Atlanta Galleria Now

Cumberland Mall Ready for Holiday Shoppers

Believe it or not, Black Friday and the heart of the holiday shopping season are almost here. If you’re like most of us and have put off gift hunting until now, Cumberland Mall, located just across Cobb Parkway from the Atlanta Galleria Office Park, offers a convenient location to shop.

The mall will open bright and early at 6 a.m. on Black Friday (Nov. 25) and will stay open until 10 p.m. The mall’s holiday hours vary a bit (click here to see exactly when the mall will be open on a particular date), but by and large, Cumberland will close at either 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. on most evenings except Sundays.

To entice shoppers, the mall will provide $10 Gift Etc. gift cards to those who spend $100 on the morning of Black Friday. To receive the cards, shoppers will have to present receipts at the Merrier Shopping Redemption Zone in the Center Court section of the mall.

And if you need a place to get your kids’ photos taken with Santa, Cumberland has you covered. Santa will be at the mall until Dec. 24 for pictures with your children. Click here for pricing.

If you do make it over to Cumberland (or any other mall), you likely will battle a few more people than last year. According to a survey conducted for the National Retail Federation (NRF) by BIGresearch, approximately 152 million people will shop on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday after Thanksgiving. Last year the same survey indicated that 138 million would shop over Thanksgiving weekend.

Earlier this year, NRF projected holiday retail sales — meaning those that take place in November and December — would total $465.6 billion, which would represent a 2.8 percent increase from 2010. “While that growth is lower than the 5.2 percent increase retailers experienced last year, it is slightly higher than the 10-year average holiday sales increase of 2.6 percent,” NRF noted in a press release.

And what exactly will your fellow shoppers at Cumberland and elsewhere be seeking? NRF says shoppers are in the market for “everyday appropriate” items, meaning stuff they can use regularly. That’s been the situation for the last several years, as a terrible-to-sluggish economy has made shoppers more practical.

“The most popular items this year aren’t necessarily cheap, but they are appropriate to wear or use on a regular basis,” writes NRF Vice President Ellen Davis on the federation’s blog. “What this means: don’t be shocked to see people spring for the $200 coffeemaker or the $400 watch, but the evening clutch might be a tough sell.”

Happy shopping!

 

Renaissance Atlanta Waverly Offering Great Thanksgiving Rates

Have friends or family coming in town for Thanksgiving, but don’t have room for them at your house? Or maybe you just think your sanity would be better off if they stayed at a hotel?

We chatted this week with Joe Uhl, general manager of the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly Hotel, which is offering special Turkey Day packages. From Nov. 20 to Nov. 27, rooms at the hotel will be available for $79 per night. If guests want to add breakfast for two each day, the rate increases to $99. Packages include complimentary high-speed Internet access.

But Uhl is most excited about the free pumpkin pies (made from scratch by the hotel’s pastry chef!) that guests will receive. “We want to make Thanksgiving homecomings special and easy,” he said. “These pies will help our guests contribute to Thanksgiving family meals.”

Guests looking to book rooms at the Thanksgiving rates should call (770) 953-4500 and ask for cluster code HO9 or visit thanksgivingpackage.com. 

 

10 Ways to Win That iPad You've Had Your Eye On

It’s time to pull out that smart phone or digital camera and start snapping photos!

Atlanta Galleria Office Park is giving you the chance to win a free iPad by just uploading a photo of the Galleria to our Facebook page. The photo with the most votes at midnight on Dec. 11 wins.

Here are 10 ideas for taking the winning shot. We hope these ideas get those creative juices flowing

1. Having a holiday party in the office? Snap a picture of your colleagues spreading some holiday cheer and win an iPad for the office.
2. Take advantage of Food Truck Tuesdays! Take a photo of your favorite food truck or your colleagues waiting in line for their favorite foodtruck fare!
3. More into architecture than snapping pictures of your crazy colleagues? Take a quick work break midmorning and late afternoon; those are great times to stroll around the Galleria and snap a funky shot of a building.
4. Fall is still a beautiful time in the Galleria Gardens. Who doesn’t like a pretty nature shot?
5. Bored while pumping iron in the Galleria Athletic club? Snap a photo during your workout.
6. Is there anyone (or anything) at your office you are thankful for this Thanksgiving? Take a picture!
7. Everyone has at least one colleague who loves to decorate his or her cube for the holidays. Snap a picture…just make sure to ask permission first.
8. Is your office participating in a food drive for the holidays? Take a picture of all the donations.
9. A lot of offices in the Galleria have creative layouts and trendy décor. We would love to see your cool office space.
10. There’s always something happening in our building lobbies. Document the action with a creative shot and you are on your way to winning big.

 Good luck! Happy clicking! 

 

Cumberland CID Commuter Club Provides Transportation Alternative

Tired of sitting in blood-pressure-raising, hair-pulling Atlanta traffic on your way to and from your job at the Atlanta Galleria Office Park? The Cumberland Community Improvement District (CID) can help.

You can lower your stress — as well as save gas money and reduce wear and tear on your car — by joining a vanpool operated by the CID’s Commuter Club. Seats are currently available on the club’s Gwinnett County-to-Galleria and DeKalb County-to-Galleria vanpool routes.

Over the past decade, the Commuter Club’s vanpool and other programs designed to get commuters out of their individual cars have reduced air emissions by 5,500 tons and saved commuters an estimated $5.5 million in automobile expenses, according to CID.

To get a spot on the above-mentioned routes, contact the Commuter Club. Also, click here to view all the vanpool routes operated by the club.

Carpools are another great way to save some money and conserve your car. If you’re interested in finding a carpool partner, contact the Clean Air Campaign. 

 

Digital Marketing Expert to Talk SEO at Cobb Chamber

To maximize your business’ online presence and marketing reach, you need to be well versed in search engine optimization (SEO) tactics and social media. However, trying to navigate these often-confusing technological waters can make you feel a little seasick.

Fear not, though: the Cobb Chamber of Commerce is ready to come to your aid. At 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 15, Jason Swenk, co-founder and CEO of Solar Velocity, a local digital marketing firm, will speak at the chamber’s offices on how businesses can improve their SEO.

The implementation of SEO includes using keywords on your website to improve its visibility to search engines and thereby increase visitors to the site. Another common tactic is trying to increase the number of other websites that link to your site, which would increase your site’s visibility to Google and other search engines.

Swenk’s two-hour talk, titled “Search Engine Optimization and Your Business: Simplifying the Social Media World,” will review common SEO mistakes, recommend best practices and examine the relationship between SEO and social media. Swenk has helped clients such as Aflac, Legal Zoom and Hitachi improve their SEO performance.

General admission tickets are $40 apiece. For chamber members, tickets are $20 each. Representatives of the Chairman’s Club and the Executive Club will receive free admission.

Groups of three or more receive a discount of $10 off each attendee’s admission price. Call Tya Dawson at (770) 859-2341 to take advantage of this discount.

The registration deadline is Monday, Nov. 14. No refunds will be available after the deadline.

The Cobb Chamber of Commerce is located at 240 Interstate North Parkway.