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AmericasMart Atlanta is located in Atlanta, Georgia, and is known to be the largest permanent trade center for wholesale selling and buying in the world, as it is over seven million square feet in size. The mart is the only permanent international trade center in the United States. AmericasMart Atlanta consists of four buildings, with small dining areas, throughout the buildings. The Mart opened in 1957, and hosts several trade shows every year. These trade shows include Market Wednesday, Atlanta Apparel, Atlanta Spring Immediate Delivery, and The Atlanta International Gift and Home Furnishings Market. Exhibitors rent permanent showrooms in the Mart, as well as temporary booths during trade shows. Many permanent showrooms are open daily, and many are open part of the time, or during trade shows. AmericasMart Atlanta is not open to the public and in order to enter the Mart you must be registered with AmericasMart.



Structure
America’s Mart Atlanta consists of four buildings, Building One, Building Two, Building Two WestWing, and Building Three. The Mart’s main address is 240 Peachtree Street NW, Suite 2200, which is where the first building is located. Buildings Two and Three are located on Spring Street and Building Two WestWing is located on Williams Street. 24 pedestrian bridges connect the different buildings of the Mart for indoor access between buildings. There are three ATM’s on the Mart’s campus, which are located near the bottom of buildings one, two, and three. A Starbuckss is located on the first floor of building one, and offers wifi. The top floor of Building Three is a penthouse theatre.

History
A local architect of Atlanta, John C. Portman, designed the Atlanta Mart. The Mart opened in 1957, and Portman has held many positions of leadership since the founding. These include chairman of the board, chief executive officer, and a director. John Portman’s son, Jeffery Portman serves as the President of AMC, Inc., since 1994. AMC is the trading organization which is the parent company of AmericasMart Atlanta. In 1996 Jeffery Portman renamed the trading center AmericasMart, as before it was known as the Atlanta Market Center. He has worked to expand the Mart since his presidency, and is responsible for the Building Two WestWing, which opened in 2009 and is the newest addition.

General Stipulations
Closed to the public, the mart has a security staff that will remove anyone from the campus who does not have a proper badge displayed at all times. Buyers are required to check in at the desks in the lobby upon arrival at the Mart. To visit AmericasMart Atlanta as a buyer, your business must be registered with the Mart. A business must visit the Mart at least five times during a period of five years, or it will forfeit its membership. The Mart is a place to buy wholesale products, and it is expected that the products the buyers purchase at the mart are then resold in their business.

To Register
To obtain membership with the Mart, one must provide his business license or federal resale tax certificate, an imprinted business check, corporate credit card, photo ID or passport, and business card. “Internet businesses must provide proof of search engine with website and proof of URL registration” Along with these things, you must provide one of the following: white/yellow page business phone listing, current year executed sales tax return or sales tax coupon book, lease agreement for commercial space, photo of retail store front with company signage clearly displayed, current invoices showing you purchase Mart related merchandise in quantity for resale. If you are an international wholesale/ retail business you must provide: business card, photo ID or passport, value added tax certificate, or current retail business license, or proof of affiliation with Chamber of Commerce of retail organization, plus one of the following: lease agreement for commercial space or photo of retail store front with company signage clearly displayed. The stipulations to enter AmericasMart Atlanta as an interior designer, architect, or landscape architect are different from those listed above. In order to be registered with the Mart the buyer must provide: a professional membership card with recognized professional affiliation and a photo ID. If the buyer is an interior designer, architect, or landscape architect and can not provide these documents, the buyer must qualify with the general stipulations to enter the Mart as a buyer.

Additional Buyers and Guests
A company may bring additional buyers to assist with purchasing decisions. In order to become registered buyers and to enter the Mart the buyers must provide a photo ID, and business card or cancelled payroll check. If the buyer does not have proof he works for the company, he must enter the Mart as a guest. A guest of a buyer is someone who is not a registered buyer, but who is critical to the purchasing decisions of the company. A buyer is allowed to bring up to two guests to the Mart, and they must show a photo ID upon entry. A guest badge must be worn at all times, and costs $20, except during Apparel Markets, when guests may enter at no charge.

Children
No child under 12 is permitted into the Mart, with the exception of children under one year of age. Children under one year of age are permitted if the parent signs a release form, to ensure the Mart is not liable for any injury. Parents are not permitted to bring strollers into the mart. If you are 12-18, you may not enter as a buyer, only as a guest.

Daily
Market is open daily from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm, but many exhibitors do not open their showrooms daily.

Market Wednesday
Market Wednesday is a smaller show between large trade shows. There are four Market Wednesdays in 2012: April fourth, June sixth, August first, October third, and December fifth. Market Wednesday showrooms are open from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m..

Atlanta Apparel
The Atlanta Apparel show is focused on selling clothing, shoes, and accessories. The dates that permanent showrooms will be open for the Atlanta Apparel shows of 2012 are April 12-16, with varying hours. Temporary exhibitors will be present at the Apparel show from April 12th-15th. A second apparel show will be from August 9th-13th, 2012. Permanent showrooms for this show will be open from the 9th-13th, and Temporary Exhibitors will be present from the 9th-12th. The third Apparel show will take place from October 11th- 15th. The permanent showrooms will be open through the entire show, and the temporary exhibitors will be present through the 14th.

Atlanta Immediate Delivery
The Atlanta Spring Immediate Delivery Show of 2012 will be from May 1-3. Selling is at the exhibitor’s discretion, but the show will be a Cash and Carry event, as well as Immediate Delivery. A Cash and Carry event is when the exhibitor brings merchandise with them to sell at the event. Prices range between $9.75 and $10.75 per square foot to rent a space for this event, and to rent a corner space; it is an additional $200. The Atlanta Fall Immediate Delivery show will take place from November 6th-8th, 2012. Permanent showrooms as well as temporary exhibitors will be open through the entire show.

The Atlanta International Gift and Home Furnishings Market
Being one of the largest wholesale home and gift shows in the world, AmericasMart Atlanta is expecting approximately half a million buyers and sellers to attend this show. The show will take place from July 11th-18th of 2012. Permanent showrooms will be open through the duration of the show, and temporary exhibitors will be present from the 11th-17th.

The Atlanta International Area Rug Market
The Atlanta Mart is one of the top places to shop for area rugs, at wholesale cost. With a varied selection of rugs of different sizes, textures, and handmade rugs, many interior designers visit this show. The show will take place from July 12th -15th of 2012.