Avalon

The worst experience ever with a valet parking in Avalon last Sunday! We went to see a movie in Regal cinema and left our car at valet parking. When we were back and gave the ticket to get the car, they told us they didn’t have the key and our car was at the same place we left it! They said that we never gave them the key, but I remember we did. Next, they said my husband had told them the key was in the car when leaving it. So, it was obvious enough that they lost our key and were inventing lies. After some time of discussion, they promised to reimburse the cost of a new key. The next morning we got a call from the valet parking company and we were told they were not going to pay for the new key. Now we need to pay out of our pocket to replace it and it’s pricey! Just because the Valet parking at Avalon was negligent at their job!!! Be careful to leave your car with them (and always take a picture or video when handing them your key, otherwise you’ll never be able to prove that you gave it to them).

I really, really enjoy the Avalon. I make a point of visiting every time I come back to my hometown of Alpharetta. Every time I come here, I’m hit with the realization of just how much this area has grown.
Regular malls tend to make me feel claustrophobic and I’m not a fan of the stuffy air. That’s why I love this type of outdoor mall concept. The Avalon is well-​manicured, clean, and has a great array of dining and shopping options. My favorite stores (Anthropologie, Lou & Grey, Madewell, Paper Source, Crate & Barrel and West Elm) can all be found in one place. The two restaurants I’ve been to here (El Felix and the reliable chain Marlow’s) were very enjoyable experiences.
I somehow always manage to come here on a rainy overcast day, but from the looks of it, it’s a fantastic place to hang out at when the weather is nice.
IIf I still lived in Alpharetta, I know I’d be here all the time.

If you are from miami, literally this is just like the falls shopping center or sunset.
Similarities:
1. All are located in a middle– middle upper class neighborhood (aka new money). The stores are targeted to this income class as well.
2. They all have a movie theater
3. Outdoor shopping/​parking +valet
4. All have organic grocery stores (fresh market, whole foods)
5. Restaurant/​bar options are very similar.
Differences:
1. You can live at the avalon (well the falls and sunset you can to kind of — across the street)
2. There is ice skating at the avalon
There you have it, a review from a miami girls point of view.

We are here for the Christmas tree lightning. Great atmosphere, chill in the air. Perfect for the event. Live band, lots of families. Great event.

Great out door look, city like feel to it. Good food, bit expensive but that is an upscale outdoor mall for you!

Pretty awesome place. Very clean and well laid out. Restaurants are pretty good. Most not worth price. The stores are hit or miss. Fabrik is awesome and more affordable places like that. But most of the stores are high end. Two things Avalon are good at are always having a calendar full of different events happening and their social media team is second to none. They are always updating so we are always in the know. Fun place to go to every now and then.

I ventured here because of an invite to attend «An Evening of Elegance» event. I must say I was really impressed with the size, number of stores and restaurants, living accommodations (luxury rentals to million dollar homes) and movie theater. The Avalon is bigger and nicer than Atlantic Station. I was informed by other patrons that is it really packed on the weekends. I was there on a Wednesday and I must say it was a little crowded. The area is nice and appealing to the eyes. I would make the 30 minute drive again for a date night.

Who needs Atlantic Station or the Forum when you could be shopping at the Avalon in the heart of Alpharetta?
A beautiful outdoor shopping mall with a beautiful set up. Parking is plentiful (well, at 10pm on a Friday night, it was plentiful) and it looks like they are still working on building more parking. So parking complainers, patience is a virtue: you have asked and they have answered.
We walked slowly toward the Regal, our destination for the evening. Shops lined our entire walk, from J Crew, an under construction Madewell, Vineyard Vines, and much more clothing shops I am wary to check the price tags at.
Right in front of the movie theater is a beautiful fountain that lights up in an almost theatrical water display. Surrounding the theater are a myriad of shops, from Fuzziwigs candy shop and Goldbergs Bagels to Caffe Gio’s espresso and gelato, Antico’s pizza and Marlow’s Tavern beers.
I’ve read reviews about the miserable parking situation and the overpriced shops. Maybe that’s true, but you can’t have an upscale shopping mall without these characteristics.

It’s a really nice mall, don’t get me wrong. But, its soo crowded! Takes forever to find a parking spot, and everything is jam-​packed. But, it’s a good mall to visit and/​or let your kids hang out at (I swear, 80% of the people there were middle to high school kids running from shop to shop).
My major gripe and thus a 3-​star review is the fact that a lot of stores were closed by 8pm on a spring Saturday evening. I wanted to do some shopping, but couldn’t because so many were closed!
However, there are some places that will give you drinks in plastic cups so you can walk around with them. Nobody told us not to! We actually got some free (!!) ones at a clothing store that was doing an event and walked around the rest of the mall with them.
If I come back, I’ll try for a weekday when everyone is either at school or work. I’ll probably have a more enjoyable experience then.

AVALON, THE RETURN!
When I first visited Avalon, I was so disappointed because I wanted it to be Atlantic Station. As a result, my initial review was really an angry rant. After I calmed down, I edited the review and vowed to return and give an updated review.
So having said that, I will describe Avalon as a spot of English tea while Atlantic Station is a shot of Whiskey. They both warm you up but in very different ways. My sole mission today was to check out the space, (stores, restaurants, seating, amenities etc). There are a number of stores here and they are consistent in a couple of ways, they are all beautifully constructed and decorated and customer service was on point. Not all are the same, but all are inviting in some way. I did not go into every store because not every store interested me. I visited stores that are known for quality, were unfamiliar to me or had an attractive window display.
Overall, it was a great experience. I am a fan of beautiful outdoor spaces and seating. They excel in this area. When you go, you need to stop by the concierge on the main strip and pick up a map. Also, if you are «making a day of it», you will probably want to eat a good breakfast, shop a bit, break for lunch and resume shopping.
Here’s my wish list: I only noticed one shoe store, it was really nice but very busy. I will definitely be returning to shop here. If you are going to stop here, you may want to do so as soon as they open.
I would love to see a fine leather store that carries bags, cases, and small accessories.
Although many of the stores carried costume jewelry, this center is screaming for a FINE jeweler.
Can’t wait to return for round two which will also include outdoor dining, (my personal fav)!

Has this placed ever heard of signs?
drove around in circles looking for parking and just ended up plopping down seven bucks for valet. Then went searching for Gio’s.
There’s something very «Stepford wives» about Avalon. Everyone seemed to be trying to one-​up each other and I think I noticed a couple of RHOA cast members walking around with their noses in the air like there sh*t don’t stink. Actually, I would say the majority of people walked around like this. Okay, I get it, it’s Alpharetta.
After an hour, I had enough of all the posturing and was ready to head back into the city.

Visited Avalon this weekend with my husband. The parking situation on a weekend is pretty bad considering not all stores are open yet. Also, the top floor of the parking garage is for residents of the apartments only.
The fact Avalon is called Alpharetta’s Atlantic Station, is frustrating. It’s like a geriatric Atlantic Station. The J Jill, Vineyard Vines, Boston Proper, etc. type stores are not attracting a young hip clientele at all.
Nice selection of restaurants and we would return to try them out otherwise we would have zero reason to come back

Because Alpharetta needed another shopping mall a whopping 5 minutes away from North Point Mall (and surrounding shops)? The location made sense — right next to 400 and right off of Old Milton, but also didn’t make sense since North Point is so close. Hmm.
As many have said and have probably thought, Avalon is like the suburban Atlantic Station — a newer one with a better selection of stores, I’d say. Not everything was open yet, but you can already see from the stores that are open that this will end up being the place to flock to versus North Point (which is starting to decline, in my opinion). North Point is quickly becoming a teeny-bopper’s spot, which you can tell by just looking around and looking at the stores that are currently/​still open.
Avalon houses big names such as Lululemon, Anthropologie, and the usual J. Crew, Banana Republic, etc. There’s a Whole Foods and many other new restaurants. As with Atlantic Station, there is a giant Regal Cinemas smack dab in the middle of the complex. However, the difference here is that Avalon has many more interesting stores that you wouldn’t find at a regular mall or at Atlantic Station — that’s what really sets it apart.
If I had to pick, I’d come here over North Point (or Atlantic Station) since basically all the places I shop at are here.

Hellooooo beautiful.
I’m a fan of Atlantic Station, but Avalon is definitely the cooler, prettier younger sister. I live 26.5 miles from Avalon and I have been 3 times since it opened. DAMN that’s a lotta miles on my car. But it’s worth it every time.
The Whole Foods is great– check out their Vintage Café for their cheese and meat plates. All of the shops are nice and high end– but not necessarily TOO high end. Like, there’s still a Banana Republic. Crate and Barrel will be opening soon too! I’d seriously rather drive all the way to Avalon’s Crate and Barrel than deal with going to Lenox.
Beyond the shopping it’s just a nice place to be. They made it a really great place to just chill. Lots of benches and open areas. It’s going to be even better in the spring and summer!
There is a lot of parking but the bummer is it’s all a giant parking lot. The older sister Atlantic Station did it right by building it on a giant parking garage. The one parking garage that is here doesn’t even count because you can only use like, one floor of it.
I will say though, it is pretty easy to find parking. Just don’t be lazy and get ready to walk!
Similarly to Atlantic Station don’t come here if you’re just going to hate on all the chain offerings. You know what you’re getting, if you want to shop at a local boutique this isn’t for you. Lots of good local dining though, as well as a couple of chains.
Happy Shopping, Alpharettians.

All the chain stores I don’t like to admit I like are here, so I have to say that I’m a fan. Actually, it’s more like all the chain stores that secretly I aspire to have a lifestyle to support are here. I would count Drybar, Anthropologie, Exhale, Lou & Grey, Lululemon, and Tumi as all stores or experiences that I secretly would love to make a regular part of my shopping or personal maintenance routine. And for food, basically all my favorite ITP spots are opening up outposts here that far exceed their originals. A whole Bocado dedicated to all burgers? A Whole Foods with a wine bar? An Antico pizza with tons of parking? Be still my foodie heart.
For those traveling to experience it, Avalon is located a stones throw from GA-​400. They have it beautifully decorated for Christmas; the lights are truly magical here. I do wish that there was a little bit more parking, and that is was more «hidden.» While there are some parking decks, the larger chain stores all have giant parking lots, which kind of ruins the walkable feel of the complex.

Avalon is a «Sister» property to Atlantic Station. Like, the little sister.
And, that’s about all you need to hear if you’ve been to Atlantic Station.
It’s the same thing folks. Except smaller. It looks the same, has nearly the same stores (just not all of them) and if there was a teleport between the two you might forget which one you were at at some point. And have even a worse time finding your car than normal.
I hate it when a company finds a working philosophy and they just rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat. there are no improvements to Avalon over Atlantic Station. From a business prospective I think they feel it’s a reason to bring in high dollar shopping and inflate the cost of living. Seems to make sense but if you just keep doing this when the next big «Atlantic Station» comes into Atlanta you can’t expect these high dollar stores to stay.
I think the problem is here that the things that are working for areas like Suwannee’s downtown to attract other people are open spaces, stages, …venues to attract people other than shopping. Why don’t they have a large green area for concerts? Why dn’t they try to take some of the attention away from Verizon Amphitheatre or Roswell’s fantastic line up of events? Other than a few fire pits and for now an ice skating rink, there’s not much of a reason to go here if you don’t need to buy anything or want to watch a movie at the theatre. It lacks open spaces (except a couple around some fire pits, which, I understand for some is a draw because you can have open containers here), any cheap eating if you just want to pop in and out without the wallet. And judging from the reviews on all restaurants when I was there — the restaurants here are pricey without a return on investment.
I fear when the hype on Avalon falls, so will it’s reason to survive… I wish the developers had put more thought and reinvented this wheel, instead of remanufacturing an old wheel.

A super new and well talked about shopping center — that has finally opened up. I didn’t know they had an ice skating rink here. There were also fire pits too for after that ice skating run, yogurt treat, or shopping rest. A Whole Foods and movie theater (Regal I think) can be found here. There are of course the typical shopping outlets (Gap, Banana Republic, etc.) and plenty of restaurants and bars scattered throughout the area.
I guess I can add the skating rink’s review here. Lol. This rink was fairly small. I haven’t been to the Atlantic Station rink (that I can remember from years back), but I am going to make an assumption that it’s smaller from pictures I’ve seen. I liked how there were employees patrolling the ice to assist. I know I needed a hand when I fell — twice. Lol. There was also a strained ankle incident so these folks were definitely handy. Tickets were $ 16 a piece. It’s a shame that there were no lockers for rent or any place to put shoes. Yeah. They were literally thrown everywhere… Restrooms are located in the theater btw. There were free cocoa, but it tasted like flavored water with food coloring. Lol.
Parking will be a pain since the hype of this place brings in more people than usual. It’s only the immediate area as you turn into the complex that parking will be limited since people just park their cars right there. As you drive further in (or even borrow Whole Foods’ lot), there will be additional spaces. There seemed to be a half overarching deck looking area that has additional spaces. This area is adjacent to Whole Foods. Be wary of using Whole Food’s lot though since I did see security patrol the area…

It is absolutely amazing how much Alpharetta has developed over the last 2 decades. Old Milton Parkway was called State Bridge Road. There was only 3 – 4 traffic lights for the whole city. The land that Avalon now occupies used to have a small few houses that housed my childhood shrink and my dentist. There was even a Georgia Power substation there as well.
And then Alpharetta started to grow in all sorts of ways. The big news a few years ago that they were going to build a «mini city» with Atlantic Station like status, making it the place to «see and be seen». I mean, I remember how excited I was when they said it would house the world’s largest Whole Foods.
And then the recession hit. Real hard. Avalon just lay there, with buildings that were only developed about a quarter or so. And then I moved to Memphis. And then it resumed.
And then I moved to Denver, and then it was completed. I am glad Alpharetta got cool after I left.
Why do I say this? For all of you who know me, know I love spending time in Atlanta. But the damn traffic just got old. I loved eating at the places downtown. But it would usually cost me a quarter tank of gas. The fact they were bringing names to my hood, got me ecstatic.
Another reason this excites me is because of my uncultured friends who will not leave their current zip code for anything. Having Avalon close by can hopefully change their minds on a few things.
Last night was my first visit. I had no idea what to expect in any aspect. I saw a parking deck, and figured I would start from there. The Christmas music playing, the lights, etc– it was certainly ready for the holiday season.
I noticed the shops and the restaurants– a great mix of everything. The buildings have taken shape of contemporary architecture (see Pinkberry, Cru, etc) — which is also a first for Alpharetta. the only thing that reminds me that I am not downtown is the fact parking is free, and there are no skylines.
Just walking around last night after dinner, looking at everything was awesome– the skating rink, the grass field with cornhole, the potential 2^nd floor strip club (only in my dreams), and just the sheer scale of things here as well. I was told last night that this is private property, so getting to-​go drinks is not a problem here (you didn’t hear that from me).
For me personally, I wouldn’t come here for the shopping aspect (except for Whole Foods) — unless they bring an Under Armour or a hunting store. But I tell you what– the food options make my mouth water and will have me coming back for more.
The only thing I could really only ask they could do differently is have stuff open later, but I understand, all of the people that live there (who pay lots of $$$) would like to have a chance of going to bed at a decent hour.
Well done, Avalon.

I am really liking this new shopping center, Avalon. I heard or read somewhere that it is a sister to Atlantic Station and that it was developed by the same group of developers. It’s very smart that they decided to open near the holiday season as it is decked in Christmas lights and décor. It really looks like a very welcoming and magical place. Plus, it’s conveniently located right off of the exit — Exit 10 on GA-​400. There is also lots of parking and it’s free and you can park in the parking deck, open parking, or street parking.
PROS:
— Conveniently located right off the exit of Exit 10 off of GA-​400.
— Free parking in various parts of the entire shopping center.
— Beautiful, new, and clean
— Conveys a luxurious, laid back, and relax lifestyle
— Fireplaces with comfy chairs out in the open for all to enjoy through the entire plaza.
CONS:
— I think it’s somewhat pricey to hang out around here.
— So far out of Atlanta. It’s great for the people who reside in John’s Creek and Alpharetta as they now have their own «Atlantic Station», but not as great of a drive for those who live ITP.
— I think it also says that their Whole Foods closes at 7pm which I think is super early. The ones in Atlanta closes at 8pm or 9pm.
Overall, I will continue to frequent Avalon as there are a lot of great restaurants, shops, and movie theater all in one place even though it’s about 30 minutes/​20 miles drive far out for me.

It’s A-​OK now but I don’t think it’s easy to fully appreciate this place when it’s crowded like H on the weekend opening. I stopped by on a Sunday afternoon hoping to catch a bite at either Bantam&Biddy or Bocado. Both places boasted a 1 hour, 45 min + wait time. That’s enough time to go see a movie! Sounds like most of the delays were with the kitchen, and not so much seating. Seating at Whole Foods, on the other hand, was definitely a problem.
Avalon definitely has the feel of a smaller Atlantic Station in terms of how the stores are set up near/​around the movie theater.
I’ll be curious to see if the restaurant offerings for B&B, Bocado, and Antico’s are anything like their originals in Midtown. I’d expect the weekday to go a little slower in Alpharetta, but haha, I think I’ll wait to come back next year. Seriously.