Belmont Hills Shopping Center (Smyrna, GA)

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APCO25
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Posts: 11
Joined: 07 Jan 2007 06:29
Location: Atlanta, GA. USA

Belmont Hills Shopping Center (Smyrna, GA)

Post by APCO25 »

It is (soon to be history) one of the oldest shopping centers in Cobb county. At one time there was a Winn-Dixie at one end, a Sears and JC Penney store, as well as smaller regional chains such as Turtles Records and Tapes, and even a radio station (AM 1550, a 50Kw day/1Kw night Mexican format).

Today only about 1/3 of this large strip mall is occupied. Still hanging in there are one of the oldest tenants, Monterrey Mexican Rest. which opened in 1975 and still there and in business. Today the Winn-Dixie is long gone, as is the Sears and Penney's outlet, what remains is a Rainbow clothing store, SubStation (sandwich shop), and a Citi Trends. The owners have plans for a new development:

http://www.halpern-online.com/belmont.html

But the plans are on hold for some reason. Originally a Super Wal-Mart was supposed to be built, but that fell through too. Belmont Hills still stands, in fact, I am going to take some pictures of this landmark tomorrow...
krogerclerk
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Joined: 05 Nov 2005 01:47
Location: Northwest Georgia

Re: Belmont Hills Shopping Center (Smyrna, GA)

Post by krogerclerk »

Belmont Hills opened circa 1954, the supermarket was Kroger, not Winn-Dixie, and it received a superstore remodel/expansion in the mid-70's until relocating to a still operating greenhouse store on South Cobb Drive in 1982. A&P then moved in the location, which was given the green Sav-a-Center decor of the late-80's, but the Kroger superstore layout was evident until the store closed in the mid-90's. The AMF Bowling Alley may have been the original A&P.

JCPenney and Sears had relocated to Cumberland Mall in 1973, and the stores survived as outlet stores for the respective chains into the mid-90's. The exterior of the center had received a mid-80's makeover, primarily of the walkway awning and signage. The brown Kroger superstore brick was still evident of the remainder of the facade. Marietta-based Dunaway Drugs was an original tenent and survived until the chain was acquired by Eckerd in 1989. The Belmont Theater became Fashion Bug after closing in the early 80's, it was a single cinema, very small and dated by the 1970's.

The center was constructed years after US 41 had relocated to Cobb Parkway from Atlanta Street, bypassing downtown Marietta and Smyrna. However, the center continued to be a major draw for South Cobb for years and survived repurposed as an outlet center with a neighborhood supermarket for almost two decades.

I believe the makeover has been on hold but seems to be a future Wal-Mart Supercenter along with some offices and condos.
hojos
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Re: Belmont Hills Shopping Center (Smyrna, GA)

Post by hojos »

I have opening brochures for the center and it opened with an A&P and a Kroger. The Kroger ran ads in the earlier 1960s that declared it was in MAMMOTH Belmont Hills Shopping Center! The other major retail anchors were Grants, Kesslers, and Woolworths, but up until 1963 Sears and Penney's had yet to make an appearance. Grants, I think, was were Sears ended up.

The A&P was, if you were standing in the parking lot with your back to Atlanta Road and Windy Hill to your right the A&P was all the way down on the right, and a grocery store functioned there into my childhood into the eighties. I think it was even an A&P.
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