History
Like Pembroke Lakes Mall which opened in the previous year, this mall opened with space for 6 anchor stores, 5 of which were initially occupied: Rich's, Lord & Taylor, Mervyn's, JCPenney, and Sears. One of the more distinctive elements of the mall was the Rich's store, which was designed with numerous distinctive historical elements and a more elaborate design to pay tribute to its lost flagship store in downtown Atlanta, which had closed only two years earlier. Though it became a Macy's in 2005, the outside of the store retains the elaborate sculptings of the original store.
Dillard's filled the sixth pad on the southwest side of the mall as their first Atlanta location (this was likewise done at Pembroke Lakes a year before) along with a parking deck in 1996. As Mervyn's left the following year, their space was filled by Parisian, which had 4 other area stores and made the mall more upscale. With the exception of Lord & Taylor, the mall had the same anchor lineup as The Mall at Stonecrest, which opened in 2001.
The mall was renovated in 2003, when the interior was modernized to introduce more sitting areas, and again in 2004, when an escalator was moved from the East Court near Starbucks to the Sears wing of the mall. In 2019, many of the mall's interior atriums were modernized with new sitting areas and flooring. This also included the addition of an LED color changing tree.
In June 2004, The Cheesecake Factory opened its third Georgia location and first location outside of Atlanta at North Point. The store is located in the mall parking lot just beyond the parking deck. A walking path known as the "yellow brick road" connects the restaurant to the mall's Center Court.[3]
Competition and changing tenants
In 2005, Lord & Taylor was repositioned and shuttered entirely and became Belk.
Parisian shuttered in September 2007, after it was acquired by Belk, which was already present in the previous Lord & Taylor outpost. Belk left the center in September 2009. Luxury retailer Von Maur announced in October 2010 it would remodel the two-story previous Belk outpost, expanding it to 140,000 square feet (13,000 m2) from 115,000 square feet (10,700 m2). The new design includes reddish brick, a cupola, and columns to echo Georgia and the South. The store opened in November 2011.[4]
The previous Parisian outpost converted to a 12-screen AMC Theatres featuring a MacGuffins bar, recliners, Coca-Cola Freestyle, IMAX, and ETX in September 2012.
In June 2018, it was announced Sears would shutter as part of an ongoing decision to eliminate its brick-and-mortar format. The previous Sears outpost is proposed to be a part of a future enhanced development.[5]
By 2019, the mall development firm had determined that it's appropriate to invest in the property as places like Halcyon, and Avalon come into the market. They have gone on to propose a future enhanced development.[6]
In March 2022, Brookfield Properties sold the mall to Trademark Properties, leading to the rebranding of the shopping center as North Point exclusively. Plans to redevelop the former Sears into apartments, restaurants, new retail areas, and small parks were later announced. However, these plans fell through following a heated city council meeting. [7]
New enhanced development
In February 2019, the Alpharetta City Council approved plans for a new 83-acre[6] enhanced development on the northeast side of the mall, featuring apartments, restaurants, new retail areas, small parks and trails, a rock wall, a play fountain, and a lake. The previous Sears outpost is set to be razed for the project, and the playground inside the mall will be expanded.[8] Responding to the successful vote to go ahead with the development, Alpharetta mayor Jim Gilvin said "[i]f you do it right, it's going to be special".
The city of Alpharetta is considering implementing a tax-allocation district (TAD) in order to fund the re-development, which would funnel property taxes collected from the surrounding area directly towards project infrastructure, including sewers and roads. Similar TAD schemes have been used to help finance two other re-developments in the Atlanta area: Atlantic Station and the BeltLine. These sorts of tax programs attract opposition, as they can remain in place for years, if not decades. Both Fulton County and Fulton County Schools would need to agree to give up their respective shares of the property taxes.[9]
Current anchors
Former anchors
Carousel
A carousel that sits behind a floor-to-ceiling window in the food court was crafted in Brooklyn, New York by the Fabricon Carousel Company. The carousel's hand-painted fiberglass animals were modeled after those of a vintage Victorian carousel on Coney Island. It was shipped to Atlanta in December 1992 (originally to be displayed in the Perimeter Mall) and sat in a warehouse near Duluth for 8 months. On August 1, 1993, it was brought to the then uncompleted North Point Mall, and was assembled in a huge, unfinished, high-ceiling room that is now known as the Food Court. Shoppers saw it operate for the very first time a few weeks after the grand opening. The carousel was supposed to have been the centerpiece of the mall; however, due to a broken part it did not operate until a few weeks after opening day of the mall.[citation needed] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the lack of customers, the carousel closed. However, back in late November of 2023, the Carousel opened back up. Normal operating hours are 12 PM to 6 PM, Sunday to Thursday, and 12 PM to 7 PM on Friday and Saturday.
