1940 Publix Super Market
Posted by: 
Markerman62
N 28° 01.331 W 081° 43.720
17R E 428369 N 3099873
Located on West Central Avenue in front of the former store.
Waymark Code: WMXC4V
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 12/24/2017
Views: 10
George W. Jenkins opened the first Publix Food Store in Winter Haven in 1930. Five years later, he opened a second location in town. He closed these first two stores to open his dream store, the first Publix Super market, on this site, Nov. 8, 1940. Jenkins combined the most advanced elements of U.S. food retailing with his own ideas to create a supermarket unlike any before. It featured air conditioning, fluorescent lighting and frozen food cases. The interior decor of pastel colors, beautiful terrazzo tile and soft music created a pleasant atmosphere for shoppers. The store's crowning glory was its electric-eye door, an amenity that exceeded the innovation of what any retail food company was offering at the time. It was called a "food palace' of marble, glass and stucco. Publix operated here until 1957, when it was replaced by a new store in Winter Haven.
Marker Number: PCHC-020
Date: 2016
County: Polk
Marker Type: Roadside
Sponsored or placed by: The Polk County Historical Commission, Publix Super Markets, Inc. St Matthew Cathoilc Church
Website: [Web Link]
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