Former Albertsons #4314 - Gainesville, FL (NW 13th Street)

Albertsons #4314

2323 NW 13th Street, Gainesville, FL - Albertsons Plaza

YonWooRetail2 - this post is for you!

     Hello everyone and welcome to Gator Country! (Sorry 'Noles fans, but we'll be back in Tallahassee eventually.) While most people come to visit Gainesville for something related to the University of Florida, I'm the only nutball who drove all the way here just to visit the supermarkets (and former supermarkets) around town. While I've done my due diligence in the past visiting Gainesville and doing the usual tour of the university campus, the retail was the star of this trip, with former Albertsons #4314 being one of my stops for the day. If you follow YonWooRetail2 on flickr, this store may look familiar to you. Albertsons #4314 was YonWoo's local Albertsons for a number of years, and he documented this building quite a bit as it transitioned into its current state (in addition to doing quite a bit of research on the history of this building too). As we go through today's post, we'll see a mixture of photos taken by myself and YonWoo, as well as some of the historical photographs YonWoo dug up in his research of this building. This should be an interesting post, so let's begin:

Photo courtesy of YonWooRetail2

     Albertsons #4314 opened on August 18, 1976, an early addition to Albertsons' Floridian store fleet. In Albertsons' earliest years in Florida, the chain was primarily focused on the larger urban markets for expansion, such as Tampa Bay, Jacksonville, Orlando, Pensacola, and Fort Lauderdale. By 1976, two years after first entering the state, Albertsons began opening stores in some of the smaller (at the time) cities further removed from those core urban areas, beginning with a group of three stores - one each in Fort Myers (#4313), Gainesville (#4314), and 'Nole Country Tallahassee (#4315). As time went on Albertsons began to make moves into most corners of Florida, but those three stores were the first push by Albertsons to break free from the metro areas most new-entrant supermarket chains try to stick to.

Photo courtesy of YonWooRetail2

     Albertsons #4314 opened at the tail end of the Skagg-Albertsons partnership era, and the building would have looked similar to this originally. Opening with the 70's Stripes decor, Albertsons #4314 would later remodel to the Blue and Gray Market decor, followed by a fairly thorough remodel in early 1999 to the the Blue and Green Awnings interior. That remodel also changed the design of the facade to what we've seen in these last few photos, the facade that remains in-tact to this day too. The usual changes of reconfiguring the entryways, relocating the liquor store and pharmacy to the front corner of the building, and sealing off the side entrance were done too.

Photo courtesy of YonWooRetail2

     YonWoo's experiences with this store were primarily in its later years, so a lot of what he remembers about this store comes from the era where Albertsons was beginning its Floridian decline. However, he did have this to share with us about his time shopping at Albertsons #4314: "This is the Albertsons store where I learned that both they have a fantastic bakery, and the store where I realized the biggest reason Albertsons was failing in Florida. The store stunk of soured mop water in places and seafood several times I went in, and there was even a Deli counter worker who treated me rudely. I was so devoted to Albertsons, I still shopped here, just not the Deli counter". I have heard similar sentiments about the older Floridian Albertsons stores as they neared their ends, as Albertsons was beginning to let their stores slip to a much larger degree following the 2006 breakup of the company. At least the original Albertsons management was trying to keep the Floridian stores afloat with remodels and some expansion, as well as better store upkeep, but the new management following the breakup essentially began a very slow wind-down of the Florida division.

     Also, in the photo above, you'll see two benches on the store's front walkway - keep those benches in the back of your head for the end of this post.

Photo courtesy of YonWooRetail2

     In the end, Albertsons #4314 had a not-too-shabby 35-year-long run when it closed on October 8, 2011, the same day stores #4326 in Tampa and #4373 in Mount Dora also closed. Making it into the final 20 of Florida's Albertsons stores was pretty good too, outlasting Gainesville's other Albertsons store by 3 years (#4389 on Archer Road, which was sold to Publix in 2008). However, I'm sure by 2011 sales were slipping quite a bit here, with the store closed for that reason, and not because it was haunted by a disgruntled shopper like the photo above would lead you to believe! (Although that would make for a much better story!) The above photo shows us a look down one of #4314's grocery aisles, with the Blue and Green Awnings aisle markers and trim visible too. YonWoo edited out the person posing in the aisle for this photo, hence the reason for the ghostly looking figure.

Photo courtesy of Wes Lindberg on flickr

     In addition to the photo down the aisle, YonWoo also discovered the above photo on flickr, giving us an eerie look from above at the store's emptied out grocery aisles following its closure in October 2011. Maybe it's just me, but this photo seems scarier than the one with the ghostly figure standing in the middle of the aisle!

Photo courtesy of YonWooRetail2

     After a year of sitting vacant, it was announced in early 2013 that Big Lots would be opening a new store in the left half of former Albertsons #4314. The new Big Lots would replace the company's older Gainesville store about a mile to the east of here in the Northside Shopping Center (a space that's now home to an Ollie's, ironically). The Northside Shopping Center was also home to an extremely dated Winn-Dixie, which YonWoo provided us with a short tour of just before that store closed for good in 2016.

     The new Big Lots opened in July 2013, with its neighbor BioTest Plasma Blood Donation Center (now Biomat USA) coming along a few years later in 2017 (although we'll talk more about that space later). The liquor store was later rented by a local moving company, creating an odd trifecta of tenants for this former Albertsons building.

     Besides repainting Albertsons' old blue trim black, the remainder of the building hasn't been painted since Albertsons left, even with all the new tenants moving in. Between Big Lots' and BioTest's signs, you can still clearly see where the 'Albertsons' labelscar was blotched out. Even with the subdivision, the design and characteristics of the building still hold strong from Albertsons, as the new tenants even placed their entrances in the same spots where Albertsons had theirs.

     Just to add to the strong Albertsons vibe, old #4314 still has most of its original river rock panels exposed and in-tact along the front and side of the building.

     The set of windows to my left is original from Albertsons. Big Lots blacked out all but two of the window panels closest to the vestibule, as now their check lanes stand on the opposite side of these windows.

Photo courtesy of YonWooRetail2

     Entering Big Lots, we find that a small vestibule was added. Originally the outer set of doors would have been the only set you walked though, taking you into the store's front end. Big Lots also swapped out the original swinging doors from Albertsons with sliding ones when rebuilding the front entrance and creating the vestibule.

     Moving along to the sales floor, we're going to find that most traces of Albertsons have been removed from the interior of the building. Sadly, modern Big Lots conversions aren't as fun as older ones can be, and even then, Big Lots' recent remodeling campaign has removed a lot of the old decor remnants from those older stores that managed to hang on into the late 2010's and early 2020's.

     The left half of Albertsons #4314 contained the store's deli, bakery, and produce department, all located along the building's left side wall. The meat and seafood counter would have been located over here too, near the back left corner. The photo above looks down the center partition wall, separating Big Lots from BioTest. Big Lots uses the right half of their space for the furniture department, extending out in front of us beyond "The Lot".

     The Gainesville Big Lots still retains a classic Big Lots layout, one where Big Lots would arrange the departments however they saw fit to fill the space (unlike the more standardized "Store of the Future" layout of today). The way this store is laid out has furniture along the right side of the building, housewares in the back beyond that, food in the middle, and everything else wrapping around the back and left side of the building toward the seasonal department in the front left corner.

     As you'd expect, Big Lots has a lot of space dedicated to furniture, filling the area where Albertsons' grocery aisles once ran. My pictures seem to make the furniture department in this store seem small, but the department was really just long and narrow, and had the usual full furniture assortment most Big Lots stores sell.

     I don't know how closely you guys follow Big Lots news, but Big Lots' primary supplier of upholstered furniture declared bankruptcy suddenly last November. That one supplier, the United Furniture Company, supplied roughly 80% of the sofas, loveseats, and reclining chairs sold in the furniture department, including all the upholstered furniture sold under the Lane and Broyhill brands. According to that linked article, the goods from that one supplier accounted for 7% of Big Lots' total sales in 2022 - so that's a big blow to get out of nowhere for the company's most lucrative department. That announcement came after a few rough sales quarters for the company, as well as the announcement that Big Lots would close some stores as the company's growth stagnated. As I've mentioned before, Big Lots seems to change focus on what kind of a store they want to be every year or so, going from being a closeout store to various tangents like wanting to be a furniture store, to being a HomeGoods with a grocery department, to being a mini-Kmart, to trying to be a closeout store and all of that at once. All I know is Big Lots isn't as fun to shop at any more, as their stores began to evolve into whatever they're trying to be now (which, apparently, is a small-town discounter, which the company sees as the answer to all their recent problems).

     Anyway, in relation to the chain's furniture supplier bankruptcy, until Big Lots finds a new supplier, stores have been told that once remaining inventory sells out, to not sell the floor display sofas and chairs for any reason so the furniture department doesn't look empty. Shortly after the news of the bankruptcy transpired, I was at a different Big Lots, and as I walked by the furniture department the furniture employee was arguing with a lady who really wanted to buy one of the couches from the bankrupt supplier. The employee was telling her that due to "unforeseen circumstances" (which I knew was the bankruptcy), he couldn't sell her anything on the floor, even if it was the last one and she really wanted it, per an order by corporate. I've yet to find any updates online of what's going on with Big Lots and trying to find a new furniture supplier, although I'm sure creating a deal like that will take a while.

     That speech out of the way, let's get back on track here! The above photo looks across the store's back actionway, from furniture into the back left corner where Albertsons' produce department used to be.

     No traces from Albertsons to be seen here on the back wall, where the meat coolers used to be, but instead a large selection of hanging wall art and small appliances.

     Moving toward the left side of the store, here's a look from the back left corner back toward furniture.

     A random food aisle scene, the closest this building gets to reliving its glory days as an Albertsons.

     Moving along to the left side actionway, here's a look from the back of the building toward the front, where Albertsons' "grand aisle" used to be. Where I'm standing would have been the old produce department, looking up toward the bakery and deli.

     Like the back wall, the left side wall has been stripped bare as well.

     Looking into the former deli corner, we find the seasonal department and a smattering of the Christmas items that were for sale while I was here.

     The aisle to my right is the beginning of the zig-zag queue line for Big Lots' recent checklane modification, something that has been rolled out to most stores. In the older stores (and even the original "Store of the Future" locations), the individual checklane islands were ripped out and replaced with a queue setup like you'd find a TJMaxx (or similar store). While that setup works for small purchases, the setup is an odd fit for Big Lots, as I've seen people fill carts up with groceries at Big Lots before. I feel the older set-up is more efficient in that regard, as the cashiers only have a very tiny counter to work with now.

     I didn't get a very good picture of the new queue lanes here, but I have better photos of the new setup in other Big Lots tours we'll see in the future. Anyway, as we finish our lap around Big Lots, here's a look toward the exit as we head back outside for a look at the rest of this former Albertsons building:

     Prior to Albertsons' 1999 remodel, the store's main entrance would have been to my left, approximately where that cart return is now. The entire wall to my left would have been windows as well, which were sealed up when Albertsons relocated the entrances to the ends of the building

Photo courtesy of YonWooRetail2

     Moving along to the right side of former Albertsons #4314, we'll take a quick look over there at the portion now home to the Biotest Plasma Center. YonWoo took the above photo in late 2016 as Biotest was in the process of remodeling their half of the building. YonWoo has more photos of the construction on this side of the building in his flickr album of this store, which you can view here.

Photo courtesy of YonWooRetail2

     Biotest would end up opening a few months later in early 2017, these next few photos taken by YonWoo in the weeks leading up to the center's opening.

Photo courtesy of YonWooRetail2

     Visiting late at night shortly before it opened to the public, YonWoo was able to get these photos, as well as a sneak peek inside:

Photo courtesy of YonWooRetail2

     As you'd expect from a medical office, the right side of the former Albertsons building was gutted and rebuilt, which the above peek through the window confirms. Biotest was still getting their equipment set-up in the above photos, but it looks like it wasn't much longer until this place opened for business.

     Biotest would later be bought out by Biomat USA, which is the exact same concept that Biotest was, just with a different name. You can see the updated signage in the above photo, although the swapping of the signage was the only modification made to the building due to the merger.

     During my visit here, I only managed to get that one photo of the Biotest/Biomat side of the building, as there were a number of people lingering out front. Thankfully YonWoo had all those pictures he took of the Biotest/Biomat side, so we were able to get a better look at that portion of the former Albertsons. Anyway, moving along, we'll work our way to the front right corner of the building to take a quick look at the former liquor store:

     The liquor store you see here was constructed during the building's remodel in 1999, moving from around the corner where the two patches in the river rock panels can be seen now. In 2021, local moving company UF Mover Guys took over the former liquor store, however, neither YonWoo nor myself know what UF Mover Guys is using the space for (offices, storage, etc.).

     The liquor store's exterior hasn't been changed at all since Albertsons was here, with the original doors still present. However, UF Mover Guys blacked out the glass on the windows and doors, so I wasn't able to peek inside and see what it looked like in there.

Photo courtesy of YonWooRetail2

     However, YonWoo did manage to capture a few glimpses inside the liquor store with a video he took back in 2019, a few still frames from which we'll take a look at. The first of those just looks from the liquor store back toward Biotest/Biomat, however, we'll now turn our attention to the interior:

Photo courtesy of YonWooRetail2

     Looking through the window before it was blacked out, we see some clear remnants from the Blue and Green Awnings decor inside.

Photo courtesy of YonWooRetail2

 
     From what I can tell, the walk-in beer cooler was located along the right wall rather than in the very back, which explains the strange layout and the wall projecting out from the right side.

     How much UF Mover Guys may have changed inside the old liquor store will remain a mystery for now, but at least YonWoo was able to capture those few images prior that new tenant moving in. (This is AFB, so of course that pun was intended!)

Photo from a really old real estate listing

     The right side of the building has barely changed since it was built, although the lack of a stucco job in the 1999 remodel (which sometimes happened in remodels from that era) really helped keep that classic Albertsons look alive. The closure of the side entrance and the relocation of the liquor store were the only major modifications made over here during the last 45 years.

     Besides the obvious stucco covers where the side entrance and former liquor store windows were sealed, the little ramp up to the curb also acts as a reminder of those long-gone Albertsons features.

Photo courtesy of YonWooRetail2

     So while the interior of former Albertsons #4314 isn't much to note anymore, the exterior of this building couldn't be any more original!

Photo courtesy of YonWooRetail2

     At the time of its closure in 2011, Albertsons #4314 was the northernmost Albertsons store left in Florida, following the closure of the Panhandle's last Albertsons in 2009 (#4497 in Tallahassee). Adding in the closure of Albertsons #4388 in Ocala (which also happened in 2009, in the same wave that took out #4497), #4314 was quite isolated from the remaining Florida stores. For its last two years in business, the next closest Albertsons to Gainesville was #4373 in Mount Dora, almost 90 miles south of here.

     Before we wrap things up here in North Gainesville, let's take a quick look at the little strip center that sticks out from the left side of the building, over by Big Lots:

     What I found interesting about the little strip center was that it was designed to match the architecture of the Albertsons building, using complimentary stucco trim and river rock walls. Most of these late 1970's and early 1980's Albertsons stores weren't intended to be part of a shopping center, so it was rare to see a matching little building like this. Also, I really hope that "Hogan's Great Sandwiches" in the strip plaza sells hero sandwiches, as it would be extremely fitting to walk in there and order one of Hogan's Heroes! (Hey, if a sandwich shop by me can theme itself around the series M*A*S*H, this place could have run with the Hogan's Heroes theme!)

     Finishing out our ground coverage, here's a look into the parking lot at the original Albertsons road sign facing 13th Street, which has now been divided into multiple panels for the plaza's multiple tenants.

     That being said, let's now take to the skies for a look at some aerial images of this store, beginning with some Bird's Eye aerial images courtesy of Bing Maps:

Front

Left Side

Back

Right Side

     And now for historical aerial images, courtesy of Google Earth and historicaerials.com:

Former Albertsons #4314 - 2019

Former Albertsons #4314 - 2015

Former Albertsons #4314 - 2012

Albertsons #4314 - 2010

Albertsons #4314 - 1999

Albertsons #4314 - 1995 - The building before all the modifications were made in the 1999 remodel.

Albertsons #4314 - 1984

Future Albertsons #4314 - 1964 - It appears an entire neighborhood of duplexes was demolished to make way for the new Albertsons store.

     Leaving #4314, as I was driving out of the parking lot, I spotted a relic of the past out of the corner of my eye. Said relic was located behind the Pet Supermarket outlot in front of the old Albertsons building, that relic being a blue plastic Albertsons cart pushed against the back of the building. I had to do a double take and drive behind the Pet Supermarket for a closer look, confirming that I wasn't seeing things! 10 years after the store closed, an old cart from Albertsons was still roaming around over here - crazy! I would have gotten a picture of the cart, but a Pet Supermarket employee was leaning against it while taking a smoke break (which makes me wonder if Pet Supermarket acquired a stray Albertsons cart back when they were still here, and said employee rolled it outside to have something to lean against while on break). However, that wasn't the end of the Albertsons relics that haunted me on this trip:

     On my way home, I was about 20 miles outside of Gainesville when I decided to stop at a small roadside hamburger stand for a late lunch/early dinner. Of course, as I walked up to the order window, I spotted this! Remember at the beginning of the post I made a comment about some benches that could be seen in one of the old photos of #4314? Well, here's one of them! (At least, it seems like a very strong possibility this was one of them). If nothing else, this bench is the same design as the one in the photo from the beginning of this post, the little blue plaque containing an Albertsons' logo on each end, with a little statement about recycling in the middle. Of course, out of all the random places I could have stopped at for lunch, it had to be one with Albertsons relics!

Photo courtesy of YonWooRetail2

     Thankfully I managed to make it home without any more relics of supermarkets past haunting me, but that was a weird way to finish off a trip where a lot of weird things happened to me. We'll talk more about some of those other experiences another time, as we'll wrap up this post with a recreation YonWoo made of Albertsons #4314 prior to its 1999 remodel. Hopefully I did a good job summarizing the legacy of this store, and that I can officially stamp this post with the following:

The official YonWooRetail2 stamp of approval!

     While that's all I have to say about Albertsons #4314, we will stick around Gator Country for our next post, so be sure to come back in two weeks for that!

So until the next post, sincerely food, sincerely,

The Albertsons Florida Blogger