Wilton Manors/Fort Lauderdale Continued

[Edric Floyd]

Ah, thank you Edric.

As usual, folks twist things around as times goes by.

I was told that the present Publix was newly built to replace the older Publix that was there on the same lot. Also, that the original store front entrance was NOT on Dixie Highway? But, I was incorrectly told that the old Publix was originally a Grand Union. Thanks for clearing that up.

I know the location of the old Grand Union you mentioned, only because you mentioned it. It is in the shopping center where the Alibi club is? Right? Yeah, that makes sense.

I am sure you remember that the Pearl Crafts store on Oakland near Dixie a few blocks away was a Food Fair/Pantry Pride? It was a very high volume store and quite large for its time.

There are some other stores very close to this Pearl Crafts store that I wonder if you know their history. As you travel towards Dixie, on the left, passing the Pearl Craft store?

:)

P.S. Do you have a foto of that old A&P now restaurant? I know that our Humble Host would get a kick out of that. It is so perfectly preserved!

Steve,

I wish I had photos of the A&P location. Next time I go down there I will be sure to get that. I do have several simular A&P's around Georgia that I will post photos of soon.

I used to shop at the Pearl Arts and Crafts store on Oakland Park Blvd. Pearl has been there so long that I hardly remember when it was a Pantry Pride. There were so many Pantry Pride/Food Fairs when I was a child. If I listed those, it would require another thread. As soon as I remember one, I think of several others.

The Pearl Crafts store was down the street from a K-Mart store what also had a grocery store attached in the 70's. The K-Mart is still open today.

There were'nt many stores along Dixie going into Oakland Park city limits. nor along Wilton Drive and I don't remember anything other than the A&P to the east of Five Points.

There were lots of stores in neighborhing areas but The closest stores OUTSIDE of Five Points were on Andrews Avenue within a few miles of Five Points. A Winn-Dixie south of Oakland Park Blvd (built new Winn-Dixie marketplace in late 1980's 1 mile north). A Publix at the corner of Oakland Park and Andrews (1950's store was rebuilt then expanded twice, still open), a Grand Union in a Zayre shopping center north of Andrews (the Zayre became the new Winn-Dixie mentioned earlier) and Oakland Park and a Pantry Pride/Food Fair at Andrews and 44th st. (torn down in 1990's)

I think we could do another thread on where all the Pantry Pride/Food Fair stores in South Florida were LOL.

The Old Publix entrance did face Dixie Hwy and its shopping center was the NW corner of the Five Points intersection. The NEW Publix is a little south ON the same parcel of land and I have the photo and posted it. The photo is of the south side of the building. The entrance to the store is on the SW side of the building, but I am not sure that there is another entrance on the other side that is closest to the Dixie side of the corner. I can't remember the rest of the new shopping either. I was pressed for time when I drove through there.

They cleared the entire land in 2001 to rebuild but considering where the new Publix is located on the land, they could have kept old store open while building the new one.

Yes, the old Grand Union is the shopping center where the Alibi Club is. Alibi is one of a few club's/bar's in the shopping center and is placed to the right of where the Grand Union was.

[Steve Landry]

The Wilton Manors (5 points) has only one entrance and it is a very small store for being so new (just under 28,000). They wanted to build much bigger, but the landlord and the city said NO.

Let me try one more time on those stores on Oakland Park Bl., because it may jog your memory :)

As your travel on Oakland Park Bl. going east? (my sense of direction stinks) towards Dixie Hwy., the Pearl store (ex Pantry Pride) is on the left. Before you reach Dixie Hwy. (at Dixie you would take a right to get to 5 points) and right after the Pearl store, there are two small buildings that look like they may have been grocery stores. They are on the same side of the street as Pearl.

Ring a bell? :)

Side note:

Do you have any knowledge of Carl's Markets? They were Florida's FIRST supermarket chain and was purchased by Food Fair.

Also, Shell City Stores which purportedly were purchased by Fredrick's Supermarkets?

And, Fredrick's which was purchased by Food Fair? < I know Fredrick's very well but I can not find any info PRE - Food Fair.

Thanks Edric

[leeclapp]

Piggly Wigly chain in the old Searstown shopping center 5 miles south in Ft. Lauderdale.........Lee

[Edric Floyd]

Piggly Wigly chain in the old Searstown shopping center 5 miles south in Ft. Lauderdale.........Lee

I can't recall how long it was a Piggly Wiggly at Searstown. I believe it was a Food Fair/Pantry Pride for a short time as well. But that store may have been a LINEN SUPERMARKET longer than it was a food supermarket.

"Linen supermarket" sold bedding/sheets, comforters etc. and was often located in former Supermarket space. One such location was a former Winn-Dixie in Deerfield Beach.

There were other Piggly Wigglys in South Florida, but not too many. I can recall one in Davie on Davie Blvd and I already mentioned the Wilton Manors former Grand Union that was a PW for a brief time in the late 1980's. And there was PW in Delray Beach and Ft. Pierce.

Piggly Wiggly was a very small player in S. Florida.

[stridge]

Back when I was a lad there was an independant store on Wilton Dr I think it was called Wilton Market . Across the Street was Carl's Caral's had a few stores in Miami I can't remember who bought them but in the late 50 early 60 they were in a chain.
There was an A&P in a strip mall JUSt East of the FEC rr also a Williams City Drug Store. Mr Fred Williams opened the store with thoughts of making it a one stop super store. He also had a store down by the canal where Wilton Dr turned into Andrews Ave at the North end I kind of remember a Food Fair that turned into a Furniture store.
I was asked to leave the PW in Searstown because a friend and I were pulling the baby food jars out and watching the roll down the chute. The Grand Union Store had the same set up for cand goods. I used to work at the Publiks on Davie Blvd in 1966.

[Edric Floyd]

Back when I was a lad there was an independant store on Wilton Dr I think it was called Wilton Market . Across the Street was Carl's Caral's had a few stores in Miami I can't remember who bought them but in the late 50 early 60 they were in a chain.
There was an A&P in a strip mall JUSt East of the FEC rr also a Williams City Drug Store. Mr Fred Williams opened the store with thoughts of making it a one stop super store. He also had a store down by the canal where Wilton Dr turned into Andrews Ave at the North end I kind of remember a Food Fair that turned into a Furniture store.
I was asked to leave the PW in Searstown because a friend and I were pulling the baby food jars out and watching the roll down the chute. The Grand Union Store had the same set up for cand goods. I used to work at the Publiks on Davie Blvd in 1966.

That is the centennial A&P that has been an italian restaurant for years. The building was still standing when I last drove past there earler this year. I grew up in South Florida in the 1970's. And that A&P was closed during that time.

Carls was before my time. Never heard of them. And pretty much ALL of the Publix stores that existed in the 1960's and early 1970's have been remodeled or replaced entirely. I believe the one on Davie Blvd closed in the 1980's when Davie Blvd was reconstructed along with the WIDE expansion of I-95 during the 1980's and 1990's. New bridges and overpases eliminated most of the buildings at the interchange with Davie blvd. With that, Davie itself was widened and the area did suffer a great decline. Publix never operates in a declining area especially in South Florida. Winn-Dixie may have hung around a little longer. I have no idea whats over there now but in the early 1990's, retail along Davie Blvd, Broward Blvd and US 441 was leaving in droves.

[Edric Floyd]

Well it took a while (like two years) but I finally returned to my hometown area and took photos of the old A&P on 26th street in Wilton Manors (Ft.Lauderdale) Florida.

Was an Italian Restaurant for years, now the Old Florida Seafood House.

http://boxstr.com/view/full/4206420_ileee

http://boxstr.com/view/full/4206418_sic7x

http://boxstr.com/view/full/4206421_gaxkv

And directly across the street was an old Kentucky Fried Chicken.

http://boxstr.com/view/4206422_cacwp

[Steve Landry]

Great fotos!

The inside is very well preserved as well (though of course in a non grocery store way).

BTW....I worked at the small Publix (new build 28000 sqft) a couple of blocks away.

[Edric Floyd]

The former A&P in Wilton Manors on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBpLYocQcSs

[Steve Landry]

Edric..........you rock!!!!!

Fun video and can you blame your sister? We ARE nuts........hee hee !

Thanks!!!