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After 432 Days, Amelia Island Gets Its Publix Back — And It's Unlike Any Grocery Store You've Seen
FERNANDINA BEACH — For 432 days, Amelia Island residents adapted. Some drove six miles to Yulee several times a week. Others switched to Harris Teeter.
Prescriptions were transferred. Neighboring businesses at Island Walk Shopping Center worried about lost foot traffic. The familiar rhythm of stopping at Publix on the way home disappeared.
On Thursday morning, that wait ends.
But customers returning to the Island Walk Publix won't simply find the grocery store they left behind in April 2025. They'll walk into one of Publix's newest prototype stores — a supermarket designed to function as a grocery, restaurant, coffee shop and neighborhood gathering place.
"This is a really special Publix," said Hannah Herring, Publix media relations manager, during a media preview. "The next closest one like this we just recently opened in St. Augustine."
The reopening closes the chapter on one of the biggest retail disruptions Fernandina Beach has experienced in years. When Publix announced it would demolish the nearly 40-year-old store, many assumed it would be a routine remodel. Instead, the company razed the 1987 building and constructed an entirely new prototype after determining the aging structure had reached the point where rebuilding made more sense than continued renovations.
Publix hopes the replacement will become an even stronger anchor for Island Walk. A supermarket designed for lingering. Perhaps the biggest philosophical change is that Publix no longer expects customers simply to shop and leave.
"You can grab a drink and sip while you shop," Herring said. "Or grab dinner or lunch and just kind of hang out."
At the center of that strategy is Pours, a beverage venue offering espresso drinks, smoothies, acai bowls, craft sodas, beer and wine. Coffee is served in the morning, smoothies throughout the day and beer and wine into the evening.
"It's a fun place for folks to come for a happy hour after work too," Herring said.
To celebrate opening weekend and America's 250th anniversary, all draft beers will sell for $2.50 Friday and Saturday.
The new Publix has reinvented its deli.
Rather than a traditional deli counter, the new Publix features what resembles a contemporary food hall. Fresh pizzas emerge from a live oven while nearby stations prepare ramen, poke bowls, rice bowls, burritos, pasta bowls and gourmet sandwich melts.
"So truly, you can come and have lunch or dinner here, and there's something for everybody," Herring said. "Everyone in the family doesn't have to have the same thing."
An expanded salad bar and hot bar complete the experience.
"We really want it to be more of an experience," Herring said. "That's what we know customers are looking for."
The Publix bakery has become theater.
Bakery manager Karen Bianchini said the bakery was intentionally moved from the corner of the old store into the spotlight.
"You walk in and you've got this huge open atmosphere," she said. "The spotlight is on the bakery."
Two decorator windows allow shoppers to watch cakes being decorated throughout the day while fresh breads and pastries are baked on-site.
A digital ordering kiosk allows customers to design cakes in-store or by scanning a QR code with a smartphone while continuing to shop.
Herring described the beverage venue and bakery concepts as offerings available in only a limited number of Publix stores.
And, Publix added an upstairs café.
A staircase and elevator lead to a spacious café overlooking the sales floor.
"It's got a great view of the whole store," Herring said. "We've got plug-ins if you bring your laptop and work for a little while."
The upstairs space reinforces Publix's goal of creating a neighborhood gathering place rather than simply a supermarket.
Publix has designed customer convenience everywhere.
The redesigned layout groups produce, bakery and deli together as a ready-to-eat destination while meat and seafood remain toward the rear for traditional grocery shopping.
Prepared foods, ready-to-cook meals, GreenWise specialty sausages, produce snack boxes and grab-and-go options appear throughout the store.
Wait there's more.
Nearby sits a dedicated gourmet popcorn station featuring bags of cheddar, caramel, dill pickle and Oreo flavors popped fresh.
The first 1,000 customers Thursday will receive a surprise gift. Samples will be offered throughout the store, reusable shopping bags will be distributed and hiring continues for deli, produce and customer service positions. Herring said shortening construction without sacrificing quality was a priority.
"We know customers have been anxious to get their Publix back," Herring said. "Any time we can shorten the building timeline, we certainly want to do that. But we also want to make sure we're not cutting any corners."
For Fernandina Beach, Thursday is more than a ribbon cutting. It marks the return of one of the city's most important commercial anchors and introduces a grocery experience unlike anything residents have previously had on Amelia Island.
Comments
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Prof____H
Sounds like other grocery stores (eg, Harris Teeter, Whole Foods). Why anyone would want to go to Publix to eat or drink is beyond me. However, to each their own. Other than BOGOs, Publix is expensive.
Wednesday, July 1 Report this
Robert W
Publix has good PR people. A great puff piece. I'll be at Teeter Thursday and was at Aldi's Tuesday.
Wednesday, July 1 Report this
Dennis
Glad to see islanders return home. We finally have normal traffic rather than chaos.
Looks like Wegman model has arrived. If so, it will be great addition to island.
Thursday, July 2 Report this
KStadelman
Ahh, a Wegmans for Fernandina. Should be familiar territory to those of us from the Northeast. Maybe a real New York deli type hot pastrami on rye is on the horizon!
Thursday, July 2 Report this
Kelprod
Not sure Amelia Island needs a Wegmans-ish sized grocery store. Seems fairly out of place.
Thursday, July 2 Report this
Mingnmilo
A grocery store isn't the first place I think of for a happy hour with friends after work. ?? The view from a 'cafe' balcony of the floor of a grocery store isn't enticing either. It's just odd.
Not judging, but I go for groceries to food shop out of necessity, not because I can have a glass of wine (for a price of course) while steadying myself with a shopping cart. It's not a social event.
I'm happy to have Publix back on the island for the products they carry which I can't buy elsewhere. They could have saved money on incorporating what looks like an airport food court and sticking to what they do. Selling groceries.
Thursday, July 2 Report this
DanGroth
NOT “ unlike anything you’ve ever seen” unless you haven’t been north of the Florida border. You’ll pay dearly for this food entertainment. A quick check of non-sale prices suggests a 25% to 75% overcharge compared to other local grocery stores. We don’t need to get our “shopping pleasure“ by busting the food budget.
Friday, July 3 Report this
JohnFindlay1
I have not yet been to the reopened Publix, but I must question the headline that it is "unlike any grocery store you've seen". The description provided sounds just like Wegmans, which has many stores in the northeast and has now opened stores as far south as North Carolina. It has always been the standard for grocery stores, and we frequented them for years before moving to Florida. For many years Wegmans was voted the best grocery chain in the country.
Friday, July 3 Report this
JohnFindlay1
I will reserve judgement until I visit the new Publix, but the description sounds almost exactly like Wegmans, the best grocery chain I have ever visited. Nearest stores are in NC.
Friday, July 3 Report this
LucyP74
If it means that the Publix in Yulee will return to “normal” again—then I’m excited about that!
Saturday, July 4 Report this