Publix #172 / Future Publix #1782
4601 9th Street North, Naples, FL - Neapolitan Way
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| Today's post is a presentation of Collier County retail |
The Publix that time forgot, and that time eventually caught up to. Back in August 2022 I brought everyone coverage of Publix #172, the last holdout in the chain to retain the company's early 2000's Classy Market 1.0 interior (outliving most other remaining examples of that interior décor by a good 5-6 years). Having not received an interior remodel since 2006 (per county records pulled by the Sing Oil Blogger), Publix #172 was an interesting glimpse into company's past, especially for a grocery chain that keeps most stores on a rigorous remodeling cycle that typically occurs every 6-8 years. The fact this store went nearly 20 years without a remodel is almost unheard of for Publix, and was primarily the product of a total tear-down-and-rebuild project Publix had planned that got snagged in the planning process (and I wouldn't be surprised if this store's planned conversion into a Greenwise 1.0 store in the late 2000's - also aborted - could have played a role in this store's lack of remodeling in recent years too as Publix tried to figure out a plan for its future).
After serving as a time capsule into the early 2000's for so many years, Publix was finally able to get its replacement project pushed through and store #172 closed for good on November 30, 2024 - the end of an era, now leaving the ca. 2010 Classy Market 2.5 as Publix's oldest interior decor left in the wild in an operational Publix store. In the week or so after Publix #172 closed, a fixture auction was held to clear the building so demolition prep could officially begin. Since Naples isn't particularly close to where I live, I wasn't able to make it out here to visit this store in its post-closure state, however, AFB and MFR contributor Horizontal Horizons (as well as the Sing Oil Blogger) were able to make it out here for some final coverage before the very end. Today's post will feature the photos taken of Publix #172 by Horizontal Horizons, who visited this store a few months before it closed, as well as a final visit early in the fixture auction process (and those photos are what we'll be seeing after this introduction). The Sing Oil Blogger visited Publix #172 near the very end of the fixture sale process when much of the stuff had already been cleaned out, so his tour will offer some different perspectives from what we're about to see from Horizontal Horizons. The differing perspectives are interesting to show how the store emptied out over the ensuing week, and after reading through this post, be sure to flip over to Sing's coverage here.
Anyway, from here on out (except for my concluding thoughts at the very end), I will turn this post over to Horizontal Horizons (with any additional comments on the photos from myself appearing in italics). The following photos will be broken into two parts, with Part 1 being a before and after juxtaposition of Publix #172 as it appeared while open, followed by a similar photo taken during the fixture auction. Part 2 will feature additional photos of this store from the fixture auction that Horizontal Horizons added as well. Lots of interesting stuff to see, so let's get started:
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Part 1 - Before and After:
Kicking off the full tour right away, I’ll be placing my photos from both eras of the store’s life side by side in order to properly highlight the stark contrast. Hopefully this is all able to enhance the overall experience!
Taking our first peek at the Mediterranean-themed facade and front vestibule, there isn’t too much of an obvious difference aside from the fact of how the Publix sign has now been taken down from its steel “cage” up there.
Moving forward through the left entryway, I’ll begin the interior tour with #172’s vestibule. With all of those shopping carts now gone, the walkway inside felt a whole lot more spacious and open!
Entering the main part of the building and approaching the backside of the check lanes, you can immediately get a good scope of #172’s general footprint as well as a sense for just how small the store really is! It really is amazing how much smaller the store feels with all the product cleared out and clutter gone.
Tilting our perspective to the right just past the registers is this small section between customer service and the exit which was once home to greeting cards and general promotional / impulse merchandise.
Beyond that tiny sales space, we of course have the customer service desk itself, now partially obstructed by empty miscellaneous product display shelves.
To the left of the CS counter, we once had the store’s dairy department. And before proceeding, I’d like take a quick moment here to appreciate the uniquely colored backgrounds behind each department sign - something I didn’t fully notice until after my first few visits! (I know, right, that’s insane!) I didn't really appreciate the color scheme of Classy Market 1.0 either when it was popular, but seeing the breakdown of all the colors really makes you appreciate this decor when you compare it to Evergreen!
Here is a quick glance at the end portion of Neapolitan Way’s Publix dairy department - but the sights of coffee creamer and cheese is not the reason why I chose to include these images! If you look closely at that back wall you will see three distinct CM 1.0 decor package signs mounted above those coolers. Probably being the last of their kind, I hope those signs found a good home and didn't end up with the rest of the store in the Collier County Landfill!
Turning around to face the opposite direction over from dairy, attention is now focused onto the deli department. Home of course to Publix’s iconic “custom subs!” (as well as this location’s famed curved signage!)
Here is another perspective turned towards the deli “cave”, housed along the store’s back wall in typical 1980s Publix fashion. Per Sing, I heard this deli sign was looking much less pristine when he came here about a week later.
Moving past the deli, here is a (decently clear) straight shot down #172’s back actionway, looking towards meat, seafood, and produce. As you can see, the “pickup” station signage has been dismantled since the store’s closure, however, (thank goodness) that’s about it for missing signs!
Along with a glimpse down towards the left side of the deli, now stepping back into the meat department, we can see there is no shortage of empty refrigerated shelving just waiting to be auctioned off.
Shelving galore!
Peeking around the corner from those empty meat displays, I’ll turn one more time into the deli department. This time around, we have a pretty good (rare) look inside the actual alcove.
I was pretty satisfied with the first shot in particular of this scene (from when the store was still open), as it’s often especially difficult to capture any clear photos of the Publix deli, especially with it in a state of such emptiness! I also visited on a Saturday afternoon (the first time around) which made the deserted atmosphere even more of a surprising mystery! I second that surprise too!
Back into the meat department, we are now closely approaching seafood and produce further off to the left here.
Arriving into the seafood department, with each passing day I grow more curious as to why the department signage was not just mounted to the wall. I mean, it’s not like there wasn’t any space to do it! And if you can recall from before, even the customer service signage was stuck right onto the old Wavy Pastel awning. Guess that couldn’t have been replicated here for whatever reason? Well, at least it gives us something to be confused about! After all, what would life be without any mysteries? And Publix has certainly created many mysteries for us! I can't help with this mystery much, but wall-mounted Classy Market 1.0 Seafood signs did indeed exist.
Entering the produce department, aside from some slight rearrangement of fixtures, nothing in the overall landscape was really altered besides the addition of a dismantled pipe pile (which I don’t believe even originated from this section to begin with). Really, the simple absence of any color from all the fresh produce once housed here is what stands out the most to me here!
Turning the camera around from that plethora of empty wooden display tables, here is the former produce service counter / fresh case, at one time home to pre-cut fruit bowls and similar sorts of products.
Fresh vegetables are unfortunately no more down here on Neapolitan Way. And that empty cooler certainly doesn't look as fresh as the vegetables did either!
Besides a neat look at the iron trellis overhead, this view should also provide a unique wide perspective as to how far this store stretches on for. Now, I know I mentioned before how this store was “small,” and I do stand by that in a sense relative to other Publix stores. For their standards, this store was pretty small. However, for just an overall building, generally speaking, the place felt absolutely massive to explore! Especially having only me and barely anyone else inside for the most part.
Exiting the confines of produce, we near this minuscule floral setup. And from what I was looking at, I’m not even entirely convinced you can rightfully call it a “department!” Jokes aside, I honestly can’t remember if the fresh flower case missing in the bottom photo was moved elsewhere in the store, or hauled away by Publix during their post-closure merchandise purge. Realistically thinking, I’ll assume it was left behind elsewhere in the store, though I can’t really be too sure, as I do not recall finding it.
Making our way through the frozen foods section, you will see something incredibly out of the ordinary for Publix stores off out in the distance within my bottom photo.
If you didn’t notice already throughout some of my previous images, this store was in pretty rough shape overall (at least during the auction preview). While I’m not sure if the overall dismantling of everything took this much of a toll on the place, it certainly couldn't have helped. I will say though, within the 6 month period of my first and last visit, the state of #172 has undoubtedly declined significantly. While regular wear and tear appeared prevalent (as it should for a near 40 year old building), there were also many leaking ceiling tiles scattered throughout which screamed lack of maintenance more than anything else.
For instance, this section over by frozen foods / the bakery was by the far worst of the bunch, with what seemed to be a lake of water blanketing the scratched up terrazzo flooring beneath. While some damage could have been made by the auctioneers during their work moving things around (such as the “lake” of water from knocking into some piping overhead), there must have also been a few greater underlying issues which led to all the cosmetic deterioration (ceiling stains from smaller leaks). After all, that much damage and yellowing doesn’t just happen overnight.
Though I’m obviously disappointed to see the store go for nostalgic reasons, I feel Publix’s approach to a total rebuild here is not exactly over the top in this specific scenario.
Moving past all the water damage, on a “sweeter” note, let’s head on into the bakery department! While the fresh baked bread and desserts may all be gone, iconic traces of CM 1.0 in this area thankfully have not left us yet! Besides that blue tile wall backsplash and what appears to be updated tables, I would not know I left 2004! Predating even those fixtures, though, would have to be this discombobulated store layout itself, discontinued by the early 1990s (I think - Yes, I believe 1995 was the last year a store with a layout like this opened). With bakery and deli fresh departments nearly on complete opposite sides of the store, I can only imagine what each and every day had to look like stocking the deli with sub rolls, as opposed to doing so at a modern store! (I can only imagine the bakers were getting their steps in dropping off sub rolls for the deli!)
What a sad sight, no more delicious sugary carbs to binge on!
Moving just about full circle, back towards the registers and exit, we have one last department to visit before calling it a night here at #172; that being the wine “cave”, just bordering the bakery. It’s a shame they are now all out of stock as you probably could have used a few glasses after enduring all my many ramblings on this store!
What was I thinking? I can’t leave the store or end this tour until getting a look at the biggest department of them all - dry grocery!
I will say I like how this bunch of photos turned out with both rows of emptiness on each side, and the Publix sign in the background too!
And here we have it - the final stage to grocery shopping. As this walk comes to an end, I hope you enjoyed “(check)ing(out)” this store in its last phase of life, as I sure enjoyed writing this!
Is it just me, or do these check lanes look especially odd with no promotional / impulse displays to encircle them? (They sure do!) Also, in the first image, I wonder how old that pull-out “closed” sign is? It looks pretty out of date to me. (They are out of date for Publix - I think these check lanes are a 1990's model that have since been replaced at most stores).
Heading for the exit, I couldn’t help but think it would be my very last time walking out of store #172. I would never lay eyes on a fully decked out CM 1.0 store ever again!
For whatever reason, I feel like the coloring in the “abandoned” image on the bottom appears so much gloomier than the one still full of life up top. Maybe when I wanted to enhance coloring to the original photos I forgot to make the same adjustments to both? Either that or the sky was just darker for my December tour.
Well, I hope you enjoyed the side by side comparisons with this one! I tried my best to capture the same angles both times and do hope everything turned out decently. And be sure to hang in there, as while that wraps up the before and after tour, there's still a Part 2 to this post!
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Part 2 - Fixture Auction Miscellany:
For the last part of this post I highlighted photos from similar angles which I had gathered between two different trips for comparison. To wrap everything up here, I’ll add a few of my favorite captures from the auction that I did not have any “before” documentation of. I hope you enjoy!
Though I always found these faux light fixtures to be a key component in the CM 1.0 decor scheme, I never noticed until the auction preview this month how they all had Publix branding on them at the base! I didn't know that either - nice attention to detail there on Publix's part!
I did like this angle of the deli sign off in the distance, though I’m not really sure about the presence of Sienna pet food category markers.
The building was really in a shocking state of overall deterioration / decay. I agree - those stains on the ceiling tiles are pretty nasty, and not something Publix typically tolerates!
Empty CM 1.0 department management name / photo insert spots.
A look towards floral, sandwiched between two aisles of frozen foods.
CM 1.0 security camera shoplifter deterrent.
Collection of CM 1.0 signs
Empty abyss!
Back actionway sales floor view from behind seafood counter.
Standing behind the seafood service counter.
They had to slice a hole in the top of this doorway in order to fit their heavy duty machinery inside! I guess solutions like this only work when the building will be coming down in just over a week!
Top of shelf view, peeking into neighboring departments.
I really like how this curved deli sign photo turned out!
The store was not entirely cleared out of merchandise. Can you ever go wrong with stale Peeps?
Only 5 and a half years out of date! Yummy!
One of the most inspiring quotes to date: “cool it, chill out, take it easy!” - Publix 2004. We need to get that quote sewn onto a throw pillow now!
Seafood counter! (Still carried a mild fish scent)
Produce prep room.
Why so dimly lit?
Tire tracks in the aisle.
Wide deli view.
“What to do with the glove boxes? Destroy them, ok.” - someone in that Publix
Deli at the tip of the road.
No service for me.
Puddle at the end of the tunnel.
Front actionway.
Gradual fixture deterioration.
Disheveled mess.
Behind the deli counter. You can tell the sub shop arrangement is not original to this location. (This store was actually 6 years older than than Pub Sub.)
The deli is dead, devoid of both food and crowds.
Back stock rooms. Was the green floor an 80s thing? I wouldn’t know because I wasn’t alive back then. I have seen these green floors in the backrooms at other 1970's and 1980's era Publix stores, so it must have been a thing for a while.
Dismantled heaps of pipe along stockroom corridor.
Stockroom office?
More posters.
Customer service back counter.
Looks like #172 was a pretty high volume store. Maybe that’s why it took so long for them to finally come to terms with replacing it? Possibly, but some areas are just pickier with permitting than others too. I'm surprised one of the managers didn't take this with them though.
Do you happen to know if this phrase was part of an early 2000s produce marketing campaign or originally a place for international inspired fruits / vegetables? As far as I'm aware it was just to sound fancy and dress up the wall, and wasn't a part of any kind of early 2000's marketing campaign that I recall.
I guess they don’t serve.
Here’s a closer look at the iron register trellis.
This doorway in the men’s restroom has likely seen much better days. I mean, look at all that rust! And if the rust looks pretty nasty, you can focus on the Wavy Pastel wall tiles instead!
Another glance out towards the front actionway.
A peek down what I believe was aisle 14, the final aisle.
Despite these big yellow signs, a couple of elderly customers still attempted to enter and come shop. Luckily for them, the auction man in charge appeared to be used to it and calmly explained everything to them, telling everyone a new store would be open within the next year.
Former Presto! ATM space.
Front promotional display coolers.
Back actionway closeup.
Well, there you have it! I feel like I now have all bases covered on this store (and more).
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Thank you Horizontal Horizons for all the photos of Publix #172 - it was nice to have a final look at this store in its post closure state, and the before and after was really interesting to see too! By the time this post goes live, construction on the new Publix #1782 should be well underway, with the new store potentially on track to open toward the end of 2025. While Classy Market 1.0 may be no more, if you want one final glimpse of that decor, be sure to jump over to The Sing Oil Blogger's fixture auction coverage of Publix #172 as well to see just how much the sights around this building changed only a week later.
And speaking of the Sing Oil Blogger, on top of covering the final hours of Publix #172, he's also knee deep in "Marketplace Madness" this month on his blog too. I'll join the fun and give everyone a little "Marketplace Madness" of my own here on AFB next time. Where will this madness take us? Come back in two weeks to find out!
So until the next post,
The Albertsons Florida Blogger
