Georgia On My Mind

Discover Mills, the 1.2 million-square-foot retail, outlet and entertainment center outside of Atlanta, opened over the weekend , with shoppers spending an estimated $4 million on grand opening day.

The project, located approximately 25 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta in Gwinnett County, is the latest venture for The Mills Corp. (Arlington, Va.), which currently owns, develops, leases, manages and markets 13 market retail and entertainment destinations, totaling approximately 18 million square feet, in 11 states. Discover Mills is a co-marketing alliance between Mills Corp. and Discover Financial Services, the credit card company. It is purportedly the first-ever naming rights deal in the shopping center industry.

Discover Mills offers 200 stores and Shoppertainment, the registered name for what Mills Corp. calls a “unique blend of shopping and entertainment created by The Mills Corporation.” Retailers include Last Call from Neiman Marcus, Off 5th, Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, Sun & Ski Sports, ESPN X Games Skatepark and Jillian's.

As a tribute to the state of Georgia, Discover Mills contains the state's only annexes for the Macon-based Georgia Music Hall of Fame and Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, featuring photographs and videos of Georgia's musicians and athletes.