“They're serving different markets, and it's exciting to see things happen in a positive fashion,” Bemis observes.

As far as the state of retail goes in the overall market, certain areas of Atlanta are doing better than others. Central Perimeter, Buckhead, Midtown and the northeast and northwest quadrants of the city are in rebound mode and are performing well. However, the east side and south side are still struggling, Bemis reports.

Overall he is positive that improvement will continue: “The Atlanta market is definitely in rebound mode. We're seeing positive net absorption rates across the board in all retail asset classes, as well as some net positive rent growth.”

The market is also experiencing retailer expansion, especially in the grocery sector. Phoenix-based Sprouts Farmers Market, a high-end chain, is making its foray onto the East Coast into Atlanta, and will go head-to-head with the similar Fresh Market concept, with plans to do the same in Dallas. Trader Joe's is also expanding in the metro area.

“The whole specialty grocery sector is not only doing well but it has been very aggressive in its expansion over the last few years,” Bemis remarks.

On the luxury end, new-to-market retailers from New York City and Europe are expected to enter the Buckhead Atlanta project. Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, Fallas Discount Stores are actively expanding in the area, aiming for the lower-income niche.

The restaurant sector is also booming, both in the quick-service and sit-down categories, and Bemis says that as the economy continues to improve, more celebrity chef concepts will become prolific around Atlanta.

The area is also at the forefront of a new trend: the integration of e-commerce and brick-and-mortar stores, Bemis says. He calls Atlanta the tech capital of the Southeast and contends that younger Internet-savvy consumers who have moved to the area because of the strong job market in that industry are actually using the Internet to shop more at physical stores.

“People are looking online, making sure that the store closest to them has the item, then going to the store and purchasing it,” Bemis says.

And there could be more stores to give shoppers that option as the housing market in Atlanta continues to improve with its economic rebound.

“The vital thing for Atlanta is the housing market is back,” Bemis states. “We're seeing new-home starts going up drastically. That's a key indicator for retail in general, new home starts and available housing stock. It runs almost in tandem with improvement or decline in retail sales.”