Publix | Orlando, FL

 

400 E. Central Blvd.

Welcome to the Lake Eola Publix!

Welcome back to The Retail Connection! We're in the Sunshine State today for a tour of one of Orlando's Publix locations. This one in particular is on the ground floor of the Paramount on Lake Eola apartment complex, and opened in September 2008. Inside, this store primarily has the "Classy Market 2.5" decor (officially called Bamboo), with some remnants of Classy Market 2.0 (Invigorate). Let's get out of the hot Florida sun and step inside!

Welcome to Publix!

Here's the Publix Pharmacy from two angles. The "awning" structure is original to Classy Market 1.0 and is very rare to see nowadays (thanks Sing Oil Blog!).

Past the pharmacy are dairy and beer. Wine is in the next aisle. This store has a pretty decent liquor selection.

Floral is in one of the aisles on the right side of the store.

Lunch meats extend to the back wall, with the two sides being divided by restrooms.

A little blurry in seafood, which is only a tiny counter next to the meat section.

Produce takes up the rest of the back right corner. I don't know if it's common for Publix, but I've never seen a grocery store with produce in the back before.

This store still uses the Classy Market 2.0 aisle markers.

And here's the Publix Deli, directly past produce.

Next is the bakery, established 1957. I didn't get any baked goods today, but they had a pretty nice selection and it all looked good.

A look at customer service in the front corner and also the express checkout lanes.

Other Images of Interest

Street View Images

2022

Looking the same as of last April.

2008

Looking the same as of 2008, too.

2007

Still under construction in October 2007, the first time Google went through this area. Ground broke in April 2006.

Well, that's going to do it for this very special Publix tour! Thank you for reading The Retail Connection -- Where Shopping is a Pleasure!

ShopRite | Eddystone, PA

 

1568 Chester Pike

Welcome to the Eddystone ShopRite!

Happy new year, and welcome back to The Retail Connection! I hope you'll join me today for a tour of the Eddystone ShopRite. This location opened in 2005 in a former Festival Foods, which only operated from 2002 until 2003. Until the Drexel Hill store opened in 2014, this was the only ShopRite in Delaware County. It is operated by Collins Family Markets. Let's head inside and take a look!

According to this welcome wall, Collins Markets was founded in 1995. I'm not sure if they've been a Wakefern member since then or not. Collins also operates the next closest ShopRite, in Glenolden, which opened in 2016 in a former Pathmark.

Immediately to your right when you enter the store is produce and floral. The wood flooring definitely adds a nice touch to the décor. I think this section is the best part of the store, in terms of design.

Past the produce section is the former salad bar. It seems like this section now sells fried chicken as an extension of the deli.

The deli in question. It's decently sized, but this area is pretty cramped with displays. I was in between two cases while taking this picture.

The bakery next door is much more spacious. I've always liked their baked goods, but sometimes I've seen some weird things there, like 7up flavored cake.

Tight quarters in seafood -- or should I say, Fisherman's Wharf -- as well. This department had just gotten a shipment, too, which probably made matters worse. The signage and the flooring have a cool design, though.

Here is a look at one of the aisle markers used with this décor. I believe these are original to the store, as the slogan at the bottom was used from 1999 to 2008.

Fresh meats is along the back wall next to seafood. The font used is Cooper Black, which is also used by Weis Markets for their logo. The dairy aisle has a similar sign.

Banners hanging in frozen which also use the Weis font.

The cheese department is past frozen. Obviously it's not just a cheese section, as I can spot some ranch and frozen dinners in that coffin freezer.

Along the far left wall is the full-scale dairy department. Which, of course, isn't complete without even more cheese. A little blurry.

Speaking of cheese, here's a comparison between ShopRite-brand products and Bowl and Basket-brand. The new design is the one on the right, but for some reason they're still making both kinds.

This section was formerly the pharmacy window, but it closed in 2021 along with 62 other in-store pharmacies at ShopRite. This store sealed up the window and implemented a small general merchandise section.

Here's the front end, with 16 checkouts. I believe the lane lights are also original. Along the front wall is another, newer slogan.

Other Images of Interest

Street View Images

2019

The pharmacy was still in operation at this time.

2007

This was only two years after they opened. Not much has changed, although they don't do triple coupons anymore.

Nearby competition

500 feet away: Walmart of Eddystone

This Walmart co-anchors the center and opened in 2001, slightly before Festival Foods. It's not a Supercenter, but it does have a full grocery section only missing the service departments. This location still has the brown exterior and Project Impact interior decor.

That's going to do it for this tour! Thanks for shopping The Retail Connection. Happy New Year and see you next time!

Goodwill | Holmes, PA

 

2137 MacDade Blvd.

Welcome to the Holmes Goodwill!

We're back on The Retail Connection! Today, we're checking out a thrift store. The Holmes Goodwill, located in the MacDade Plaza, has been open for over 30 years (formerly a furniture store) and recently got a remodel. The walls have been painted, new decor is up, and the checkout and cart corrals have been moved. Let's step inside, get out of the cold, and take a look!

This area was formerly empty, but it now houses the cart corrals. They were previously along the front wall, where the checkout currently is. The wall was also repainted with this new slogan.

Here's a look at the decor that runs along the walls. The "Donate. Shop. Create Jobs." slogan is seen throughout the store. 

I don't know for sure, but I think these price directories are new. They're towards the back of the store, where the glassware, housewares, books, and movies are.

These category markers are also new. These are all throughout the store.

The biggest change by far is the new checkout area. I took this picture from where the old checkout lanes were. They went the other way and were further back. This new way is definitely much better.

Other Images of Interest

My Finds

I found some interesting retail memorabilia on my trip here.

Reused carts

This store has a plethora of recycled shopping carts. In view are carts from Acme, Walmart, and Marshalls. I wouldn't be surprised if this store also has old Kmart carts from their Holmes location, which closed in 2019, lying around, though I didn't see any.

Here's a close-up look at the cart I used on this trip, a black cart from Acme. I used to see red ones at this store before the remodel, but not this time.

Vintage filter-drier

Not necessarily retail, but I saw this very old Sporlan Catch-All Filter-Drier which is probably from the 50's or 60's. According to Google, Sporlan Valve Company is defunct and was located in Elkins Park, PA.

A&W mug

I ended up buying this A&W mug. It was only 99 cents. It's in pretty good condition, too.

CVS sticker

The item itself (a brownie pan/cutter) wasn't interesting, but I thought this sticker was. It's a "security label" which obviously wasn't supposed to be on something that was for sale. There's a number beneath it to call "if found at other outlets". The CVS is still open, by the way.

That's all for this brief tour! Thanks for stopping by The Retail Connection!