Publix #215
Store Information:
Official Name: Publix Super Market at Palm Bay Center
Address: 4711 Babcock St NE, Palm Bay, FL 32905
Opened: 1970s
Current Decor: Classy Market 3.0/Sienna
Update 7/11/2026, 7:00 PM. This store is CLOSED! Goodbye, #215.
Well, Publix is finally doing it. The Publix that’s been rumored for years to be “Closing Soon” is actually closing. This store is a Publix time capsule with the rare tile murals, chevron floors, Wavy Pastel awnings, and teal exterior signage. While it has the common Classy Market 3.0 decor package, there are still many pieces left over from the Classy Market 1.0 days (this store went directly from 1.0 to 3.0) and earlier packages.
We get our first view of the WP awnings in this picture. Seeing WP awnings in a Sienna store is extremely uncommon. This store may be the last one with them. If you look closely at the left of the photo, you can see the new version of the “Cool it/Chill out/Take it easy (C.I.C.O.T.I.E),” cooler. This store happens to have an example of the old version as well, which I will show soon.
You can see what this area looked like in the CM 1.0 days here. That linked photo was taken by AFB, one of Florida’s original grocery bloggers.
This store has many triangular jut-outs along the back ceiling. I don’t know what they were originally for, as I can’t think of any Publix decor that used anything like them.
This ‘Produce Specialties” sign is what I believe to be the last piece of Classy Market 1.0 signage in any Publix store.
Update: Retail Retell just noticed that what should be the letter L in Specialties is actually a second I.
AFB has a very similar photo in this post from twelve years ago. It’s the seventh photo from the top in his post.
Now that this post is coming to a close, let’s take a look at the aerial photos.
If you want to see older aerial photos of the store, click here, type in “4711 Babcock St NE, Palm Bay, FL 32905,” click on “aerials” and pick either 1984 or 1958. The 1958 photos show the area before the store was on it.
This store truly is an amazing Publix, and I will be sad to see it go (the official closing date is 7/11, according to AFB). It’s probably a good thing they are replacing it, though, as it’s not in the best condition. As for the tile murals, Publix says that they are unsavable, but then one from an old store showed up inside a new store. I don’t really know what to think about those. Publix #385 in Vero Beach, which has the murals, just remodeled to nEvergreen, so I think at least a few examples of the murals will be around a bit longer on operating Publixes. #385 is also one of the few mural stores that doesn’t have any replacement plans.
While you’re waiting for the next post, I suggest reading Sunoco—Just Missing One.
I’ll be back soon.
Mr. Rejoice Retail
It’s a good thing you were able to capture this when you did. In a few days it will exist only in history. Thank-you Mr. RR!
You’re welcome! #215 is a great Publix, but the need for a replacement store has gotten worse and worse every year.
Thanks for all the links in this post! This was one of the first supermarkets I ever photographed, so it’s sad for me to see this store is finally about to go, even having known about these replacement plans for 4 years now. Even though this is a Publix I’ve been to many times in the past, I never knew about the WP tiles that remained in the hallway to the bathrooms – I never used the restrooms here, so I never went back there to notice them! While this store always felt old, Publix really let maintenance slip here the last few years, probably knowing it was going to close soon. This was one of the few Publix stores I would call “dingy”, which is not a word I use often to describe a Publix store (as even some of the other 40, 50+ year old stores Publix has out there still look nice!). The last few tile mural Publix stores to be replaced had someone salvage the murals, so I can only hope that mysterious person (who must be from corporate, considering the one mural reappeared in #2043) strikes here at #215. I paid this store a visit last week, and I might stop by on the last day as well just for a final walk-through. Thanks for sharing this store, and hopefully I’ll get my formal post on this store up soon – as you saw, most of my pictures I have posted of this store already are really old!
I got the idea to check the restrooms from the Sing Oil Blogger, as he has done that to document tile patterns in a few of his posts. As I haven’t been photographing supermarkets for a long time, this is the only store where I’ve seen true WP colors in person. However, I have been able to see three partial examples of Winn-Dixie’s version of WP, including the Winter Haven Harveys (Low Low), W-D #2342 (Marketplace), and W-D #309 (Bilingual Post-Bankruptcy), thanks to Winn-Dixie neglecting to replace the flooring in those stores. As for this store’s dinginess, I can only think of one other Publix that feels dingy: #284 in Vero Beach. Unsurprisingly, #284 is one of the few remaining Classy Market 2.5 holdouts. The only other CM 2.5 store I’ve been to (#435 in Gainesville) is actually a nice store. The oldest operating Publix (#50) is also not bad inside. Now I have to get down to Miami and photograph #91 because it’s the only store I can think of with chevron floors and Evergreen.
Thank you for reading my post!
That raised ceiling is pretty wild. Looks like a bit of a sad Publix so I understand why it’s closing, however I do enjoy the Chevron aisles.
Cool find with the hidden away teal paint remnant! And that Produce Specialties sign is interesting too… not only because of the Classy Market 1.0 decor, but also because it appears to have been installed wrong. That’s another I, not an L!
Hmmm. Where did the L go? I think it must have been originally installed like this, and the sign was made wrong. It’s definitely been in the same spot since the CM 1.0 days.