Publix #284
Store Information:
Official Name: Publix Super Market at Ryanwood Square
Address: 2040 58th Ave, Vero Beach, FL 32966
Opened: 1988 (according to Google AI)
Current Decor: Classy Market 2.5/Bamboo
Winn-Dixie does not like remodeling stores. Publix does. When Winn-Dixie remodels a store, they generally don’t remodel again for another ten to twenty years. Publix likes to remodel every six to eight years. Today’s store hasn’t been remodeled since about 2012, making it one of the last few Publixes in the chain to have the Classy Market 2.5/Bamboo interior. CM 2.5 is best described as a mix of Classy Market 3.0/Sienna and Classy Market 2.0/Invigorate.
And… let’s just GET TO IT!
Fine. Let’s go.
For some reason, I didn’t take an exterior photo of this store, so this GSV image will have to do.
Up until late 2022-early 2023, that rectangle to the left of the sign had the old rectangular Publix logo in it. Also notice how it only says “pharmacy” on the outside. Usually there is “food” lettering as well. Sometimes it just says “super market,” but for some reason, it only says “pharmacy” on this store.
Unlike most CM 2.5 stores, #284 doesn’t have the historic photo collage.
CM 2.5 is known for using many different kinds of aisle markers. This store used CM 3.0 markers with different card inserts. Also, notice the odd font. Usually, CM 2.5 stores with this style of aisle marker use the same font as the CM 3.0 markers. This style is less common.
For some reason, Publix decided to replace the old sign (which would have read “Cool it/Chill out/Take it easy”) instead of remodeling the whole store. Usually, these signs are not replaced until the store gets an Evergreen remodel (and sometimes not even then). Endcap cooler signage is very confusing with Publix, because they recently started installing a new version of endcap cooler which has a redesigned “Cool it/Chill out/Take it easy” sign. Does anyone know anything about this?
Now, let’s welcome in our next guests. Hello, Google Earth Aerial Photos!
This was my first-ever CM 2.5 store. I had always wanted to see one of these, and I was going to email AFB to find out if he knew where any of the remaining CM 2.5 stores were. Before I did that, though I happened to look at the Google listing for #284. When I saw that every single one of the photos showed it with CM 2.5, I knew I had to get over there. I got these photos on my second trip to the store, which was a little under half a year ago.
The question with this store is, “Why didn’t Publix remodel it yet?” To answer that question, I looked online to see if there were any rumors about an oncoming closure (when Publix doesn’t remodel a store for this long, it generally means that it’s going to close instead of getting another remodel). Apparently, Publix is planning on closing this store, but for an expansion, not a standard teardown-rebuild. This surprised me, because Publix usually takes any chance they can to rebuild an older store. I’m not a hundred percent sure what’s going to happen to this Publix, as there is no confirmed closure date, but I have a feeling that it’s going to close soon.
Read A Strange Circle K next.
Until I return,
Mr. Rejoice Retail
In modern Publix corporate lingo, “expansion” is just a synonym for “rebuild”. While it would be fun to see what a store of this vintage would look like expanded out the side, Publix would almost always rather start fresh these days (although in the 1990’s, there’s a chance they could have done a true “expansion”). Apparently there was a jewelry store a few doors to the right of the current Publix that was holding up Publix’s rebuild plans as they ran out their lease, with said jewelry store only closing within the last few days. That seems to be why the rebuild project has only taken up steam now, as it had been rumored for a few years. The construction plans for #284’s replacement just went out to bid about a month ago, so a closure announcement for this store should be coming out sooner rather than later, probably by the end of the year.
At least you got to see this store before it closed, but had you missed it, there still is at least one other Publix on the Treasure Coast holding onto CM 2.5, and oddly enough, it’s not at an older store up for replacement. #1128 on Becker Road in Port St. Lucie still has Classy Market 2.5 as of this past July, and I can assure you that one is not going to be rebuilt anytime soon! Why it’s lasted so long without a remodel though, I have no idea. There are a few other random CM 2.5 holdouts still out there, but they’re becoming much rarer, and at this point if a store built before 1995 still has it, it’s basically the sign of doom.
As for the old photo you found, it was for sure taken after 1998, as it shows the Bealls Outlet already open in the old Walgreens space. Walgreens moved across the street in 1998, but that’s the best I can do for narrowing things down.
I realized that Publix called rebuilds “expansions” a while ago, but I seem to remember something that I found in a newspaper article that said something which made it clear that this store was going to get an actual expansion and not a rebuild, but I don’t remember what it was. I’m going to look into that a bit more.
Wow, PSL still has a Bamboo store? I would think that Publix would have Evergreened it long ago, since PSL is so modern, but then PSL has also had some other older Publix decor holdouts and still has two stores with white exterior signage.
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I realized recently that St. Lucie County and Vero Beach seem to have a very low amount of Sienna stores left. I can only think of two: #340 (which I haven’t been to in a while) and #1682. Vero just got its three last Sienna stores (#240, #385, and #898) remodeled, so now Vero has Bamboo but not Sienna!)
Publix actually did a true expansion to a store in South Carolina recently, but that was the first time since probably the 1990’s that I’ve heard of Publix doing such a thing (it’s new store #2090 if you want to see it, I can’t remember the original number off the top of my head). The news article you saw might have misinterpreted Publix’s intentions here, especially with how Publix considers rebuilds as “remodels” rather than true “new stores” internally.
I know – #1128 is across from a really fancy neighborhood in a growing part of town, but that Publix is stuck in 2011. I don’t understand it! I think that’s the last CM 2.5 in St. Lucie County. Sienna is beginning to fade away quite rapidly now too, but is certainly still more abundant than 2.5 is now. I was glad to see the other remaining older Publix stores in Indian River County (#287 and #385) remodel to Evergreen, which means they’ll be around for a while longer. It’s a shame Publix opted to rebuild #284 though, but with the mall across the street redeveloping, it must have been a good time to fully modernize that store.
Will be interesting to see whether they rebuild or expand. A Rebuild seems more sensical, however to see an expansion into the jewelry store space would be cool to see if impractical for Publix in the long run…
Most likely, the jewelry store space will be demolished along with the existing Publix, and the new Publix will expand into the area where the jewelry store was located.