ST. PETERSBURG — About 150 people were waiting when the doors opened at 7 a.m. March 12 at the new Publix on 38th Avenue North. Some had been there since before dawn.
Art Brown, 73, arrived around 5 a.m. David Lessard, 61, got in line about 6:15.
Both were regulars at the old Publix on 66th Street — the store Publix demolished at the same site in 2024 to make way for this one. They also shopped occasionally at the Eagles Park Retail Center store on Park Street, which closed March 7…