, as in the entire mall, have declined during the recession, the retailer is optimistic about the future. They are spending 2.5 million dollars and adding 30,000 square feet to their 126,000-square-foot space. JCPenney spokeswoman Ann Marie Bishop says, "It's important to invest in our older stores,'' showing the company's faith that the mall will survive the recession.

As part of the Simon portfolio of malls, Town Center at Cobb is treated to special events, including live musical performances from up-and-coming national stars. The mall also offers the Kidgits club for children, which has annual programs like Breakfast with Santa and Kidgit's Safe Summer, as well as special game days, birthday celebrations and other festivities. Town Center also hosts shows and exhibitions like the Women and Family Expo, which showcases issues important to women, from health care to financial education to luxury shopping.

As always in the Atlanta metro area, traffic is a concern at Town Center. Cobb Community Transit (CCT) operates a public bus line that connects Town Center with downtown Atlanta, as well as to other high-traffic areas of Cobb County. The Town Center Area Community Improvement District (TCACID) has plans to upgrade intersections around the mall to make access easier. The TCACID has already installed new sidewalks around the mall to make pedestrian traffic more user-friendly. The board also operates the Holiday Zipper, a shuttle service connecting area offices with retail along Barrett Parkway, including Town Center at Cobb, to ease holiday congestion.

Town Center is considered by real estate and retail professionals to be one of the stronger malls in the metro Atlanta area. Look for the mall to continue strengthening its appeal to family shoppers for years to come.