Is Restoration Hardware a Sure Thing?

Is Restoration Hardware really coming to the former site of ESPN Zone in Buckhead? Some developers at the recent Las Vegas International Council of Shopping Centers seem to think so.

According to the Atlanta Business Chronicle the luxury home furnishings retailer made an appearance in recent full-scale models of the Buckhead Atlanta Project, which is across Peachtree Road from the ESPN Zone site.

Earlier reports indicated that discussions for Restoration Hardware to lease the three story property were underway but it was not a sure thing.

Buckhead Atlanta, an almost 9-acre project that stalled during tough economic times, was restarted last year by San Diego-based OliverMcMillan and Boston hedge fund The Baupost Group with a $300 million investment.

See a full video description of the project here.

At the recent International Council of Shopping Centers conference in Las Vegas, the developers unveiled full scale models of the project that drew considerable interest. At least one of those models already had Restoration Hardware taking the ESPN Zone building, the Chronicle reported.

Restoration Hardware used to have a store at Lenox Square and has two other Georgia locations. 

ESPN Zone, an entertainment restaurant and bar, closed in late 2009 after opting out of its about 34,000-square-foot space in central Buckhead at 3030 Peachtree Road.

ESPN had been there for nearly a decade.