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1835 State Road 44
Welcome to the New Smyrna Beach Winn-Dixie!
It's another week in Florida! Last week, we saw one of New Smyrna Beach’s Publix locations. That wasn't the first Publix we've been to; today, though, we'll be taking a look at a Winn-Dixie, the other major grocery store in Florida, for the first time! This particular Winn-Dixie location was opened in 1996 as a replacement for the original store in town, which was only 12 years old at the time. As you can tell from the outside, this is one of the many Winn-Dixie stores from that time period to be of the "Marketplace" model, and it retained that decor until a remodel to "Down Down" in 2018. Okay, enough links! Let's go inside!
We enter in the middle of the store, with the grand aisle being on the right. Here we see a cart corral and a welcome sign with some nice photos of vintage Winn-Dixie stores and beach scenes.
The "sand & surf" department, with lots of beach toys and New Smyrna Beach souvenirs, operates in the former photo lab. It was removed by the time they filed for bankruptcy in 2005 and later used for random general merchandise, but now serves a more specific purpose.
The produce department and floral section are both in the front right corner of the store. As you will see throughout the tour, this store was really empty, unlike the Publix.
Wine and beer are located next to the floral area. While some stores with the Down Down decor have pretty much entirely red walls, this store has quite a lot of variety, with this department being a dark gray and the service departments having wood paneling.
All the usual fresh departments here: deli, kitchen, seafood, and butcher. For being The Beef People, Winn-Dixie sure doesn't have a lot of people at the butcher counter (or any counter, for that matter). The majority of the employees at the store were stocking. I guess I'm expecting a store near the beach in the middle of July in the afternoon to be packed, but this is pretty much the off-season for Florida beaches.
A few aisles were taken out during the remodel to add the Dollar Shop. But I see quite a few things for sale here that are more than a dollar.
Looking down the second half of aisle 4 towards the front of the store.
Taking up the rest of the back wall are the packaged meats. Here you can see some of the Marketplace flooring left over.
Frozen foods are in roughly the middle of the store. It's interesting to see coffin coolers still in place here, since those definitely had their heyday in the '90s when this store had first opened.
The last aisle is home to milk and dairy.
I also happened to notice that Winn-Dixie's new house label, Know & Love, has spread to the dairy aisle. I believe the first product to undergo the rebrand were Winn-Dixie's famed wood chips. The Know & Love brand will replace the SE Grocers label, which is still seen in most of the store.
And the BAKERY BAKERY is in the front corner at the end of the dairy department, away from the other service counters. Here's how this department looked with the old decor. As Albertsons Florida Blog noted for My Florida Retail, this was the only department with working neon signage by the time the remodel was imminent.
This store doesn't have a pharmacy, but it does have a good selection of health and beauty. The former pharmacy department was right across from here, and has since been walled over.
Customer service and the checkout lanes as we leave this store. I wonder how many times I've said that.
As we pull out of Coast Plaza, here's a look at the roadside sign for this shopping center. The vast majority of people coming to this shopping center are definitely here for Winn-Dixie.
Other Images of Interest
Street View Images
2016
This store was definitely a lot different back in 2016, with a white paint job and 2005 logo on the exterior, and '90s Marketplace decor and a pharmacy on the interior.
Nearby competition
0.3 miles away: Publix of New Smyrna Beach
This Winn-Dixie has been going head-to-head with a Publix across the street for most of its time operating here. Publix first opened at this location in 1987, nine years before Winn-Dixie relocated. The original store closed in August 2018 and was demolished, being replaced by a new store in June 2019. The Winn-Dixie remodeled during that time.
3.1 miles away: Publix of Indian River Village
The other New Smyrna Beach Publix is located down the road in the Indian River Village center. In true Publix fashion, it has also been demolished and rebuilt, originally opening in 1976 before closing for demolition in 2002 and reopening later that year.
Thank you for joining me on this Winn-Dixie tour! I thought it seemed like a totally average supermarket. I found almost everything I was looking for, and the cashier was even more friendly than anyone I've met at Publix before. And even though it was a little eerie walking through the quiet and empty store as "Sunny Came Home" played in the background, I still thought this seemed like a nice store, and I do like the decor. See you next week! The Retail Connection: It's a Winn win.
