Throughout history, a long list of firsts have taken place. First car. First flight in space. First smartphone. You name it, there’s a “first” attached to it.
People who live in Florida might be interested in another kind of first: When and where was the first Publix in the Sunshine State? The answer is Winter Haven. According to the Publix website , the first Publix Food Store opened on Sept. 6, 1930. Today, Publix is one of the biggest supermarket companies in the country with more than 1,200 stores in seven states.
These seven historic photos from the State Archives of Florida show what the first Publix supermarket in Winter Have looked like. It opened in Winter Haven in1940, a few years after the Publix Food Store opened, and was the beginning of the Publix supermarkets we know today.
Publix is a place “where shopping is a pleasure” and we think this walk own Memory Lane will also be a pleasure.
What the first Publix supermarket in Florida looked like from the outside
On Sept. 6, 1930, George Jenkins opened the first Publix location, known then as Publix Food Store, in Winter Haven, Florida.