Publix is nearly synonymous with Lakeland, with the grocery giant making as big of an impact on the local culture as it has on the region’s economy. Founder George Jenkins started the business just one town over in Winter Haven in 1930, and it came to occupy quite a few buildings over nearly a century in business. How many of these do you recognize?
One of Lakeland’s most iconic buildings is the Polk County Tax Collector’s art deco-style office on North Massachusetts Avenue. Decked out in “Publix green” neon, you can’t miss this former grocery store that operated from 1953 to 1964.
You can still find the location that started it all.
Photo via Publix, screenshot via Google Maps
The first Publix Food Store was on 4th Street NW in downtown Winter Haven, in a much smaller footprint than the supermarkets we know today. Most recently, it was the jazz-themed restaurant Tempo 1930, and you can find the historical marker near the entrance.
In 1940, Publix was only found in Winter Haven — now there are 1,300+ locations.
Photo via Florida Memory
Around the corner from the first food store was the first Publix Super Market on West Central Avenue, which Jenkins opened in 1940. Today, it’s home to Saint Matthew Catholic Church’s thrift store, so we guess you could say shopping can still be a pleasure.
A drive through Lakeland’s Dixieland district will bring you to Waller Construction and Design Center, painted in a pale shade of — you guessed it — green. It was the first location Publix actually built in Lakeland, open from 1949 to 1965.
Over on Memorial Boulevard is the former Searstown shopping center. The Publix that opened there in 1964 eventually closed in 1999. It’s now a Save A Lot, so you can still do your grocery shopping there — and don’t miss the recently uncovered mosaic murals from its Publix days outside the entrance.
