GTB Area Retail Blog

Today (February 29th) is a leap day, so why not celebrate with a new Publix store? Sports Authority/Publix #1653 4900 W. Kennedy Blvd, Tampa, FL. Originally opened as a Sports Authority, and closed in 2016 after bankruptcy. Demolished in March 2019 to make way for a new Publix, which opened on February 27, 2020. Does the exterior remind you of store 1630 (USF) in Temple Terrace? There is no welcome sign in this store, so we are greeted with... PUBLIX'S OLD INTERIOR? This store must have finished construction before the new Evergreen interior had a complete rollout. Deli is in the center of aisle 1, followed by meat/seafood. Meat and seafood counters. Also, the color of seafood in this interior is normally green, but Publix opted in for red instead. Notice that MEATS is in semi-bold text, while SEAFOOD is in medium text. Grocery aisles and the dairy department are seen here. This store only has 10 aisles compared to 15 in the newe...

Macy's #833 638 Brandon Town Center Drive, Brandon, FL - Westfield Brandon Mall Originally opened as a Burdines store in 1995, and converted to Macy's in 2005. The exterior and the palm trees (see next photo) are original to Burdines, with an exception of the Macy's logo. Burdines is The Florida Store! Macy's is the magic of Burdines! The palm trees are still standing, 25 years later! Let's enter through these doors and see if any elements from Burdines remain! Because that this Macy's is 2 floors, there is an elevator and an escalator. I am calling this the atrium. A quick look at the directory before we go up to level 2. Ready to go up to floor 2? The elevator is open, so let's magically go up to the top! And here is level 2, with an overview of the atrium, complete with Burdines palm trees, and Burdines elevators and escalators! After all, you are basically in a Burdines store, 15 years aft...