[EXCLUSIVE] Carvana Eyeing Midtown Atlanta for Vending Machine

Plans were filed with the City of Atlanta earlier this summer to demolish two existing structures near 16th and Fowler Streets.   ToNeTo Atlanta has now confirmed that a self- storage facility and Carvana will open in their place. The property is located near Atlantic Station and within view of I-75/I-85. 

A Carvana Vending Machine

One of the structures, 166 16th Street, was recently home to Courageous Worship Church.  The church moved this past June to a new location, a former church at 6865 Factory Shoals Road in Austell near Six Flags.  The .95 acre property was previously owned by the Coca-Cola Bottlers Association.  

The second property, 1266 Techwood Drive, is about 1.18 acres with the combined parcel listed at about 2.25 acres.  

Fulton county property records indicate that in 2005 "Madison Midtown LLC" paid $285,000 for the Techwood site and $2.5 million for the 16th Street property in 2003. 

Launched in Phoenix, Arizona in 2012 with the backing of DriveTime, a traditional used-car retailer, Carvana was spun off in late 2014.  Carvana became a publicly traded company this past April when they debuted on the New York Stock Exchange under symbol CVNA.  

With the tagline "The new way to buy a car," Carvana is doing just that.  The company allows consumers to  purchase vehicles via their app or website in as little as ten minutes and either have them delivered or picked-up at designated Carvana facilities.  

There is already a Carvana pick-up point on West Marietta Street near Compound nightclub, about two miles from the upcoming facility.  

Real estate sources indicate that the new Carvana will likely replace the current location. 

ToNeTo Atlanta reached out to Carvana for comment on the planned Atlanta opening. Caitlin Wiig, Assistant Account Executive with Olson Engage, Carvana's public relations firm, declined to comment, saying:

"Thanks for your interest in Carvana! We’re unable to comment at this time, but we look forward to staying in touch!" 

Given the 16th Street site is visible from I-75/I-85, Carvana is likely to construct one of its eye-catching, multi-level, coin- operated "car vending machines" on the property, according to real estate sources familiar with the company's plans. 

The vending machine works like other vending machines except for the fact that you are getting A FULL SIZE CAR with an oversized coin. 

Carvana operates six other car-vending machines.  Their newest, in Raleigh, N.C., opened this past August. Others are in Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, Texas, and Nashville, Tennessee.  The five-story glass facility holds 18 cars.  

The self storage facility would open alongside the existing 14th Street Self Storage facility at the corner of Techwood and 14th Street.  In addition, on the other end of Atlantic Station, in the upcoming Fuqua Development project behind IKEA, Extra Space Storage is under construction with a new facility.  Also nearby, CubeSmart recently started construction on a self storage facility at 1484 Northside Drive, previously home to a Hertz equipment rental business. 

"Both new additions continue the transformation that has been taking place west of the connector for several years." said Nick Garzia, Director of Leasing - Southeast Hines Retail, which includes Atlantic Station.  "Carvana's innovative approach to selling automobiles fits the area's millennial vibe, and the need for a self-storage facility speaks to the tremendous growth of new housing options in the area. " Garzia continued.  

If all goes well, both projects should open sometime in second half of next year.  

Where did you purchase your last car? What do you think of the car vending machine?  Do you have a storage unit? 

Please share your thoughts below 

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Mercedes-Benz Rolling into Lenox Square Next Month

Now that metro Atlanta is home to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the North American headquarters of Mercedes-Benz and six Mercedes-Benz dealerships, the company figured Atlanta needed one more Mercedes-Benz experience.  Coming this fall to Lenox Square will be a Mercedes-Benz showroom.  Located in the former Bebe space on the mall's main level, Mercedes-Benz will open what mall representatives are calling a temporary "pop-up" store.

Inside the Mercedes me showroom in Canada's CF Markville mall

The Bebe space is nearly 5,000 square feet and has sat vacant since the women's retailer closed all their stores nationwide this past spring.  The space is located near the Peachtree Road facing entrance of the popular Buckhead mall, adjacent to Panera Bread and across from UGG Australia. 

While cars displayed in/around malls are not uncommon, dealerships and/or showrooms are.  Modern car manufacturer Tesla opened a showroom in Lenox Square's Luxury Wing in late 2014, and operates a number of showrooms in malls and upscale shopping centers nationally.  Tesla may very well have started a trend with Mercedes possibly not the last car company to rethink their showroom strategy and open in malls. 

Flagship Motorcars of Lynnfield, located in the greater Boston area, opened "The Flagship Zone" in Northshore Mall in Peabody, Massachusetts this past fall.  The Flagship Zone is a Flagship-branded "oasis" where shoppers can take a break, relax in comfortable chairs, watch TV, charge their devices and take a look at some of the newest Mercedes-Benz models.  While reportedly not exactly the same as what will be available at Lenox Square, some of the concept's offerings will likely be similar.  (Attempts to reach the Atlanta-based Mercedes-Benz USA media relations team were unsuccessful.)  

Earlier this month, Mercedes-Benz Canada debuted a new showroom at CF Markville, a mall in Markham, Ontario, about 22 miles northeast of Toronto.  The showroom, "Mercedes me," which the company said is "a new concept for the automaker," is actually the second for Mercedes in Canada.  The first opened in the Aberdeen Mall in Richmond, B.C.  The showroom features five or six of the latest Mercedes models and also sells select items from the Mercedez-Benz Collection of retail products.  

The new Mercedes-Benz showroom at Lenox Square is expected to open in mid-October and remain open through the holiday shopping season.  The full-service Mercedes-Benz of Buckhead dealership is located about three miles from Lenox Square on Piedmont Road.  

Mercedes-Benz Stadium has been a good luck charm for its two home teams (Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC) with the teams a combined 6-0 since they started playing their respective regular seasons at the stadium earlier this month.  With luck, the Mercedes-Benz showroom will prove equally as lucky for Lenox Square as it continues to innovate and differentiate its tenant mix in an ever changing retail environment. 

Are you excited for the addition of a Mercedes-Benz showroom to Lenox Square?  Have you been to a Mercedes me showroom before?  What is your favorite luxury automaker?

Please share your thoughts below. 

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