Publix #287 - Riverwalk Shopping Center - Sebastian, FL

Publix #287

13435 US Highway 1, Sebastian, FL - Riverwalk Shopping Center

     I'm going to start today's post with a new edition of "Confessions of a Floridian Retail Blogger". Being a Floridian, you guys probably think I spend a lot of time shopping at Publix, the ubiquitous Floridian grocery chain. In a way I do find myself at Publix a lot, as I've been to 175 Publix stores (so far) in my travels, but (and here's where the confession part come in) I actually don't go to Publix very often for my regular grocery shopping. (Gasp! Call the National Enquirer on this one!) Most of my time going to Publix is while on road trips, really. Besides to grab a Pub Sub or something that happens to be on sale in any given week, I really don't shop at Publix much. I'm actually an Aldi guy, and anything I can't get at Aldi I'll end up getting at either Target or Winn-Dixie. (Gasp! Winn-Dixie! This is front page National Enquirer stuff now!) Winn-Dixie has really won me over recently with their renewed stores and rewards program, much to Publix's dismay (and I come from a family of Publix devotees too). However, I have nothing against Publix. Publix runs good stores and offers good quality product, and they know their niche, but they're just pricey, and I'm cheap. I live less than a mile away from a Publix, but I've found myself driving further out to other stores more often recently. So, what does all that have to do with today's post, you ask? Well, when I do find myself with the urge to do a decent Publix run, I have plenty of options locally to do just that. However, while I can be at a Publix in less than a mile, if I have the time, I'd rather make the 20 mile excursion to my favorite Publix to shop at - Publix #287 in Sebastian.

     Publix #287 is a quaint 1980's Publix store, which opened on November 21, 1985. Publix serves as the major anchor to this classic 1980's Publix community shopping center, with a Walgreens opening alongside it as the plaza's junior anchor. I have a soft spot for these classic 1980's Publix anchored shopping centers, as there's just something about the architecture and design of them that always struck me as interesting, probably stemming back to my time observing (the quite depressing now) St. Lucie Square in my younger days. While the facade details are different, both St. Lucie Square and Riverwalk Shopping Center share similar design features, although Riverwalk is much livelier and better cared for in the present. Since I like the aesthetic of this shopping center, and the aesthetic of older Publix stores in general, I don't mind making the journey down here for my Publix shopping needs when time allows (and the drive along the river on US 1 in far Southern Brevard County is quite scenic too).

     Besides the paint scheme, the exterior of the shopping center hasn't been changed since it opened in 1985. The interior has been updated through the years accordingly, but still retains a classic Publix feel. Publix #287 has never been expanded or heavily altered in any way during all the interior renovations it has received, so the departments are still in their original locations as well.

     Entering from the left side doors, here's a look across the store's entry vestibule. Having opened in 1985, I'm a bit torn about the vestibule being original or not. Publix #287 opened in the period when the company was transitioning from the classic concave style entryway to the single vestibule design like this, with many concave entryway stores later remodeled to include a similar vestibule. Sometimes there were quite obvious clues that the vestibule was a later addition, and other times the addition of the vestibule was practically seamless. The fact this store has an interior set of doors (which is not a common thing to see) seems to suggest the vestibule was a later addition, but I can't say for sure.

     Stepping inside, we turn to the right to be greeted by the usual display of weekly promotional items and BOGO tables. Greeting cards are tucked into a small aisle that runs along the building's front wall, with the service desk located straight ahead in the store's front right corner.

     Rounding the corner are more BOGO dump bins, and the "Publix Apple" sign comes into view. The apple sign is usually placed prominently along the front wall in front of the check lanes, but in these older stores, that decor piece just got stuffed wherever there was room, like we see here.

     As typical of a Publix from this era, dairy runs along the right side wall in aisle 1, with juices and other drinks on the opposite side.

     In the back right corner, we get a closer look at something the store's Sienna/Classy Market 3.0 paint scheme tries to unsuccessfully hide: some wall paneling from the decor package this store opened with in 1985! Throughout most of this store, that paneling can still be seen, just painted over in the browns and greens of the current decor. Since Publix can be pretty thorough with remodels, it's always fun when I pop into an older Publix store and see the painted over original paneling on the walls like this. For a general idea of what the interior of this store would have looked like shortly after it opened in 1985, this YouTube video gives some nice overviews of the 1980's Publix decor (that video filmed inside Publix #246 in Deerfield Beach, in case you were curious). It's amazing how different these stores look and feel now after a number of remodels!

     Looking across the back of the store from the back right corner, we find the deli department straight ahead.

     As usual in these 1980's build Publix stores, the deli is located along the back wall in a small alcove, under the distinctive lower ceiling. We'll return to the deli for a closer look in just a moment, but first, let's jump back up front for a moment:

     A bit of an abrupt transition here jumping from the back of the store to the front, but I didn't have any more graceful way to do so! While the previous photo looked across the entirety of the back wall, this one is of a similar perspective, just looking across the front of the store instead. From this perspective we can see the front lanes, along with a really interesting relic from decor packages past. Over the check lanes is a decorative metal structure that dates back to the Wavy Pastel days. In more deluxe Wavy Pastel builds, these metal structures were used to hang overhead check lane lights from. I'd imagine these structures held a similar purpose in remodeled stores, but I never encountered one of these metal structures myself until well after most of these stores would have remodeled away from Wavy Pastel. The structure could have been purely decorative in this store, but regardless, it's still a Wavy Pastel remnant! Sadly, even though the metal structure survived this store's early Sienna/Classy Market 3.0 remodel, it was later removed. The pictures in today's post were taken in 2017, and according to photos on Google, the structure was removed by early 2018. I must have captured this decor relic shortly before it was removed for good, so in a rare victory, timing worked in my favor on this one!

     I'm a bit surprised Publix bothered to remove the metal structure over the check lanes as a special project, and didn't wait until this store remodeled again. Not only is the structure big, it had electrical wiring running to it as well for the lights, so it seems like something that would be a bit complicated to remove.

     Leaving the front end, we'll turn down this aisle as we work our way back toward the deli department. Along the border of the ceiling transition we find more original (albeit painted over) 1980's paneling, which would have looked like this when the store first opened.

     Finding ourselves in the back of the store again, we return to the deli for a closer look:

     While most of Publix's stores from this era had a deli department of a similar design to this, there is one major oddity to the deli in this store. See it? If you don't, use this picture of the more common scene you'd encounter as a hint, or just jump ahead to the next paragraph for the answer.

     So what's the oddity about the deli here? Well, you just have to look up! The entire ceiling of the deli alcove is a giant paneled light fixture, which really brightens up the alcove. That design is most certainly original (as lights like this are very 1980's), and I can't help but wonder if most Publix stores from this era had similar light fixtures in their delis which were swapped out with modernized fixtures (like this) in later remodels. While I've been to a lot of Publix stores (especially older ones) in my travels, #287 is the only one I can remember having the paneled light fixture like this over the deli alcove.

     So the deli light is a rather neat relic from the past that Publix #287 happened to retain, and just adds to the retro charm of this store (even if most of that charm is masked behind some Sienna/Classy Market 3.0 era upgrades). Moving along, we find ourselves in aisle 4, home to baby items, stationary, and some health and beauty products. This store doesn't have a pharmacy, so the pharmacy-related products are housed in these early aisles (as Publix typically does in older stores that lack a pharmacy)

     Popping up front again, here's another look across the front end, with the bakery off in the distance.

     Publix always has the most perfectly faced cereal aisles.

     Beyond the deli alcove, the back wall transitions into the meat department, with the seafood counter off in the distance where the brown wall paint switches to green.

     The deli alcove again, as seen from meats.

     Getting closer to the left side of the store, we find chips and soda...

     ...as well as the classic combo of PB&J and wine. The next time I'm at one of Publix's fancy prototype stores, I'll have to ask the wine attendant for their recommendation on what wine pairs best with a PB&J sandwich. I've been getting a lot of weird looks from people at work when I break out the bottle of Merlot with my PB&J sandwich at lunch, so maybe I should be drinking a white wine with my PB&J sandwich instead.

     This store's last two aisles (numbers 13 and 14) are home to frozen foods, although a portion of aisle 13 is home to the beer coolers as well.

     Looking across the back wall from the back left corner, the Seafood service counter is to my left, with the produce alcove behind me.

     Turning around from the vantage point of that last photo, here's produce in all of its glory.

     While it's most common for Publix to arrange the produce displays perpendicular to the main aisles in stores from this same era, this store chose to arrange the tables parallel to the main aisles. I have no idea why this arrangement was chosen over the other, but it adds to this store's uniqueness and charm.

     Leaving produce, we take a look down aisle 14, the store's last aisle and home to the remainder of frozen foods.

     At the end of aisle 14, in the store's front left corner, is the bakery alcove. The bakery counter is located along the left wall, with ice cream freezers wrapping around the other two walls of the alcove.

     Intertwining the ice cream coolers with the bakery department is a very classic Publix thing, and something I've never seen another supermarket do. However, this arrangement makes a lot of sense, as cake and ice cream makes for a great pairing! (Not as good of a pairing as PB&J and wine, but it's close!)

     Here's another look toward the bakery counter as we begin to wrap up our tour of Publix #287.

     Here's one last look at the check lanes, with the exit doors straight ahead.

     "Thank you for shopping Publix" it says on that bulkhead over the doors. One nice thing about this store is all the windows along the front end, which let in a lot of natural light. The later split vestibule stores removed all the natural light provided by the original single vestibule design, but allowed the customer service desk to be placed in a more natural location in front of the check lanes, and not over in the corner like it is here.

     Here's one last look at Publix's facade, another classic example of a mid-late 1980's Publix design.

     While we're here, we'll take a quick look at the adjoining Riverwalk Shopping Center too, since the shopping center is another large portion of the main Publix store's overall aesthetic. The shopping center carries over the design of the main Publix store, zig-zagging is way toward the former Walgreens junior anchor:

     The former Walgreens is also of their classic 1980's shopping center design, standing out from the rest of the plaza with its tall facade.

     Walgreens moved to a freestanding location across the street from Riverwalk Shopping Center in 1998, with the former space now home to a Goodwill store. Goodwill combined the main Walgreens space with the space of their former attached liquor store next door, increasing the size of the salesfloor. It's always nice to stroll around the Goodwill store after popping into Publix, so let's head inside for a quick look around:

     Inside, Goodwill removed most traces from Walgreens, probably a result of the work done when combining the main store space with that of the former liquor store next door. This Goodwill store is operated by Gulfstream Goodwill, who is the Goodwill operator that runs out of West Palm Beach. Gulfstream Goodwill runs all the Goodwill stores in Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, and Okeechobee Counties, and this location in Sebastian happens to be their northernmost outpost, less than a mile from the Brevard County line (where Goodwill of Central Florida's territory begins).

     I only took two photos inside this particular Goodwill location, since there wasn't anything too exciting to see. The decor we see in here is the decor Gulfstream Goodwill used for years, only switching their decor recently to a new design. We'll be seeing more from Gulfstream Goodwill in the future, of stores with both the new and old decor designs. One nice thing about Gulfstream Goodwill is like Goodwill of Central Florida, these stores sell 95% donated goods like a normal thrift store, unlike their west coast counterparts that sell a disproportionate amount of new items in addition to the donated goods.

     We'll finish out this post with one final look toward the plaza's Publix store, a classic Publix in a classic Publix anchored community shopping center. As my favorite of all the Publix stores in the area, I hope this store pulls through and remodels to Evergreen instead of getting flattened, but the fact this location is tiny and lacks a pharmacy isn't helping its case any. Even though this isn't the most modern Publix out there, it's a nice step back into a simpler time in the company's history, and I don't mind driving out here from time to time to experience that. So even though there may be a scandalous picture of me in a Winn-Dixie on the cover of next week's National Enquirer, I'll always have a soft spot for these older Publix stores (and those addictive chicken tender Pub Subs). I like having a little supermarket variety in my life, even if some of that variety comes from a brand new Winn-Dixie and a really old Publix!

     Anyway, next time in "Confessions of a Floridian Retail Blogger" we'll talk more about my PB&J and wine problem, but until then, more adventures through the retail and supermarkets of Florida coming your way soon!

So until the next post,

AFB

Another Classy Conglomeration - Publix #599 - Atlanta, GA

Publix #599

Ansley Mall

1544 Piedmont Ave NE

Atlanta, GA 30324

This week I was planning for a standard post over on my primary blog, but didn't manage to finish it in time.  I'd also rather not rush that one since it is chock full of content.  Check back in two weeks to see that post, but in the meantime, we can take a look at a different Publix.

If you read my post from a few weeks ago of Publix #1054 in McDonough, I thought that Publix had mostly eradicated the early, quirky Classy Market 2.5 stores during their extensive remodels of 2018-2019. I was proved wrong when a commenter brought Publix #599 to my attention, stating that it still had an early version of Classy Market 2.5 on proud display. I'm surprised that I missed this store, because I thought I had previously looked over most in the Atlanta area (and anywhere in Georgia along the I-75 or southern I-85 corridor) for any quirky interiors that remained. I was proven wrong when I saw the images online for this store depicting a décor clone of what we saw in McDonough (I'm aware that there is another CM 2.5 store between McDonough and Atlanta, but I haven't had time or a reason to visit it yet). I knew I had to add this location to my list!

I have to admit, this store was one of the more difficult ones for me to photograph because I visited within 30 minutes of closing time. I had to squeeze it in to a previously planned trip, but I figured it was better to attempt it and get mediocre results than miss out on the opportunity altogether! With that being said, employees were crawling all over this store when I was in there. It was so hard to get a clear shot without getting noticed! Luckily, I was able to prevail, and I left with a number of pictures and a stronger desire to get my hands on a retired Classy Market 1.0 aisle sign! 

Some History

The store we will be touring today is an early 37D model, which is approximately 37,800 sq. ft.  I initially named this prototype the 39T because I thought these stores were closer to 39,000 sq. ft. in size, but most news articles I have since read refer to them as 37,000 sq. ft. store.  Something interesting about this prototype, is it seems to have two eras: an earlier dropped ceiling era (which we will see today), and a later warehouse ceiling era.  In my opinion, the dropped ceiling stores are much cooler because they seem to have more architectural character to them.   Having never seen one of these stores before March of this year, I have now been to four, with three of them being dropped ceiling models, and most of them had some sort of surprise hidden up their sleeves. The first store I visited still had CM 2.5, was in the process of being replaced, and managed to have one of the state-themed reusable shopping bags I was looking for. The second one didn't have much to note and was just a dropped ceiling model with a standard Sienna installation. The third, this store, will be explored in this post. Meanwhile, the fourth, had a warehouse ceiling and was in the middle of a Sienna-to-Evergreen remodel (which revealed some really cool surprises – more on those soon). 

Although I originally thought this store opened with Metallic Marketplace, I have since begun to second-guess myself based on recent research I have done.  During that research, I have confirmed that Publix used its Wavy Pastels interior package until at least 2002 (nearby stores #776 and #790 are both confirmed to have used that package in 2001 and 2002, respectively), which leads me to wonder if the store prototype determined which interior package it would receive.

Store #598 - Madison, AL - March 30, 2008 - Flickr

The photo above is from a different 1997 dropped-ceiling 39T store, and seems to indicate a neon light strip along with some shiny accents ran along the curves in the ceiling.  Both of these lead me to believe that the store opened with a version of Metallic Marketplace, but I would need more conclusive evidence before I can make that call.  I will say that the blue and teal aisle signs we see in the picture above were introduced sometime after 2000 and retrofitted into older Wavy Pastels and Metallic Marketplace stores; meanwhile, I have also seen them used in some of the very early Classy Market 1.0 stores, circa 2002.  I guess this will remain a mystery, unless somebody else can provide more insight!

This store happens to be located on the edge of Atlanta's Piedmont Park in Ansley Mall. I forget how I found myself down that specific rabbit hole, but Ansley Mall has quite a history of its own which you can read about here & here.  

The Macon Telegraph (Newspapers.com) - May 21, 1997

Construction began on this store in September 1996, and Publix decided to open this store on May 22, 1997, on the site of one of Ansley Mall's two original grocery tenants.  The articles above go into much more detail, but the shopping plaza originally opened with a Kroger, which eventually moved from the current CVS space to a freestanding store to the North, and a Colonial supermarket-turned-Big Star-turned-A&P, which in-turn was eventually torn down for this Publix.  I also believe Ansley Mall is a rare example of a 1960's open-air mall which is still in operation, but I unfortunately didn't get a chance to explore it due to my time crunch.

The Store

Since I wasn't able to get many pictures of the mall itself, I'll drop in this Street View embed so you can take a journey for yourself.

As we can see in the photo at the top of the post, this store has Publix's distinctive late-1990's, early-2000's inverted trapezoidal vestibules, which can be found on 39T & 45T stores. If you need a refresher, the 39T stores differ from the 45T model from the same era based on the distance between the two vestibules. In the 45T, both are closer together and have several windows on the wall between. Meanwhile, the 39T vestibules are further apart and are separated by a customer service counter.

Walking up to the entrance vestibule, we are greeted by the grey flavor of the 3-row checkered tile pattern. From what I have noticed, it seems like Publix used the 3-row family of tile patterns from around 1996 until approximately 2002.  I have seen this family of patterns used in a variety of Wavy Pastels store prototypes and confirmed Wavy Pastels stores, but never in a 45T or 55T, which are the only confirmed Metallic Marketplace store prototypes I have found.  This leads me to wonder whether this store opened with Wavy Pastels, or whether the patterns were interchangeable.  Conversely, every 45T I have ever seen opened with the 2-row checkered patterns, which was used from at least the early Wavy Pastels days through Classy Market 1.0.

Just to the right of the entrance is the greeting card section. I find it odd for such a small store to receive such a large section of cards, but it seems like Publix wanted to find a use for the former SunTrust bank branch space. In modern times, many 39T stores with a pharmacy would use this floor space for that purpose.

Walking a bit past the cards, we catch a glimpse of the deli, bakery, and first two aisles. I'll give you a few clues to date this store's package. The first is how the signs are leftovers from Classy Market 1.0. They indicate that this store would have remodeled from its original package to CM 1.0 at some point, then remodeled to CM 2.5 around 2010-2012. Newer CM 2.5 installations got new signs that resembled the ones used in the Sienna package. The next thing to date this remodel is the restroom sign. Later iterations of CM 2.5 use a version with a blue background which closely resembles Sienna's. Finally, the deli sign in this store is curved (similar to Classy Market 2.0) and is not the same sign used in Sienna.  Oddly enough, I discovered that this store received $750,000 worth of upgrades in 2018, which included all new refrigeration units and a new generator.  Why they didn't change the décor, I don't know!

We can also see some of the curves in this dropped ceiling design, but I'll dive deeper into those later.

Similar to most other CM 2.5 installs, this store did receive new tile behind the bakery to match a new-build store. I also noticed that the backing for "Publix" and "established 1957" on the bakery sign is blue, meaning that specific sign was designed for Sienna. I'm not sure how it ended up in this store, but Sienna uses blue paint in the bakery department as opposed to the orange used in CM 1.0, 2.0, & 2.5.

I didn't manage to get a good picture of it since I already got a closeup in #1054, but here we can see a partially obstructed view of the deli sign. I think there must have been a bunch of employees in this area of the store performing cleanup duty!

As with most modern Publix stores, produce is located in the back right corner. I did notice that this section of the store had a different style of terrazzo that didn't quite match the rest of the store; additionally, it looked like it had been added later as an attempt to repair the floor. I know some older Publix stores used different colored floors for effect, but this seemed like it was an attempted match that didn't work out quite right. I also remember seeing a terrazzo mismatch in the produce section of a 51T store I have visited so I wonder if this era of stores used a different material (like the grey tiles used for the floor in the service departments) which Publix later deemed inappropriate? Mind you, most of the stores I went to during that era were from the early 1990's, so I have no idea what the produce departments used to feature in late-1990's or early-2000's stores.

One of the easiest ways to identify a Classy Market 2.5 or Classy Market 2.0 store (besides the primary signage) is to look for these leaves hanging in the produce department.  CM 2.5 stores, such as this one, have solid green leaves while CM 2.0 stores only have leaf outlines hanging from the ceiling.

I also noticed how this store received an Evergreen-era "Fresh & Flavorful" tertiary sign and Sienna-era green category markers.

Next up, we'll take a look at the floral and fresh-cut produce station. This store received a different variation of the floral sign than the Prattville Publix, so I wonder what determines which store received which style of sign. At least this one actually matches the package, unlike the Sienna one we saw in Publix #1054.

One thing that I didn't realize until after I left this store (otherwise I would have been more intentional with my photography) is how Publix had replaced some of the original tile patterns. Although we got to see the full pattern in the vestibule, if you take a look at the tile behind the cut produce cooler, Publix physically removed the four rows of tile above the grey line and replaced them with plain white tiles. This backsplash would have originally featured a teal-checkered design, which Publix (correctly) assumed wouldn't match with its Classy Market packages. I know there may be doubters out there that Publix would bother chiseling away four rows of tile while leaving the rest of the wall in-tact, but if you look closely, you can often see mismatched grout colors or a few tiles which reflect the light differently than the original ones. I'm also not certain as to whether this store's CM 1.0 or CM 2.5 remodel would have replaced these tiles, but due to the fact that the bakery received a CM 2.5 tile pattern, I believe this is when the work would have happened. Don't worry, I've got a store in my queue where we will see these original tile patterns on full display!

Turning the corner, we see another early CM 2.5 restroom sign indicating the restrooms are in the back of the store. It still feels odd seeing them placed back here in a Publix-built store! We also can see one of the lower ceiling curves, and a whole host of CM 1.0 aisle signs.

On aisle 2, we can find a variety of morning treats, including: cereal, coffee, syrup, and canned milk.

Next, we'll get a better look at the dairy signage and its accompanying coolers.

While it isn't very obvious in this picture, these CM 1.0 aisle signs were really beginning to show their age. Mind you, these aisle signs are between 14-18 years old at this point, and they seemed to look very tired in person. Many of the category markers were beginning to yellow and crack due to the UV exposure from the adjacent florescent lights which really surprised me how Publix hasn't bothered to replace them. Faded and cracking aisle signs are something I associate with an old Winn-Dixie Marketplace rather than a Publix. Furthermore, the only other Publix I have seen aisle signs in this bad of condition was in store #1331 in Fort Myers, FL, which is scheduled to close for demolition in September. I wonder if this store has a similarly planned fate?

Aisle 4 is where customers can find baking supplies, in addition to pickles and olives. I personally love to make pickle cakes because the acidic dill flavor really balances out the sweetness in a German Chocolate confection. Olives also add a nice, satisfactory crunch.

This was my attempt to photograph the construction of these signs, but it looks to me like they are held together with plastic snaps. My intent was to plan for what I would do with a CM 1.0 sign once I got one, but it still seems like a long-shot that I can actually get one! At least I now know that they can seemingly be broken down into three separate faces.

We'll take one last look at the back right corner of the store before we move on and get a good view of one of the gentle curves along the ceiling.

Nothing was too special about aisle 6, other than it being home to bread (which I needed on this shopping trip) and a few snacks. I personally love how the Classy Market 1.0 aisle signs often list "Publix Bread" which would make be inclined to want the sign for this aisle to be added to my collection! We can also see the entrance door off in the distance, with a small piece of crown molding above the Publix sign which is a leftover from Classy Market 1.0.

I also want to point out the yellow strip of wall where the ceiling is raised over the grocery aisles. While this is a common trend with older, 40,000-ish sq. ft. Publixes, these curvy 39T stores received the special neon treatment I mentioned above on this portion of wall. Sadly, the neon has long since been removed from this store. Previously, I had wondered how Publix originally treated these architectural details, but now I know!

You can also see the lower section of curved wall directly behind the aisle 6 sign.

I must have really liked aisle 6! It looks like I took this picture, though, to highlight how cracked and brittle the category markers looked in this store. You can also see how brown the ceiling tiles have turned surrounding the air vents due to 25 years of dust.

Wow, another picture from aisle 6! While this one highlights the front door, I want you to take note of the section of wall which curves off to the right in this picture.

Likewise, here is the section of wall which curves off to the other direction of the store. You'll see where I am going with this in a minute!

The SunTrust bank branch used to be located behind the shelving in front of me, to the right of the bakery.

Here we have an overview of the registers in this store, with our curvy friend leading us over toward the frozen aisle. If you take a look at the ceiling over the checkout lines, you'll notice that it has an oval effect and a lower height. The oval section of lower ceiling seems to be a common trait in this era of stores (the 45T equivalent can be seen here) but the dropped-ceiling 39T stores are the only ones to retain this feature today. Any warehouse ceiling stores would've had this removed during one of the Classy Market renovations.

I also want to highlight something with the checkout cubes: all of them are oriented in the wrong direction! I believe the numbers are supposed face perpendicularly to the line and not parallel. This is also the only store I have seen to receive the orange express cubes without a standard number below. At least Publix bothered to add the late-Sienna style cubes to this store!

Aisle 8 is home to light bulbs, pet supplies, charcoal, and stationary. What an assortment!

I did manage to take a better picture of the dairy sign (by the way, this is my favorite sign in the CM 2.5 package; that shade of blue is captivating).

The seafood and meat departments are located in the back left corner of these stores, which seems to be a setup I have only found in the 39T and 45T stores. You can zoom in and see more of the tile pattern remnants: seafood would have featured a blue checkered pattern matching produce and meats would have featured a coral checkered pattern matching the deli and bakery.

On aisle 10, we can find cleaning supplies. If you haven't noticed, it seems like every aisle I have photographed seemed to have a cart of product waiting to be stocked on the shelves. I guess that is what happens when I visit a store so close to closing time!

Cold beer and wine are housed on aisle 12, in addition to another early example of a CM 2.5 sign. We can also see where the raised ceiling over the center of the store swoops back to avoid the alcohol aisle.

After the two people who were in my previous picture decided to move on, I decided to get an unobstructed view of aisle 12.

Finally, beer and pizza on the same aisle! It is a college student's (or my former economic professor's) dream come true!

Publix had to get creative with this store's collage placement, but it seems like this lower section of wall seems to work well.

As for the exit vestibule in this store, we see another remnant of Classy Market 1.0's crown molding and a pair of historic photos from Publix's CM 2.0 / 2.5 collages. Typically, these photos come at the end of my tour, but we aren't finished with this store yet!

I did find it odd how this store's pharmacy was placed in the front left corner and not where the greeting cards were. Typically, the Metallic Marketplace stores instead have wine in this corner of the store. Oh well, at least you can get a better view of the oval ceiling over the checkout lines and a late-Sienna pharmacy sign.

This pharmacy is quite cramped in this corner, but I believe it was added during this store's Classy Market 1.0 remodel based on the angular styling it received and the 2003 issue date on the license. We can also see a glimpse of the other frozen foods aisle: #14.

But first, we'll see a big overview of the front end of the store. Here we can begin to grasp the full effect of the oval section of ceiling above the checkout lines and see another interesting architectural detail I alluded to earlier: the curved ceiling seemingly funnels customers in from the entrance to the rest of the store. I believe this was the first time I had noticed this feature in one of the 39T stores, but I thought it was a very cool architectural subtlety.

Not much of interest to point out on aisle 14, other than some freezers, and the rest of the meat department in the back left corner.

Speaking of meats, here is a better view of this store's unique department configuration in the back left corner.

And here is a good overview of the rest of the store from the back left corner.

From this picture, it seems like the floor has also been replaced in front of the seafood department and where aisle 10 seems to be missing its number.

I managed to get one more shot of the express checkout cubes, missing their number companions. Oddly enough, the other numbers do skip over #5 and #6, so it isn't like the store was shorted two cubes.

Lastly, we'll see an overview of the customer service counter, which is located between the store's two vestibules

And on the other side of the wall is an area for exterior cart storage. 

That, folks, will wrap up our tour of Publix #599.  Be sure to check back in a couple of weeks for my next post and remember to check out my primary blog every-other Saturday to learn about a different former Sing Store in addition to a nearby grocery store or other store of interest.

- The Sing Oil Blogger