If you have a collection of related things, such as soft goods, home furnishings and food that all relate to one another in a consistent way, you are going to increase your chances of holding customers for a longer time. You're going to get people on-site much more frequently. It's critical, and I think the best shopping centers, whether they be in closed malls, street districts or lifestyle centers, do have that story to tell as far as the merchandising is concerned.

GlobeSt.com: What is Atlantic Station doing to transform the shopping experience?

Garzia: It's about more than shopping. We do a lot of public and cultural events. Whether it be movies in the park, free yoga sessions, concerts or celebrating civic holidays, we provide programming for a wide audience.

During the winter season, we held Atlanta's first official Christkindl German holiday market. We were the official location for the Atlanta Falcons' NFC Championship game and Super Bowl sendoff pep rallies.

With respect to transforming the shopping experience, we are adding new stores and expanding existing stores that are performing well and maximizing people whether it be upsizing, downsizing or rightsizing to generate optimal sales. We are also in the process of evaluating the addition of more office space and more residential units, all of which diversify our shopper base.

Is the mall going extinct? Get Garzia's view here.

ATLANTA—Story telling is important in any line of business. But telling a story through merchandising is increasingly important in an age of experiential retail.

GlobeSt.com caught up with Nick Garzia, director of leasing for Atlantic Station to get his take in part two of this exclusive interview. In 2015, Hines acquired the 586,000-square-foot retail center that anchors the mixed-use development, which also includes three class A office towers, multifamily communities, a full-service hotel and freestanding Ikea, Target and Dillard's locations.

GlobeSt.com: How important is it to tell a story with merchandising?

Garzia: It's incredibly important. One thing the lifestyle center trend has led to is that it's almost too convenient for customers to shop. It's very easy to park in front of the store you want to visit, make your purchase and depart.

If you have a collection of related things, such as soft goods, home furnishings and food that all relate to one another in a consistent way, you are going to increase your chances of holding customers for a longer time. You're going to get people on-site much more frequently. It's critical, and I think the best shopping centers, whether they be in closed malls, street districts or lifestyle centers, do have that story to tell as far as the merchandising is concerned.

GlobeSt.com: What is Atlantic Station doing to transform the shopping experience?

Garzia: It's about more than shopping. We do a lot of public and cultural events. Whether it be movies in the park, free yoga sessions, concerts or celebrating civic holidays, we provide programming for a wide audience.

During the winter season, we held Atlanta's first official Christkindl German holiday market. We were the official location for the Atlanta Falcons' NFC Championship game and Super Bowl sendoff pep rallies.

With respect to transforming the shopping experience, we are adding new stores and expanding existing stores that are performing well and maximizing people whether it be upsizing, downsizing or rightsizing to generate optimal sales. We are also in the process of evaluating the addition of more office space and more residential units, all of which diversify our shopper base.

Is the mall going extinct? Get Garzia's view here.