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Downtown South (Sunrail/Amtrak, SODO, Orlando Health, Lymmo, Orange/Michigan Avenues)


SuperMan11MS

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1 minute ago, Jernigan said:

Tough year for that plaza on Michigan 

What else closed up there? Mariner's Village is a nice center as far they go, but I guess the location just inst that great.

Just heard on the news that the number of Central Florida WD locations that are closing is six, not the three that the Sentinel article reported.

I'll have to check out Ch 9 website.

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16 minutes ago, JFW657 said:

Here's celebrating your disappointment.

From The Orlando Sentinel:

"Local stores that will close include Orlando locations at 4686 E. Michigan St. and 2722 Pine Hills Road — which was recently rebranded — and another 1347 E. Vine St. in Kissimmee."

I will say that I'm sorry to see the store on E. Michigan close. Even though I almost never shopped there it was a decent enough store.

I get that you pretty much see this as your forum, but why do you care so much what I think of that store? Are you related to the manager? Did you stock shelves there one summer or something? This seems to be oddly personal for you.

Shrug.

 

 

Edited by Camillo Sitte
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35 minutes ago, JFW657 said:

What else closed up there? Mariner's Village is a nice center as far they go, but I guess the location just inst that great.

Just heard on the news that the number of Central Florida WD locations that are closing is six, not the three that the Sentinel article reported.

I'll have to check out Ch 9 website.

Walgreens is rumored to be closing when the new one opens 

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2 hours ago, Camillo Sitte said:

I get that you pretty much see this as your forum, but why do you care so much what I think of that store? Are you related to the manager? Did you stock shelves there one summer or something? This seems to be oddly personal for you.

Shrug.

Funny, I was thinking the same thing about you re: you seeing this as "your" forum. Maybe it's got something to do the snarky attitude you seem to project. 

Shrug.

As for the store, I've been going there for possibly longer than you've been alive or about as long. So yes, I do have a certain fondness for it, if for no other reason than a feeling of familiarity.  Kinda like an old friend.

Hence, the reason I'm happy that for now, it's not closing. 

Btw, if you misread the tone of my remark about "celebrating your disappointment", I didn't mean it sarcastically. Honestly. Just attempting to engage in a little banter. 

I will say though, that after this exchange, I'm a bit giddier about it not closing than I was. 

1 hour ago, Jernigan said:

Walgreens is rumored to be closing when the new one opens 

Oh that's right. That was mentioned earlier, but all I could think of was the Dollar Tree next to Publix moving into the current Walgreens.

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The W-D on Pine Hills Rd closing (I guess it was recently changed to a Harvey's) is particularly poignant.It had been there for over 50 years at the same spot, slowly expanding into spaces once held by SuperX and TG&Y. It was one of the cases where it outlasted all three of the Publii that were once in the neighborhood.

I guess the Haberkamps' Hardee's lives on!

Edited by spenser1058
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I've always had a love/hate relationship with Winn Dixie.  In my experience the stores have always been dated, even when they were renovated they were dated.   There's been one curious move after another like switching to the Plenti cards despite the fact that Shell stations are way more prevalent than Exxon Mobil stations in Orlando.  When I lived in St. Cloud they up and moved out from the city center in out to the burbs and left a bunch of elderly without a place to shop.  I was particularly angry about the fact that they tended to just up and move across the street rather than update their stores leaving a decaying monument to their old store and leaving local businesses without an anchor.  Lately the two largest culprits of that now have been Publix and Walmart.  Also I was encouraged by some new recent moves.  I took this photo of a particularly run down Winn Dixie adjacent to one of my projects in Cocoa after it was renovated.  What a difference.  I felt like they were starting to get it.  The Harvey's in Pine Hills, I feel really bad because I feel like that neighborhood finally got a win with an updated store.  Even if was geared to the low cost consumer.

image.thumb.png.5eac33d489253841d121d6aafe5efd5c.png

IMG_5517.thumb.JPG.68fea23a0214dee6c6dc914a23986fab.JPG

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On 3/16/2018 at 8:34 AM, codypet said:

I've always had a love/hate relationship with Winn Dixie.  In my experience the stores have always been dated, even when they were renovated they were dated.   There's been one curious move after another like switching to the Plenti cards despite the fact that Shell stations are way more prevalent than Exxon Mobil stations in Orlando.  When I lived in St. Cloud they up and moved out from the city center in out to the burbs and left a bunch of elderly without a place to shop.  I was particularly angry about the fact that they tended to just up and move across the street rather than update their stores leaving a decaying monument to their old store and leaving local businesses without an anchor.  Lately the two largest culprits of that now have been Publix and Walmart.  Also I was encouraged by some new recent moves.  I took this photo of a particularly run down Winn Dixie adjacent to one of my projects in Cocoa after it was renovated.  What a difference.  I felt like they were starting to get it.  The Harvey's in Pine Hills, I feel really bad because I feel like that neighborhood finally got a win with an updated store.  Even if was geared to the low cost consumer.

image.thumb.png.5eac33d489253841d121d6aafe5efd5c.png

IMG_5517.thumb.JPG.68fea23a0214dee6c6dc914a23986fab.JPG

 

The Winn Dixie in Longwood is pretty decent and it seems to attract heavy traffic inside. Pre-modernization it was a hole, but even after the updates, it's still a little dated. Prices & ambience aren't that great either when compared to Walmart Neighborhood Market. The failed modernization attempt reminds me of Chamberlin's Natural Foods in Winter Park before they moved - which was a total failure of a renovation. My god, execs at the top of these struggling supermarkets seem out of touch or stuck in time or something.

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A big reason is because many of these firms are controlled by private equity funds (W-D among them.) The background of the folks at the top is finance, not everyday operations. Contrast that with the Publix CEO, who began his career at the store in NSB and worked his way up. It makes a difference.

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I think a lot of it has to do with their profitability and what they can and cannot afford. Winn Dixie has just been just barely hanging on for several years now. Well over a decade. Hard to put a lot of money into renovations and upgrades when you're just barely staying in business.

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1 hour ago, spenser1058 said:

Aardvark getting a restaurant - who knew? I really like the changes the new owners are making.

http://bungalower.com/2018/03/18/eyes-street-aardvark-beverages-opening-restaurant/

From Bungalower

Too cool!!! I used to shop at The Aardvark back in the late 80's - early 90's when a friend of mine lived very near there. Used to buy sodas and cigs there. Nice to see this upgrade. Now that I live very close too, I might have to start going there again. :thumbsup:

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The  Winn-Dixie on E Curry Ford Rd near Goldenrod is switching to the Fresco y Mas banner, which specializes in products popular with the Latinx/Hispanic customer:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/consumer/os-bz-fresco-y-mas-winn-dixie-20180320-story,amp.html

No word on what may become of the W-D with JFW's tree so far.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Nice overview - strange picture of retail spaces “coming soon” at SoDo Plaza.  Cousins Subs opened and promptly closed a few years ago and while there have been some wins (Gators) there are still empty storefronts there.   Better feature would be recent retail strips across the street (Habit plaza and Orange Theory plaza)

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