A year later – Vilano Publix ready for business

Dwaine Stevens announced to local Historic City News reporters in St Augustine that next Saturday, January 14th, at 8:00 a.m., approximately 110 Publix associates will go to work when the door to their new Vilano Beach Town Center supermarket opens to shoppers.

In addition to the traditional grocery, meat, produce, dairy and frozen food departments, the new 28,800 square-foot store will contain the following departments: pharmacy, bakery, deli, floral, and fresh seafood, Stevens said.

After opening day, regular store hours will be 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily.

Pharmacy Hours:
• Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Sunday 11:00 a.m. to 5 p.m.

On Thursday, January 12 from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., local residents, business owners and government officials have been invited to join the Vilano Beach Main Street community for a pre-opening ceremony and reception.

Working with St. Johns County, the Vilano Beach Main Street Group employed public-private partnership to create a sustainable, pedestrian-friendly walking community, incorporating unique art deco and Florida vernacular architectural design concepts.

Tax-increment financing, provided by the St Johns County Community Redevelopment Agency, Industrial Development Authority bonds, state grants and private sources provided funding for the Vilano Beach Town Center infrastructure.

Publix is privately owned and operated by its 151,000 employees. Publix currently has 1,047 stores in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee. The company has been named one of Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to work for in America” for 14 consecutive years.

Photo credits: © 2012 Historic City News staff photographer