Wayfair To Open Second-Ever Physical Store In Former Atlanta Walmart

Online furniture and decor giant Wayfair is opening its second brick-and-mortar location on Atlanta's Westside.

Wayfair leased 150K SF at The District at Howell Mill, a shopping center at 1801 Howell Mill Road, the retailer announced Friday, taking the former Walmart box that the world's largest retailer permanently shuttered in 2024 after a fire was set inside the store. 

Given the location's proximity to Wayfair's McDonough distribution center, the retailer said it will be able to deliver larger items like sofas to customers who shop at the Howell Mill location faster.

It will be Boston-based Wayfair's second-ever retail store after its first location in the affluent northern Chicago suburb of Wilmette, Illinois, opened in 2024. Customers at the Wilmette store helped grow sales 15% faster for the state than the overall U.S. since its launch, the company said in the release.

“The excitement around our first store in Wilmette exceeded expectations — from packed shopping carts in-store, to bus tours from neighboring states." Wayfair Vice President Liza Lefkowski said in a statement. “It's been incredible to see the enthusiasm for Wayfair in person, and we can't wait to bring that same energy to Atlanta.”

Retail Planning Corp.'s Fraser Gough and Benton Green brokered the deal for the landlords, LaSalle Investment Management and Selig Enterprises.

Wayfair is among the online retail brands beginning to branch into brick-and-mortar locations, including Dolce Vita, Kardashian-backed shapewear maker Skims and clothier Revolve, according to Forbes. Physical stores have been found to strengthen online marketing for digital native brands, and the retail trade organization ICSC found that online retailer sales increase with physical stores.

While baby boomers still prefer to shop in-person, their Millennial and Gen X cohorts are more apt to shop online. But with Gen Z, that trend is reversing, according to the ICSC report, with more than 77% of retail purchases by the youngest adults done in-store. 

Furnishing companies in general are bracing for impacts from new tariffs being put in place as they are reckoning with a slow housing market. Wayfair's stock price is down more than 31% since the start of 2025.