Sugarloaf Mills, formerly Discover Mills, is a single story

shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...

in exurban

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, located in

Gwinnett County, Georgia Gwinnett County ( ) is located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It forms part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. In 2020 United States census, 2020, the population was 957,062, making it the secon ...

, near the interchange of

Interstate 85 Interstate 85 (I-85) is a major Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with I-65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus is an interchange with I-95 in Petersburg, Virginia, n ...

and Highway 316. Opened in 2001, the mall features 13 anchors, over 150 specialty retailers as well as a variety of

theme restaurant A theme restaurant is a type of restaurant that uses theming to attract diners by creating a memorable experience. Theme restaurants have a unifying or dominant subject or concept, and utilize architecture, decor, special effects, and other techn ...

s, casual dining and entertainment venues.

History

The mall opened in November 2001, originally as an outlet mall, but began to evolve into an entertainment mall, with the additions of AMC Sugarloaf Mills 18 on December 17, 2003, and

Medieval Times In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

on July 21, 2006. The mall is notable in that it had granted

naming rights Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization whereby a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event, typically for a defined period of t ...

to interested companies, and was one of the first malls in the United States to do so.

The Mills Corporation The Mills Corporation was a publicly traded real estate investment trust headquartered in Chevy Chase, Maryland, United States, acquired on April 3, 2007 by an investment group composed of Simon Property Group and Farallon Capital Management. Th ...

, the original owner of the mall, had granted the naming rights to

Discover Card Discover is a credit card brand issued primarily in the United States. It was introduced by Sears in 1985. When launched, Discover did not charge an annual fee and offered a higher-than-normal credit limit, features that were disruptive to the e ...

, and thus originally given the name Discover Mills as well as the tag line "Where Discover Card Is The Smart Choice".

Simon Property Group Simon Property Group, Inc. is an American real estate investment trust that invests in shopping malls, outlet centers, and community/lifestyle centers. It is the largest owner of shopping malls in the United States and is headquartered in Indian ...

is the current owner of Discover Mills from the Mills Corporation's acquisition. In October 2012, the 10-year naming rights with Discover Card ended, and the mall was renamed Sugarloaf Mills. This was the mall's planned name when it was first developed in the late 1990s, named after the parkway the mall is located on.Discover Mills renamed Sugarloaf Mills
NBC 11 Atlanta (11 Alive), September 21, 2012.

Gallery

Sugarloaf Mills south corridor.jpg, South Corridor Sugarloaf Mills Food Court.jpg, Food court Sugarloaf Mills Neighborhood 4.jpg, "Neighborhood" 4 in the mall Sugarloaf Mills Interior north corridor.jpg, North Corridor

References

2001 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Buildings and structures in Gwinnett County, Georgia Outlet malls in the United States Shopping malls established in 2001 Shopping malls in Georgia (U.S. state) Shopping malls in the Atlanta metropolitan area Tourist attractions in Gwinnett County, Georgia {{US-mall-stub