Promising a unique blend of business, education, research and retail space, Georgia Tech's Technology Square and Centergy announce the signing of 12 retail partners to the cooperative mixed-use development between Georgia Tech and Kim King Associates in Midtown Atlanta. Anchored by Barnes and Noble at Georgia Tech and LA Fitness, the retail partners include: T-Mobile, St. Charles Deli, Moe's Southwest Grill, Tin Drum Asian Café, Marble Slab Creamery, Fifth Street Ribs and Blues, Great Wraps, Posh Day Spa, Parcel Plus/Copy Club and Modern Care Cleaners and Newstand.

"Technology Square is poised to be the center of the high-tech corridor of Atlanta. Having a thriving retail community is essential to supporting the education and business innovation that Technology Square and Centergy will foster," said Bob Thompson, senior vice president for administration and finance at Georgia Tech.

Barnes and Noble at Georgia Tech

Barnes and Noble at Georgia Tech, scheduled to open July 12, will be a 55,000 square-foot academic superstore including a 2,500 square-foot Starbucks. Serving both as a Barnes and Noble superstore and as the Georgia Tech bookstore, it will feature 70,000 books, 13,000 DVD and music titles and sheet music along with computer equipment, electronics, digital cameras, college textbooks and merchandise. The store will be Barnes and Noble College Bookstores' largest on a college campus in the southeast and the leading technology resource center in the state.

Positioned to be a vibrant part of Atlanta and Georgia Tech, Barnes and Noble at Georgia Tech is planning a host of community events including author appearances by such writers as science fiction guru Neal Stephenson. The superstore also is planning open-mike poetry nights on Fridays, story telling for children on Saturday mornings and Saturday Night's at Starbucks, featuring jazz and acoustic music.

LA Fitness

LA Fitness is scheduled to open their 20th location in Georgia at Centergy in August. The 29,000 square-foot facility will feature state-of-the-art fitness equipment. LA Fitness was started in Southern California in 1984 and has since expanded into six states.

Susan Mendheim, president and CEO of Midtown Alliance, said the mix of restaurants, retail stores and services Centergy and Technology Square will provide is exactly what Midtown needs. "They will definitely enhance Midtown's reputation as a vibrant urban center," said Mendheim.

Fifth Street Ribs and Blues

In addition to the two anchors, Technology Square will add six restaurants to the Midtown dining scene. Fifth Street Ribs and Blues will offer high quality barbecue and blues. The blues-themed restaurant, owned by father and son team Ron and Brett Brooks, is scheduled to open in mid-to-late August. Fifth Street Ribs and Blues will be open for lunch and dinner.

Tin Drum Asian Café

Tin Drum Asian Café is another newcomer debuting at Technology Square. Offering a mix of Vietnamese, Thai, Korean, Malaysian, Chinese and Japanese cuisine, Tin Drum Asian Cafe is scheduled to open in mid-August. Owner Stephen Chan is no stranger to the Atlanta restaurant market. Chan owns Thai Diner, a successful Thai restaurant with five locations in the metro area. This is Chan's first foray into pan-Asian cuisine. Chan said he is excited about opening his sixth restaurant and that Technology Square was the perfect location for him, considering he's an architecture graduate from Tech.

"It's like coming back home. My restaurant is the first one you come to when you cross the bridge from the main Tech campus from the College of Architecture," said Chan.

Moe's Southwest Grill

Moe's Southwest Grill is set to be the leader in the fresh-mex market. Moe's opened its first restaurant in 2001 and already has locations in eight states, soon to be 17. Opening in mid-August, Moe's is famous for its fresh (they don't even own a freezer) burritos, tacos, quesadillas and salads as well as its eclectic décor and music. Sporting paintings and music of pop-culture icons such as Frank Sinatra and Jimmy Hendrix along with menu items with names like "Joey Bag of Donuts" and "The Full Monty," Moe's wraps a bit of fun and humor into everything they do.

St. Charles Deli

St. Charles Deli will open its second Atlanta location at Technology Square in September. Offering freshly made deli sandwiches, desert and espresso, St. Charles Deli will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The deli will also offer delivery and catering.

"It seemed to be fate that just as we were looking to expand, Georgia Tech had space available at this prime location. It's such a perfect fit, it feels like the space was created for me," said owner Douglas Clearly.

Great Wraps

With more than 50 locations in 12 states, Great Wraps has a reputation for fresh wrap sandwiches, rollers and smoothies. Great Wraps features fast, friendly service and a diverse menu. It's sure to be a hit with the busy Midtown business and university crowd.

Marble Slab Creamery

Customers can cool off at the Marble Slab Creamery. Having opened its doors earlier this month, this is the Houston-based ice cream giant's ninth store in the Atlanta area. With 290 stores in the United States, Marble Slab Creamery is known for ice cream and cones made fresh in the store each day. Customers can personalize their ice cream by choosing from a variety of fruits, nuts, candies and cookies mixed on a frozen marble slab.

Posh Day Spa

Technology Square and Centergy also will host four retail stores featuring a variety of services. Posh Day Spa will provide the perfect getaway for Midtown residents, business executives and hotel guests. Opening in mid-July, owner Mia Evans Buckner said the spa will offer nail and skin treatments, body polish, massage, facials and seaweed wraps. Buckner has owned a successful in-home spa business since 2001.

"We've been looking over a year now for the ideal spot. We wanted something in an urban area with an opportunity to serve a broad clientele. We love the fact that Tech Square is in an extremely diverse community," said Buckner.

T-Mobile

The T-Mobile store offers busy Midtown customers and students the latest in wireless phone service and technology. T-Mobile USA is one of the fastest growing nationwide wireless providers, offering all digital voice, messaging and high-speed wireless data services to nearly 10 million customers. Already serving satisfied customers, the T-Mobile store was the first retail location to open its doors at Centergy.

Parcel Plus/ Copy Club

Parcel Plus/Copy Club combines the resources of two national retail chains to provide packaging, shipping, high quality and large format printing, graphics and binding services under one roof. The store opened in mid-April.

Modern Care Cleaners and Newstand

Modern Care Cleaners and Newstand is owner Thomas Kang's third location in Atlanta. In business for 21 years, Kang offers top-notch cleaning and pressing to area residents, businesses and guests of the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center. Modern Care opened its doors this month.

Although 12 spots are filled, Technology Square has two locations available. The adjacent bays can be combined or licensed separately and measure 1,613 and 1,453 square feet. They are located on the ground floor of the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center.

About Technology Square:

Designed to be the nexus of a thriving high-tech corridor in Atlanta, Technology Square and Centergy connect the intellectual capital of Georgia Tech, one of the nation's premier technological research universities, to the burgeoning business community in Midtown Atlanta. Within walking distance from the Midtown and North Avenue MARTA transit stations and with easy access to Interstate 75/85, Technology Square and Centergy are easy to reach whether traveling by foot, transit, or car.

Major components of Technology Square include:

· DuPree College of Management, with 189,000 square feet of classrooms, offices, and learning resource space, including Executive Education and Interdisciplinary Centers.
· The 252-room Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center, including an Executive Conference Center with 21,000 square feet of meeting space.
· Global Learning Center, including 113,000 square feet dedicated to classrooms, computing labs, offices, and distance learning.
· Economic Development Institute, devoted to furthering business development and growth throughout the state of Georgia.
· Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development, a research center to study Metro Atlanta as a living laboratory for mixed-use development and related issues.

Centergy Includes:

· Centergy One, a 486,993-square-foot office building featuring Georgia Tech's Advanced Technology Development Center, dedicated to incubating high-tech business start-ups.
· Technology Square Research Building, a 210,000-square-foot Georgia Tech building dedicated to becoming one of the world's premier centers for research, design and commercialization of broadband communications technology.