Is Downtown Ready for an Urban Grocery Store?

[Metro Jacksonville]

Is Downtown Ready for an Urban Grocery Store?



 Many grocery companies have responded to downtown and inner city growth areas with urban designed stores, such as this Publix in downtown Fort Lauderdale. There may be an opportunity for Winn-Dixie to create a flagship location in or near downtown Jacksonville.

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http://www.metrojacksonville.com/content/view/162

[ben]

YES.  primarily the one reason why i would not move to Springfield right now is its lack of a decent grocery store.

[Tommyguns]

Weird timing, my friend Kim has a business where she takes groceries to you. She spends time downtown at The Strand Condos. delivering stuff. Anyway, if anyone cares in the meantime it's wegoshop.com, I think.

[reednavy]

We are far from needing another downtown grocery. As much as people don't want to admit, the Winn-Dixie is it for now, and the foreseeable future.

[fsujax]

I live in Springfield and the winn-Dixie has everything I need and less than 1 mile away. Until everyone who lives in Springfield and DT, supports the DT Winn-Dixie there will be no other grocery store built! So quit driving to Publix in Riverside or Atlantic and University and support what we have in our neighborhood.

[stjr]

Here is a Publix that is BOTH downtown AND an historic renovation.  It's in downtown Columbia, South Carolina:

Before:



After:

Publix, Gervais Street, Columbia

Holmes Smith Developments

Publix Supermarkets, Inc.

Columbia Development Corporation/City of Columbia

The Confederate Printing Plant, built in 1864, housed the printing firm of Evans & Cogswell, one of only two producers of bonds, stock certificates, and currency for the Confederate government.  In 1865, the building burned during General William T. Sherman's siege of Columbia.  It was later rebuilt and a second story added.  In the 1890s, the building served as a dispensary warehouse for liquor when the state government controlled and taxed the distribution of liquor across the state.  In the twentieth century the building was used by the U.S. Seed Loan Program and then as a warehouse until 1977.  After that the building sat vacant and was repeatedly threatened with condemnation and demolition.  Between 2001 and 2004, Marty Holmes and Bill Smith of Holmes Smith Developments forged a creative partnership with the City of Columbia, the Columbia Development Corporation, and the Publix grocery store chain to save the building and bring a much-needed resource to the Congaree Vista area.  The Confederate Printing Plant is now enjoying its new life as a vibrant Publix grocery store.[/color]

http://www.state.sc.us/scdah/hpawards2006.htm

Can you find the Publix in this Greenville, SC photo?

[David]

There's just something about the Winn-Dixie Downtown that deturs people. I can't really articulate it, but I regularly bypassed it for Riverside or the one in Lakewood all the time.

Maybe it's the old stigma of it appearing "dirty"...and it's your food. You don't want to get your food from a place that looks dirty.

[TPC]

I don't think Downtown is in need of a large grocery store. It will be interesting to see how the small market in the library works out.

[fsu813]

Umm....i can tell you eaxctly what is is:

1) They don't have the selection of Publix

2) It's frequented by homeless & "rough" looking people that make many others feel uncomfortable...starting at the parking lot and sidewalks.

[tufsu1]

There's just something about the Winn-Dixie Downtown that deturs people. I can't really articulate it, but I regularly bypassed it for Riverside or the one in Lakewood all the time.

Maybe it's the old stigma of it appearing "dirty"...and it's your food. You don't want to get your food from a place that looks dirty.

maybe you should check it out asgain...it hasn't been dirty since they renovated the store over a year ago...to be fair, Publix will always be somewhat better....but they're also more expensive and not as good as they used to be.

[thelakelander]

Wow, this thread came back from the grave!

Can you find the Publix in this Greenville, SC photo?

Stjr, the McBee Station Publix is the building with the green sign.  That center has an interesting design.  The Publix and Office Depot face the interior of the property and the parking lot.  The front of the development (rear of Publix) lines the street with two/three story buildings with street level retail facing McBee Avenue.


http://www.mcbee-station.com/masterplan.htm

The Vista's Publix in Columbia is also a nice project.  Like Greenville's, the store's main entrance and parking lot are both located behind the building or interior of the lot.

[thekillingwax]

That's a very cool Publix. In the past few months we've been buying more and more at the Winn Dixie. Maybe it's our luck but we haven't been pan-handled at all there since the remodel, which is vastly more that I can say for the Publix in riverside. If I'm over that way, I'll go to the Publix at Gateway on occasion, it's usually very clean on the inside as has just as much of a selection as the Riverside location. We used to love getting the big Coke Zero fountain drinks at the Publix on Roosevelt until about three weeks ago we were getting some more ice in our cups and I noticed a very large black gelatinous mass fall out of the ice dispenser and into her cup. That kinda killed that for us. The deli clerk kinda freaked out when we showed it to her, that was funny at least.

[Prax_N_Jax]

Isn't there suppose to be a Publix bulit in San Marco? That'd be the 3rd with the one in Riverside and down Atlantic BLvd. within a 5 mile radius. The only thing wrong I see with the WD location is that, it's tucked away near the sheriff's office and an on ramp to the bridge. They've greatly remodeled the store but if you don't pay attention to it, you'd drive right pass it.

[copperfiend]

Isn't there suppose to be a Publix bulit in San Marco?

With the attached condos a must, it won't be built until the real estate market recovers. So...maybe never.

[fsu813]

Being part of the sherriff's office is a good thing. I'd hate to see it if it WASN'T attched to the shreriff's office....