- AmericasMart
AmericasMart was designed by
John C. Portman and constructed in 1957, inAtlanta, Georgia . It is located inDowntown Atlanta , linking together several buildings inPeachtree Center via sky bridges. AmericasMart itself consists of three buildings, all designed by Portman and connected by bridges. His vision was to make Downtown (where Portman either designed, helped design, or inspired many buildings) a place where businesses could come and stay integrated, connected, and in touch with one another. These three buildings contain thousands of wholesaler showrooms. Each of these buildings holds more than a dozen floors.Concept
The concept of AmericasMart is based on the old idea of a wholesale
marketplace , where buyers come to purchase product for resale. This idea had never seen the scale that AmericasMart created.The AmericasMart consists of Building 1, known as the Merchandise Mart, Building 2, the Gift Mart, and Building 3, the Apparel Mart. Many
wholesalers maintain showrooms in the Marts year round. In addition, temporary vendors set up several times a year for special shows that draw retailers from all over the world.The mall is open all year long but only a few larger vendors remain in their showrooms. The two largest shows each year are featured as their “show” season. One market season will be in beginning weeks of January, and the other is given in the middle of July. Other smaller shows are also offered throughout the year. Of the many wholesaling shows that are offered, like in Houston and New York and Chicago, Atlanta is the largest of these markets.
Entrance and security
This wholesaler’s mall is not open to the public. In order to admitted the “buyer” must provide proof of a valid business license and show forms of identification at a registration office. Buyers are given badges that clearly identify their name, shop, and the current season for the buying mart. The badges are only valid for one “market season”. Anyone seen not wearing the correct identification will be escorted out of the building by one of the numerous security officers that are found during the busy season. Buyers can also invite “guests” that do not have the proper identification for admittance to the mall. These badges are $50 for anyone 12 or older. Small children are not allowed inside the mall.
References
External links
* [http://www.americasmart.com/ AmericasMart Atlanta] , official site
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
