Former Bruno's #595 - Montgomery, AL
Imagine The Possibilities
Former Bruno's #595
Chantilly Corners
9168 Eastchase Parkway
My Name Is Not Bruno's
It's Renfroe's to-day
And if you still need them then be on your way
Don't want to hear about Bruno's
It's got nothin' on me
So show some re-spect for the food you receive
Welcome back to The Sing Oil Blog! For today's post, we'll wade through time, dust, and a bit of lens flare to take our look at what I believe to be the best preserved Bruno's Supercenter left in the wild. This haunting tour of a retail zombie will surely scare you into agreeing.
For starters, I stumbled across this location and its history as a bit of an accident: I was passing through the area a while back when I spotted the store on the Eastern edge of Montgomery. The building captured my attention because it looked familiar, but I ultimately didn't think much about it and went on my way. It was only several months later when I got into my Bruno's kick that I really began to research this store; I had no clue whether what was left inside dated back to the Birmingham-based company, but I decided to check out the inside anyway. I'll just say that it didn't take long before I realized how much of a time capsule the place was . . .
Before we dive into that though, let's rewind the tape to see how we even got here.
In case you weren't aware, "chantilly" is just French for sweet whipped cream (and créme chantilly is something that everybody should make from scratch at least once—it puts Cool Whip to shame! An electric egg beater is highly advised though: trust me). As for where Montgomery's Chantilly Parkway, and the namesake Chantilly Corners, got its name, I'm not entirely sure.
What I do know is that the $10.5 million, 2.75 mile road project was completed in May 2002 to connect Interstate 85 to Ryan and Vaughn Roads. The corridor soon became the fastest growing commercial district in the Montgomery area, not only attracting the initial headliner Bruno's Supercenter, but also soon thereafter bringing a new Walmart along with the bulk of Montgomery's big box retail (including the nearby Shoppes at Eastchase which opened in November 2002).
The word on the street is that, "Chantilly Parkway was built by the state to alleviate traffic on Vaughn Road and to connect I-85 and Vaughn Road to the proposed Outerloop."
Hold up, what is this proposed Outerloop? I'll get back to the store-y in a minute, but first I want to poke my head down a rabbit hole to learn a bit more about this other road project. After all, I do love learning about infrastructure!
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| The Alabama Journal (Newspapers.com) - May 15, 1984 |
Many sources claim that the first formal proposals for what is now known as Montgomery's Outerloop, or outer bypass, were spearheaded back in the 1980's. The development was intended as a way to connect the eastern part of Interstate 85 to I-65 south of Montgomery in order to alleviate congestion through downtown and around the current bypass that is North Boulevard (SR 152), East Boulevard (US 231), South Boulevard (US 80), and I-65. The main problem then, as it is now, was funding.
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| The Montgomery Advertiser (Newspapers.com) - March 18, 1991 |
"The idea, which has long been described as 'a bypass to the bypass,' was first talked about — and reported — nearly 20 years ago.
Over the past two decades, its presumed location has been edging southward and westward, in large part because the city's growth — especially in east Montgomery — has made earlier conceptions obsolete." - The Montgomery Advertiser - March 18, 1991.
As we can see, the concept has logically evolved over the years. Back in 1991, it was estimated that the project would cost roughly $100 million to complete and take approximately five years to complete. The biggest obstacle, other than funding, was the large area of wetlands which lie just to the South of Montgomery. Government officials still couldn't quite figure out how to get the wheels rolling, thus the Outerloop continued as just a dream.
Later, news would occasionally bubble that the road was included in bills or conversations, with new ideas even being tossed around to build the highway as a toll road. It seems that the toll roads hit a barricade, though, as the company who operated the Emerald Mountain Expressway and the Alabama River Parkway fell into hot water (page 2) about raising tolls back in 2007.
A number of years went by before ground was officially broken on the first phase of the Outerloop. By this time, the project had been broadened from a simple bypass for Montgomery to now include an extension of I-85 all the way to I-20/I-59 in Cuba, AL. With 85 now proposed to be rerouted along the new road, the existing stretch of highway from the Pike Road/Alabama Highway 108 would be renumbered as I-685 and act as a spur to connect to I-65 further north. At least this can partially explain the current massively overbuilt flyover interchange we see in the Street View above.
That flyover, along with the roughly three-mile stretch of highway it connects to, opened in 2016 as phase one of the project. Work has since stalled, with the Pike Road exit now boasting one of the most ridiculous sets of exit ramps I've seen. Trust me, they are hard to miss when you drive under them on I-85! In addition to the flyover (which happens to be one of the tallest in the state according to Wikipedia), SR 108's lone other interchange features a northbound bridge which carries a sparsely traveled three-laned exit ramp along with a southbound bridge to nowhere. I'm just marveling at all of this efficiency! Oh yeah, and just phase one of the project was proposed to cost between $60-$70 million back in 2011—let's just say that I don't think the state will be able to complete the entire southern bypass within the original $100 million budget (especially now thanks to this most recent round of inflation).
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| The Selma Times-Journal - Proposed I-85 Extension Corridors - July 21, 2010 |
Renewed calls for phase two of the Outerloop arose in April of this year following a major crash which closed I-85. While I doubt the concept will gain much traction in the near future, one Redditor goes on further to say the project has been put on hold again after how expensive phase one was and how much money the state recently spent on the major I-22/I-65 interchange in Birmingham (which also spilled into an overhaul of the nearby "Malfunction Junction" and a reconstruction of the mainline travel bridges for I-20/I-59 over downtown). I suppose time will only tell if Montgomery ever receives a new bypass, but at least Brimingham gained a new City Walk worthy of "Malibu dream home" status.
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| Courtesy Gulf Coast Strategic Highway Coalition - Planned I-14 Alignment |
Another twist is that the current alignment for the proposed I-14 expansion from Texas to Georgia also calls for said interstate to follow the proposed I-85 extension. The new interstate would depart I-20/I-59 around Cuba, AL, and from there head east along the US 80 corridor to Montgomery before joining with the Outerloop. I-14 would then run concurrently on I-85 either to Opelika or Tuskegee, AL, before continuing on to Phenix City, AL, and Columbus, GA (again along US 80). It seems that if the section of US 80 from Cuba to Montgomery is upgraded to interstate standard for I-14, then it would only make sense to extend I-85 along this same corridor. The two will already run concurrently east of Montgomery, so the only extra expense to bring I-85 to Mississippi's doorstep would be a few extra road signs. Maybe the Outerloop interchange in Pike Road will one day live to see the full use of its potential servicing three interstates! You can read more about the proposed interstate here.
As a recap, I'll dive into a brief overview of the chain of events which led to this store's inception; after all, it isn't like Bruno's history is simple enough to grasp from a single post (or two).
Following the 1991 plane crash, Bruno's was sold to private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) in May 1995 before ultimately filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1998. The company would emerge from bankruptcy in 2000 and was sold to Royal Ahold in 2001 where its management was soon consolidated with that of BI-LO. The combined Bruno's/BI-LO was sold to Lone Star Funds in 2005, and Bruno's eventually endured a spinoff, another bankruptcy, a number of selloffs, and its eventual demise in the decade to follow. Needless to say, I was shocked to learn that Bruno's built any new stores following the 1998 bankruptcy. It turns out that the company built at least three (#252 in Hoover and #255 in Auburn), but this is the only one to remain a supermarket. Interesting, huh?
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| The Montgomery Advertiser (Newspapers.com) - August 17, 2003 |
This store was planned as part of the new development in East Montgomery that I mentioned above and was presumably designed to serve as the chain's flagship for the state capital. By the time this location opened, the chain had already receded back to its home of Alabama (along with a few outlier stores Northwest Florida). This would de facto mean that Montgomery was Bruno's fourth largest market, only topped by Birmingham, Huntsville, and Mobile, respectively. By 2003, the company already operated Supercenters in those three areas, so I guess leadership back in Mauldin, SC, figured "why not" when it came to Montgomery's promising new development.
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| The Montgomery Advertiser (Newspapers.com) - October 14, 2003 |
In preparation for this store's opening, Bruno's announced it would convert two of Montgomery's existing stores to the discount Food World banner. This came to the dismay of shoppers accustomed to "the Global Garden", Vincent's To Go, and other gourmet items, but likely served as an easy out for the upscale brand to exit less profitable neighborhoods (especially with the stores evaporating from the areas surrounding Montgomery Mall and Eastdale Mall in favor of Eastchase).
Interestingly, I found a quote describing the incident which stated, "Often when a company decides to move to greener pastures, they leave a vacant building and blight behind," said Larry Groce, Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce board chairman. "But Bruno's is a good corporate citizen who not only is expanding its store presence in the east where our growth corridor is, they are renovating tow of their existing stores to better meet the needs of the community that surrounds them."
Oh, the irony.
Both stores mentioned above would go on to permanently close on March 12, 2005, continuing Bruno's cycle of vacancy and blight that would only intensify in the years to follow.
Notably, the Perry Hill Road and Bell Road stores didn't ever convert from the Bruno's banner, with both the Perry Hill location (currently The Fresh Market) and Bell Road store (currently vacant) closing in 2009.
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| The Montgomery Advertiser (Newspapers.com) - November 6, 2003 |
Melissa Snowden, one of the first customers, stated to The Montgomery Advertiser, "I love the produce, and the bakery, and the deli is wonderful . . . I find selections I can't get other places such as organic food and milk. They have a better wine selection, and the meat department is really nice with finer grades and a wider selection."
According to Ray Gregorius, manager of the new store, "the new site was a coveted location that had been eyed by a competing major grocer before Bruno's beat it to the punch." (I'm looking at you, Publix. For those who don't know, the Lakeland, FL, chain officially entered the Montgomery in Fall 2005 with four brand new stores.)
The store seemed to be a hit initially, offering such amenities as fresh sushi, a drive-thru pharmacy, and an extensive collection of "heat and eat" or "grab and go" foods from Vincent's To-Go, all available 24 hours a day / 7 days a week.
Montgomery's newest and largest Bruno's officially succumbed to its parent's wounds in mid-2009 following the announced buyout of the remainder of the company by C&S Wholesale Grocers. This move marked the end of Bruno's tenure in the Montgomery metro as it also knocked off the Perry Hill Road store and the Prattville Food World. While this led to a vacuum of jobs, the irony is that the UFCW allegedly played a key role in securing its workers' fates. Michael Floyd, a professor at the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University, "said Bruno's found itself in a bigger bind when the bankruptcy court recently refused to void a contract between the grocer and its union." The UFCW had previously filed a petition to delay Bruno's bankruptcy proceedings, and even prepared to strike in order to have a final say in who the chain ultimately sold out to. The company warned that it could close all stores if a buyer wasn't found, and that adding extra stipulations to the process would only worsen things.
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| The Montgomery Advertiser (Newspapers.com) - September 19, 2012 |
As we all know, the end result of all this was the complete implosion of any corporate structure at Bruno's, the dissolution of the company, and the immediate closure of most stores. In the end, presumably neither the UFCW nor Bruno's corporate came out happy.
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| The Montgomery Advertiser (Newspapers.com) - October 5, 2014 |
The 53,400 square foot space sat vacant following Bruno's 2009 closure until local independent Renfroe's Foodland decided to pick up the lease and open a flagship store on October 8, 2014. In 2016, the Foodland name was dropped in favor of just being called "Renfroe's Market" as we see today.
What better way to celebrate this store's 20th birthday next Sunday than to tour it for ourselves!
Stepping back into the present and through the sliding glass doors, a large cart storage area adjacent to the checkouts greets us as we enter the store.
I personally think this is an odd spot for buggies but seem to remember a similar placement for them in some of the old FoodMax stores I've been to.
What's even more intriguing is how this entire fleet of buggies dates back to Bruno's, as indicated by the "BRU" engraved on the side. These were a bit worse for the ware so I wouldn't be surprised if they are from 2003 as well.
We'll take a quick overview of the front end where we see the small floral display, followed by the slightly-obscured cart display, the checkout lines, and the pharmacy. Buggies are one way to display your flowers!
Turning to the right, we find a collection of sale displays along with the "Renfroe's To Go!" deli island. I also can't think of another store where I've seen the sale flyers secured to a chip display, but I suppose it works (albeit, a bit labor intensive).
The checkered trellis over the deli island is actually our first obvious décor trace from Bruno's: Vincent's Market. Bruno's branded its deli and ready-to-eat products as "Vincent's To Go" items, which leads me to believe that's where Renfroe's got the idea for the name.
While you can now only find the typical Boar's Head fare in this section (rather than the prepared foods Bruno's had here) Renfroe's did add beer taps and offers growler fills. I didn't take advantage of this service during my visit, but I've heard mixed reviews from others that deli employees typically don't make skilled bartenders in this case. I think it's probably best if you just "head" on over to the canned beer coolers.
Passing the deli island, we find the bakery which appears to have been scaled back from what Bruno's originally offered
As for the "Service" deli, we find several prepared food options where Bruno's likely had its sliced meat counter. Renfroe's did manage to leave behind an interesting clue here though . . .
Wait, what is that graphic behind the "Service Deli" lettering? Something looks familiar about it.
You've got to be kidding me.
When I walked into this store, I wasn't really sure how much of the décor dated back to Bruno's time in the building and how much was installed by Renfroe's; however, this department sign said it all. Staring right back at me was a Bruno's colonial-style store with a blatantly obvious (to me, at least) coverup of the building's Bruno's logo.
What's even more interesting about this graphic is that I immediately recognized that it depicted former Bruno's #187 in Tallahassee, FL (contributor Henry H. agreed).
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| Courtesy of Newspapers.com - Tallahassee Democrat - August 18, 1998 - Bruno's #187 - 2910 Kerry Forest Parkway |
You may remember a post I wrote this time last year over on The Albertsons Florida Blog covering Florida's only Pubno's, and in that post I mentioned the Alabama chain's other attempts in The Capital City. The Kerry Forest Parkway store opened in 1991 as the 45,000 sq ft anchor of the Northampton Shopping Center and closed on August 29, 1998 to be replaced by Winn-Dixie #124 a few months later.
The 1998 newspaper photo gives us the perfect angle of comparison (in addition to the Tallahassee store being the only Colonial I know of with a shopping center that curves off to the left like we see in the deli graphic) to help support my theory. The fact that I was able to identify this store is one thing, but the craziest part to me is the fact that Bruno's #595 opened in 2003 while Bruno's #187 closed five years prior: was Bruno's in such a decline that they couldn't even feature active stores in their décor? Was this package designed before the Tallahassee store closed? I suppose the world may never know.
With that knowledge under my belt, I had no doubt in my mind that the rest of this store dated back almost entirely to when Bruno's opened here in 2003. Let's continue onto the Global Garden.
"In bulk, you save" — more like "if you buy an entirely furnished supermarket from a bankrupt chain, you save." Bruno's certainly spared no expense in outfitting this store; however, Renfroe's seemed to spare plenty; just look at how pristine everything is here.
Off in the back right corner of the store, we find the produce department accompanied by a change in the flooring. I appreciate the differentiation, but Bruno's was being really subtle with this one.
Taking a wider look, we see a fairly typical setup. I can't comment much on the pricing or the freshness of the produce (frankly because I don't remember), but I do recall the store feeling tired in general. It definitely felt much more like a Winn-Dixie Marketplace which had fallen from grace rather than a Neopolitan Publix waiting for a delayed demise. (Quick aside: plans were put out for bid for Publix #172's demolition, so it seems like the store's rare Kiwi interior may finally meet its maker in 2023. Anyone up for an auction?)
Well, here's another sign that Bruno's was once here. I'm just not sure how "global" bags of collard greens and heads of romaine lettuce are.
Before continuing on, we'll take one last look at Montgomery's Eden along with this store's third skylight.
Our next stop is the Butcher Shoppe. I seem to remember this counter serving as both the meat and seafood station, which seems a bit odd considering how most large "flagship" stores prefer to separate the two.
Of course, those details pale in comparison to the ghosted Bruno's images haunting the sign. the store on the right is, once again, our friend from Tallahassee. Meanwhile, a new location makes an appearance exclusively for this department.
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| Courtesy Holcombe of Hidalgo (Flickr) - Bruno's #310 (Mobile) - May 2009 |
That would happen to be a more generic mid-1990's Supercenter akin to #310 we see above. I'm only aware of five Bruno's stores to have been built like this: The Summit (Birmingham), Riverchase Village (Hoover), Wildwood North (Homewood), University Blvd (Mobile), and Bellevue (Nashville). Thus, there is a chance the photo in the store is of Mobile, but I'm still a bit hesitant due to a few signage differences I notice in Holcombe of Hidalgo's picture (namely the street number being present and "seafood" not being where "cosmetics" is). Regardless, it is still fairly obvious that the stores were old Bruno's and we can see where Renfroe's covered up the old Bruno's logos in the photographs!
Returning to the grocery department, we see the burgundy and gold tile pattern resume to compliment this store's early-00's color palette. I feel like I'm standing amidst the land of the FSU Seminoles right now rather than on the battleground of the Tigers and the Tide.
Unsurprisingly, I believe these aisle signs also date back to the Bruno's days, with the only major modification being the removal of the Bruno's logo below the numeral. Also, why are canned tomatoes on the same aisle as breakfast foods?!
Aisle five appears to offer canned fruits, baking supplies, and gravy mix. Does this satisfy some weird craving of the munchies that I'm unaware of? Is Renfroe's just trying to make it easy to bake homemade biscuits to splosh your canned gravy onto? How 'bout a side of chewy raisins to sprinkle on top? Yum!
The only thing I can think of to make it better is to squirt some Sweet 'N Low sugar alcohol on top: the bottle even looks like some acetone nail polish remover! I've got to say that the liquid Sweet 'N Low is a new one for me.
Returning to the back, we find a montage of nostalgically yellow-tinted Alabama graphics to break up the monotony of an otherwise plain wall. The faux brick columns are also an interesting touch.
You've likely heard me mention this before, but it really bothers me when independents use neon paper to showcase product prices or sales. It's very distracting while in the store and it really detracts from what was once a premium atmosphere (dated, but still premium). I just can't get over why BI-LO/Bruno's would have picked those maroon coolers though; I don't know whether those or Publix' mustard-tinted fixtures are worse.
At least the banners that Renfroe's has hung seem to match the wall colors. They also adopted a trick out of Winn-Dixie's book by stacking Styrofoam coolers on top of the freezers. They must help prevent heat loss.
Aisles 6 & 7 are combined to create a single double wide corridor. Renfroe's knows that nothing pairs better with an ice cold Froe's Local Light than a bag of Alabama's own Golden Flake potato chips.
Quick aside: It turns out the 100 year old Golden Flake fried its last potato chips in its hometown of Birmingham, AL, back in June. The company sold in 2016, and the new owners decided to move production up to Pennsylvania this year. Alabama and Golden Flake seem to go hand-in-hand to me, so it's a shame that the latter is no longer made in the former. Golden Flake was even started in the basement of a Hill's Supermarket—a chain that would sell out to Winn-Dixie in 1962. Oh well, at least the Froe's Local Light is still produced by Birmingham's own Back Forty brewing.
This really reminds me of the wine aisle in Atlanta's Disco Kroger that we saw several months ago. I just doubt they have any $1,800 bottles of wine here.
Fancy wines or not, Bruno's wanted to squeeze every ounce out of its shoppers by presenting this department front and center to ensure they either obliged or fermented on their choices.
It seems like the hallmark of a specialty supermarket to offer a large wine department, so I really wish I could've seen this store when it opened two decades ago.
I honestly wonder if the
lamppost is original because it really feels out of place. The half
empty floral case doesn't help matters either.
I do, however, appreciate how much natural light was at the front to the store. In addition to the two skylights over the registers, there were also ample banks of glazing for sunshine to pour in.
Speaking of pours, the deli counter / beer taps can be seen just off to the left.
Turning to the right, we see a nice overview of the front end of the store along with one of those skylights. Notice the different style of pendant lights used around the perimeter of said fixture, and the transition to a different style of tile in the foreground.
Adjacent to the double wide alcohol aisle was a double wide frozen foods aisle a-la Winn-Dixie. Despite the coffin cooler running down the middle, this part of the store felt much more like an Ingles to me rather than a WD since the warehouse ceilings are airier than some old Kmart vents.
I appreciate how the Bruno's category markers have survived here, even if the frozen yogurt may need a little attitude adjustment to fall back into line.
The accent tiles on this aisle have grown; rather than being 1 square tile in size, now they are 4!
Otherwise, it's almost like this part of the store is frozen in time. While the colors may feel a bit dated, it is nice how Renfroe's has managed to keep all of the coordinating aspects of this décor. This store was very cohesive, and that's much better than what can be said about most independents.
The rear actionway is also remarkably free of distractions. It probably helps that Renfroe's had such a large, new store to work with, but it is amazing how presentable this space appears in my pictures (on the contrary, I remember it feeling a bit dingier in person. The past-due shopping cart I was dragging around probably didn't help with that).
Since when did Boost become a substitute for infant formula and air filters for diapers? At least we can Depend on finding the Adkins here.
In the back left corner, we find a "Quality Selection" of "Farm Fresh" dairy products. "Imagine the Possibilities" we could come up with: sour butter milk, orange eggs, cottage yogurt, smoked cream, or fresh-squeezed ham juice (with pulp)—oh my!
That selection even extends to bugles and lump charcoal in the actionway: let's raise a milk toast to some Heinz ketchup!
Would you like cottage cheese, cream cheese, or just cheese? Yes please! We'll breeze through aisle seventeen while I tease you with the idea of finding eggs here (which actually line up with the end of aisle fifteen as we saw in the photo above).
If you weren't privy to it before, Bruno's launched the slogan we see on the wall back in 1998.
I think Bruno's missed their mark by not amending the phrase to be
"Imagine The Possibilities: Chaos". Just as the new slogan began to
roll out in 1998, the chain experienced a fire (page 2)
in a Birmingham distribution center which led to company-wide shortages
of perishable goods. "The effect of the distribution snag varies day
to day." If only they knew the foreshadowing this would give for a brand
that decided to go ahead and launch the new campaign following this
disaster, a plane crash, and a chapter 11 bankruptcy.
If you haven't been convinced yet, here is another picture of the Tallahassee Bruno's in the background of the "Fresh Dairy" sign. I'm honestly not sure if I noticed it when I took this picture, but I also feel like my inner instincts wouldn't let me miss something this obvious (especially since I photographed it).
Our third and final catchphrase was mounted between the pharmacy and dairy department. This section of the store felt especially sparse, so I wonder if it was always like this or if Renfroe's just didn't know how to utilize the space.
I still consider the choice of phrasing to be highly ironic; regardless, it appears to be alive and well in Montgomery.
What also lives on is some extremely dated shelving near the pharmacy. These almost look like something I'd find in an old Rite Aid considering how bad the brushed blue clashes with the warm colors used in the rest of the store (and how the coolers in the distance are just stacked with cases of water), but I can't rule out the possibility that they are original—imagine that.
Renfroe's handed over the operation of the pharmacy to the local Adams Drugs, much like we saw with the Sylvester Piggly Wiggly several weeks ago. I really don't blame the independent grocers for this decision, especially considering how chains like Winn-Dixie are getting out of the pharmacy business entirely.
Continuing to the front of the store, we find an unusual space for a supermarket: a Community Event Center. Surprisingly, this strange "department" actually dates back to the store's 2003 grand opening. The grand opening article in The Montgomery Advisor states, "Also unprecedented for Bruno's is a community room that seats 30. It can be reserved seven days a week for free by civic clubs, senior organizations, and for events such as birthday parties. Catering is available for community room functions." I suppose this wasn't enough to save the failing chain in the end, though.
Our parting shot showcases this store's cart storage area, along with a variety of flowers on display.
Anyhow, that will conclude our tour of this time capsule. If you're ever in the Montgomery area, it is certainly an interesting store to check out, especially considering how it was one of the last Bruno's to ever be built from the ground up. I hope we won't be saying the same thing about the new Winn-Dixie in Apopka, but sometimes the best indicators of the future are clues from the past.
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| Courtesy Renfroe's Market |
Montgomery certainly has a gem in this clue; while it may not be the most pristine supermarket out there, it is still fascinating to take a walk down memory lane by stepping through those sliding glass doors. It's almost as if a piece of Bruno's never left (and haunts us to this day).
After all, "My Name is Not Bruno's."
Stay spooky,
- The Sing Oil Blogger
