The Lake Miriam Publix in Lakeland currently being rebuilt should be open by Thanksgiving – in time for the grocer’s seasonal ice cream flavors and its turkey Pub Subs garnished with cranberries.
The target opening date is Nov. 13, said an employee at the Publix store across the street.
The newly reconstructed Lake Miriam Publix at 4730 Florida Ave. will have most of the popular features of a Greenwise store within it, an employee at the nearby Publix store said.
That store, on the west side of Florida Avenue, was previously a Greenwise market, one of eight such small-format markets specializing in organic and specialty brands, all but one in Florida. But the year before the demolition of the Lake Miriam store, Publix announced it would convert all of its Greenwise stores to a standard Publix stores. The smaller store across from the Lake Miriam plaza remained open throughout the rebuild.
“The one across the street is going to be a Greenwise inside of Publix,” the employee said. “So, everything that Greenwise has, that store across the street is going to have.”
Features at the new store will include mezzanine seating overlooking the store for eating and drinking deli items, the employee said. There will be a hot bar, a cold bar, salad bar and pizza and burrito stations. There will also be a Pours section: At Greenwise, this was a section serving beer, wine, specialty teas and smoothies.
Publix spokeswoman Marie Brous did not reply to an email about the rebuild.
The Lake Miriam store, first built in the 1970s, closed on July 6, 2024. While the Lake Miriam store has been closed, renovations have been made to the facade of the entire shopping center.
On land purchased in 1977, the original building was recently valued at $3.33 million and owned by Publix Super Markets Inc., county property records show.
According to city documents, the Lake Miriam Publix project included the demolition of an existing 59,533-square-foot grocery store and an adjacent retail tenant space to make way for the new 63,830-square-foot store with a drive-thru pharmacy.
The project will also improve vehicular use areas including the parking lot. The landscaping and utilities will be improved as well as the existing stormwater pond.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Rebuilt Lake Miriam Publix to open weeks before Thanksgiving. Here’s what it’ll have inside
Reporting by Paul Nutcher, Lakeland Ledger / The Ledger
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