Gulfport - Gulfport, MS | Winn-Dixie #1513
Gulfport
Sing Food & Deli
10556 US Highway 49
Gulfport, MS 39503
Scroll Down for today's MTC post on Winn-Dixie Marketplace #1513
Howdy y'all, welcome back to The Sing Oil Blog! After a much-needed hiatus, we are back in the swing of things with the rubber hitting the road.
This summer has been a busy one for me – between travel, work, and travel for work, I've hardly stopped. It has also been a busy one for the retail news cycle, considering how more-and-more Winn-Dixie stores seem to be disappearing by the day, and how one of the Southeast's largest furniture chains announced its liquidation.
Today, however, we'll be exploring a store that has been near-and-dear to my heart for a long time: not because I ever patronized it, but instead because it marks the best look we have inside a Sing Store from the late-1980's. We have finally made it to the time when these photos will see the light of day.
Despite having all of the historic photos I alluded to, I don't know too much about this old Sing Store. I do know that Tom Perry, former Sing Executive Vice President, executed a 20 year least with the Harrison County School District on April 15, 1988, for this 0.8 acre tract of land, costing the company $9,775 a year.
The main condition of the lease was that Sing was instructed to build a wastewater pump on the property to provide adequate drainage once the building was constructed. It appears that the school board previously had some sort of building on the land.
With Sing selling to Amoco in 1990, this store's 1988 opening made it one of the last 3 stations the company constructed, followed by Perry #2 and Jacksonville #4. The extensive number of photos also leads me to believe this was planned to be one of Sing's new station prototypes going forward, had the company remained in business.
Burns Oil Company of Mississippi officially assumed the lease from Sing on March 18, 1993, ending the 5-year run for the Georgia business in Gulfport. I'm not surprised Amoco was able to promptly find a buyer considering the store's close proximity to I-10.
I'm inclined to say the following photos were taken on the evening before the store's grand opening in two batches: the first set being taken earlier in the day when the station was making final preparations, while the second was taken at night after everything was polished up. The photo at the top of the post even looks like construction crews were still onsite performing punch list tasks!
What do you say? Why don't we see what all of the excitement was about inside the Sing!
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| Preparation |
Our first look is from just inside the door toward the automotive & cleaning supplies departments. See how it appears that product is still being unpacked?
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| Staged for Opening |
This is followed by a look at the ice chest, which had been filled in the time since the first photo was taken. Does anybody remember that same "Ice" sign in LaGrange #4?
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| Preparation |
Continuing on, we find a partially stocked shelf of grocery staples including pet foods, cereal, canned goods, sugar, flour, oil, juices, coffee, and tea. Notice how the endcap closest to us still has a product information booklet attached to it, and how the department signs haven't even been attached to the walls! Also, take a look at that unopened case of Sing ice cups.
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| Staged for Opening |
Several hours later, we find the same aisle after it had been fully stocked; we also see that the Styrofoam letters have been mounted to the walls. I wonder if those yellow "Mega Mugs" are the same ones that were still packed up in the box earlier.
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| Staged for Opening |
Likewise, the endcap has now been stocked with what appears to be Golden Flake snacks.
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| Staged for Opening |
Off in the distance, the drink center comes into view, complete with coffee, Pepsi, juice, and possibly ice cream.
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| Staged for Opening |
I love how Sing pasted the "No Refills" sign to the top of the Pepsi fountain.
I also love how we see Sing's notorious red Formica counter tops, and some classic Lay's chips off in the distance.
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| Staged for Opening |
The last aisle of the store was home to cookies, crackers, bread, sandwich meat, and frozen foods.
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| Staged for Opening |
Oh, and you can't forget the L'eggs display like we saw back in Bradfordville.
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| Preparation |
Turning around, we see where a doorway adjacent to the cash register led to a solarium with booths for customers to chow down on bologna sandwiches from the delicatessen.
Anybody notice the same pegboard cabinets we saw at Columbus #4? I know the vinyl floor in these pictures looks much nicer than what I saw in Columbus – it would make sense if that were a floor polishing machine off to the left.
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| Preparation |
Back to the aisle opposite the drink fountain, we find an array of candy and gum much more in line with what's seen in a modern convenience store. Compare that to the heads of lettuce in Tallahassee #3 when it opened!
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| Staged for Opening |
It looks like "New Coke" was already a piece of history considering how prominently the word "Classic" is displayed on the numerous Coca-Cola cans & bottles.
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| Preparation |
Back in the grocery section, we find more canned goods, rice, and an abundance of condiments. Recognize any of the brands?
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| Staged for Opening |
Last, but not least, is this look behind the counter at Sing's delicatessen.
I see hot dogs, breakfast biscuits, BBQ beef, egg rolls, and fried chicken, among other things. Anybody want a 2 piece dark box for $2.49? For comparison, the same thing at Gulfport's KFC today would run you $5.
I also see the same inset cutting board I spotted behind the counter at LaGrange #5 & at Bogalusa.
All of those interior shots are nice, but the real magic of this place happened outside at nightfall . . .
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| Staged for Opening |
Just look at that backlit canopy – isn't it cool! This store uses the same updated design we saw in the grainy newspaper photo at the Perry Travel Center, except here we get to witness it in full color.
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| Staged for Opening |
This store even had a matching automatic car wash: a first for Sing as far as I've found.
The two things I'll point out in this shot are 1). Sing's use of "Auto Diesel" and how the Chevron station which eventually replaced this still used the descriptor on its signage and 2). how closely Sing's font matches the one Publix currently uses.
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| Staged for Opening |
Unfortunately, the photo of the car wash didn't turn out quite as well as the photographer had hoped.
Like I mentioned before, these photos have intrigued me for years. When I found out I had to take a work trip to Gulfport back in 2021, I knew there was one place I had to see before leaving (and it isn't the closed down O'Charley's on the right).
It turns out that the station still stands, just for a much different purpose than it once did. Now the building houses Maxem Health Urgent Care.
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| Courtesy Maxem Health Urgent Care (Google Maps) - June 2021 |
As expected, the space is now devoid of any obvious Sing relics; however, the discerning eye can still pick out a few traces.
For starters, the original doors and windows have survived. We'd currently be looking back toward the motor oil if this were taken in 1988.
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| Courtesy Maxem Health Urgent Care (Google Maps) - June 2021 |
A previous tenant also converted the old walkway to the solarium into a new front door (pictured below the exit sign) and the window to the seating area into a literal window. Previously, the cashier counter would have been just off to the right.
See the Belk sign through the window? That happens to be the same Belk Retail Retell shared about several years back which is housed in Gulfport's old Albertsons.
Since I couldn't go inside, I knew I had to drive back by to get a picture of the place without the glare of the car window. Thankfully, my coworker was kind enough to oblige later that day (I think this was the same coworker who joined me at the Laurel station).
Of course, it wouldn't be an urgent care clinic without a giant giraffe out front; it looks like he was dressed up for spooky season back in November 2021.
Interestingly, the billboard to the left was first sublet by Lamar all the way back in May 1988 for $600 a year. I'm sure the price has gone up since then!
Let's take a look at our obligatory street and aerial views before heading down the road to the D'Iberville Dixie.
Street Views
Google Street View - December 2007
Google Street View - July 2008
Google Street View - October 2011
Google Street View - May 2023
Aerial Views
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Historic Aerials - 1985 Future site of the Gulfport Sing Store |
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Google Earth - February 1992 Gulfport Sing Store |
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Google Earth - March 2019 Urgent care clinic / Former Gulfport Sing |
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| Google Maps - Directions from the former Sing to Winn-Dixie #1513 |
Keep on scrolling for today's MTC feature!
Additional Resources:
Harrison County Property Records
Winn-Dixie Marketplace #1513
K-Mart Shopping Center
10511 D'Iberville Boulevard
D'Iberville, MS 39540
Welcome to the More Than Convenience portion of today's post! Today's topic may be familiar to some, as this Winn-Dixie was one of ten remaining Marketplace stores at the beginning of 2024 and one of four (thus far) officially slated to convert to an Aldi. I've wanted to cover the former Gulfport Sing for a long time yet couldn't decide which store was worthy of holding the complimentary MTC title. After initially planning to include a Hattiesburg store, earlier this year I realized that there was a much more interesting supermarket located a mere 18 minutes from the Sing: the D'Iberville Winn-Dixie Marketplace.
Coincidentally, it was less than a week after I photographed this store when news broke that it would convert to an Aldi – I'm glad I decided to make the detour!
The timing of this post wasn't a coincidence either since I believe tomorrow, August 25th, will be this supermarket's last day in business. If you need a refresher of the other stores slated to convert to the Aldi format, make sure to check out the rolling list over on MFR as it gets updated several times a week.
Of course, the store we'll explore today is much the senior to this blog, so it would be an injustice if I didn't provide some glimpse into its past.
As evidenced by the subtitle, the D'Iberville Winn-Dixie was once co-anchor to a Kmart discount department store. Kmart, which one could compare to a Walmart without groceries, used to be the nation's largest discounter and operated thousands of stores in towns across the country. It was through financial woes, bankruptcies, mismanagement, and changes in consumer tastes that the once iconic brand eventually whittled its way down to a meager three locations in the continental US.
I'm sure that everybody reading this is familiar with Kmart, however, it shouldn't be discounted that Winn-Dixie could be headed down a similar path. As of 2024, there is absolutely no reason for Kmart to continue to exist, yet somehow it does. Will we be saying the same thing about Winn-Dixie in 10 years?
Let's hope not, but I will say that The Beef People have seen a steady trend of downturns over the last two decades and the new dawn which appeared to be emerging as the company entered into the 2020's now seems to have just been a mirage.
Despite the adjacent Kmart closing back in 2002 (after many of its siblings got a "Big" upgrade), Winn-Dixie continues to refer to this location as being in the K-Mart Shopping Center. Surely Aldi won't do the same!
Anyhow, let's close that sympathy card and take a look at a history book.
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| The Sun (Newspapers.com) - February 6, 1976 |
The Kmart originally opened in 1976 off of then-Mississippi Highway 67 in what was known at the time as North Biloxi. The city of D'Iberville was not incorporated until 1988, which really threw a wrench in things during my research.
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| The Sun (Newspapers.com) - March 2, 1976 |
Kmart #7052 first greeted shoppers on March 3, 1976, as the 937th store in the chain. As for the grocery anchor in the center, that title originally went to Sunflower Foods who constructed a store next door which opened in February 1982. The Sunflower was not long-lived and withered away a mere two years later.
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| The Sun (Newspapers.com) - August 3, 1979 |
Winn-Dixie wasn't far behind in joining the North Biloxi fun, considering how the chain announced plans to open a store at the corner of Cedar Lake & Popp's Ferry Roads in 1979, roughly 2.5 miles from the Kmart. That location closed by 1989, but a different WD located 2.5 miles in the opposite direction remained.
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| The Sun (Newspapers.com) - December 12, 1973 |
The Lemoyne Plaza Winn-Dixie officially opened its doors on December 2, 1973, along with a Morgan & Lindsey discount store and Stan's Rexall pharmacy. Surprisingly, the shopping center still looks largely the same today as it did 50 years ago, with the exception of being converted into a self-storage facility (shocker). If only there were still 1970's graphics on the walls!
It seems that the 20,000 sq ft Lemoyne store served its purpose until it was seemingly replaced in 1991.
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| The Sun Herald (Newspapers.com) - January 13, 1991 |
Considering that the Sun Herald has a blackout period during the latter two-thirds of 1991 on Newspapers.com, I'm having to color between the lines a bit; at least I have a few guideposts to follow. The first pointer is this photo from January 1991 showing a new Winn-Dixie on 7th Street in D'Iberville. While there doesn't ever appear to have been a 7th Street in D'Iberville, there was a 7th Avenue which formerly ran behind the Kmart center. The 35,000 sq ft size also lines up with my Google Maps estimate for #1513's original footprint, and the June 1991 completion lines up with the blackout dates. Regardless, regular ads for this store began appearing again in 1992 once news coverage returns.
Likewise, 1992 also brought mention of registrations for youth baseball leagues & gymnastics classes in the "old Winn-Dixie on Lemoyne Blvd." I'd have to imagine that means the nearby store closed during the media blackout as well, especially considering how it was still mentioned in the present tense in January 1991.
While ads mention that this store underwent a remodel in 1996, the grocer filed permits calling for a $1.3 million, 10,000 sq ft expansion in May 1998; this brought the store's footprint to what we see today.
With all of that change, I'm a bit dumbfounded when it comes to figuring out where the interior dividing line is for the expansion. The exterior, however, is much easier. If you pay attention to the photo at the top of the post, you can see the signs of the original, symmetrical storefront. Take note of the wider columns: there are 5 total on the building, with 3 sets of two separated by three narrower columns. Meanwhile, the span directly under the Winn-Dixie sign is separated by four narrow columns. Since we know the right side of the store is where the addition occurred, we can look at the satellite images and see that the line in the roof roughly lines up with one of the wide columns. Once you cancel out that portion of the building (covered in an "Agreeable Gray" box above), you are left with symmetrical sets of columns. If my theory is correct, the store's original vestibule would have spanned the green rectangle above while a covered walkway would have been behind the red sections.
Also, take note of the lettering that Winn-Dixie has removed from this storefront over the years: "1 Hour Photo" was first to go, followed by "Open 6-12" sometime between 2013 and 2015. The most recent casualty was "Pharmacy" which lasted until last year's closure round, leaving behind the lonely "Deli", reminiscent of Auburn just offering "Food".
Take a look at this former store in nearby Moss Point, Mississippi, if you are still having trouble visualizing the D'Iberville supermarket's original footprint; they seem to have been nearly identical when they opened.
See, my puzzle pieces don't form a castle or a painting, they form a timeline. And to me, that timeline is much more fascinating because I never know what the end result will be. I typically know some general clues to look for, like a grand opening ad or a property record, but the colors in between the lines always tend to be the most intriguing. What's best is when I make connections about a place by looking back at my photos that I never would have realized just walking through the space (like that fact that this store has maintained its original symmetry or butcher counter placement). All of that is to say that I'm still amazed by how much history these seemingly mundane edifices contain. While many people take them for granted, they'll often wish they had done something to preserve them once they are gone. More importantly, without learning from the past, we are destined to make the same mistakes in the future.
Now that we know about the past of this Winn-Dixie, let's take a look at the present (while it's still around).
This shot gives us a better look at the old vestibule's footprint, which was formerly constrained by the larger column to the left and the larger column below the "a". It seems like the new configuration created a strange empty space to the left of the "new" entryway.
For today's trip, we'll explore the right side of the vestibule and see how well the old swinging door has fared over the last quarter-century.
Oh wow, what a nice surprise! I don't think I've come across another store with etched glass like this.
Once inside, we find the buggies exactly where we would in most every other W/D.
At least the sales floor looks a bit more interesting . . .
While I don't know exactly how this store's interior décor has evolved over the years, I'll make my best judgements over the next few photos based on other Winn-Dixies I've been to.
Wow, those bananas look really good! I suppose 67 cents a pound isn't a great price, though. Despite that, I will say that I'm proud of the framing of this photo with the Produce Patch sign in the background.
Turning around, we can see a nice overview of the original portion of the building which would have ended right around aisle 3. One of the easiest ways to tell where the old sales floor ended is by the presence or lack of the big, round air vents in the ceiling: the addition just got standard square ones.
Hmm, the colors in here remind me of a different, newer Winn-Dixie we've seen . . .
The first thing that catches my eye is how this store's Marketplace refresh looks a whole lot more like former Winn-Dixie #500's Transitional interior than #579 in Auburn did because the latter used a lot more black accents than we find here.
I'd go out on a limb to say that this store's neighborhood market refresh happened earlier than Auburn's did considering how the department signs still match the circa 2001 look from Pinson; however, this store's refresh was also much cheaper. I guess I can't blame W/D for being cheap here since all of the floor and wall coverings were only installed a few years prior.
If you look closely, you can see where The Beef People paid somebody to painstakingly paint the letters of the Produce Patch. You may even be able to see the texture from the old black stenciling.
Continuing on, we find the blush-colored flooring which accents the floral department, followed by the blue tiles denoting cold beer.
The "Local" graphics one these Chandeleur Island Brewing 6-pack price tags make me think of a banana sticker for some reason, and I'm not entirely sure why. Maybe it resembles the Chiquita logo?
Anyhow, I do know what these pale checkered tiles make me think of: a Winn-Dixie Deli Café. That is precisely what would have been here (the seating area, to be precise).
Not far from the café seating was the delicatessen proper. It's a shame that the neon was burnt out, but at least we still get to see some faded photos of food and a few unpainted pink and teal diamonds mounted to the vent hood.
If I'm not mistaken, the deli moved from the front right corner when this store expanded. Previously, the seafood counter would have rounded out the back right corner.
The rose & teal deli and butcher counter signs seem to be original to 1998, but I feel like the strip of green pinstriped wallpaper wasn't typical for that era of the package.
I also haven't seen this much baby blue tile in a store from the late-1990's; it doesn't seem to match any of the wall décor, to boot.
Let's spice things up with a quick look down aisle 9, complete with a Purple / Maroon package aisle marker down at the end.
I sure hope the W-D Brand beef hasn't been aged as long as that coffin freezer. Being this close to the ocean surely doesn't help matters, either.
"Fresh Airy & Poultry" is the highlight of our next shot, along with the first ever "Frozen Meats" sign I've seen featuring 3D lettering (despite that lettering still being slapped on after the fact).
The wrinkle on the right edge of the picture helps to highlight the pinstriped wallpaper I mentioned earlier. It also looks like a couple of the ceiling tiles got a little saggy.
Would you say this is frozen in time?
Moving on, we see a Winning Deal on some pretzels and instant mac-and-cheese.
Luncheon meats weren't quite as lucky as their colder counterparts considering how they only have 2D lettering on their department sign. They are also stuck with some 15 year old orange Transformational graphics instead of the newer black ones we saw back in the meat department.
The mysterious blue tile continues along aisle 16 and even in to the Oven Fresh Baked corner.
All I ever wanted was some Oven Fresh Baked.
Why is it that some stores, like #535 in Pensacola, lasted close to 25 years with five fully-functional neon signs while others, like this store, struggled to keep three burning? Is it the transformers that typically go bad or is it the bulbs? (I think it is the bulb in the case of the "B" above.)
In case you didn't know, I'm crazy about some Winn✔️Dixie Special Occasion Cakes.
Does that sign look out of place to anybody else? There are a whole lot of incohesive marketing attempts in this picture!
Oh well, at least we can still find the patient consultation area for the non-existent pharmacy next door. Oh, and take a look at that pinstripe wallpaper now!
Much like Auburn, Winn-Dixie put up several banks of shelves to cover the old pharmacy area. I'm honestly shocked at how well The Beef People managed to disguise the old spaces, especially since there used to be a neon sign mounted through the wall that they patched up.
The blue tile continues into the frozen foods aisle, which reminds me of what I'd expect to see in a 1980's store. Nonetheless, this, too, must be from 1998.
The only things I noticed being out of place in here were a few empty freezer cabinets; I obviously didn't think much of it since I neglected to take a picture. In retrospect, I'd imagine that was an early sign that this store was beginning to reduce its stock before the permanent closure.
I do appreciate how much natural light the large bank of windows lets in; this reminds me a lot of a Kroger greenhouse store in that regard.
Like all good things, this tour must draw to a close. I will say that despite this store's aged interior, it didn't stand out to me as being particularly low volume in contrast to Auburn. Sure, it wasn't extremely crowded midday on a Monday, but it still had other shoppers wandering the aisles and a reasonable staffing.
I also want to point out that the staff I interacted with were very friendly. I remember having a conversation about Georgia with my cashier, as she has family who lives in the Eastern part of the state. I genuinely hope that she and all of the other displaced employees are either able to relocate to the Aldi or quickly find new jobs. I'd be naïve to say that all of them will transfer, but one can still hope for the best.
Even with this store converting to an Aldi, I still wonder if the German grocer will find and remove all traces of The Beef People.
I noticed this old "Enter" sign as I was exiting the store, and the fact that it is so faded makes me wonder if it will go unnoticed. There are plenty of other cases where I've seen signs like this go unnoticed for decades after a company has closed or been sold off. Only time will tell, though.
"While you're at The Marketplace", I figured I'd mention how I feel confident that 2024 will mark the end of the longstanding banner for Winn-Dixie. As sad as it is to see the iconic nameplate disappear, it certainly hasn't come without warning, giving me plenty of time to photograph 7 of the 10 stores remaining as of the beginning of 2024. Thus far, here is how that list stands:
Stores set to convert to Aldi:
#1513 | D'Iberville, MS
#184 | Quincy, FL
Stores which remain (for now):
#2342 | DeLand, FL
With that, I'll close out this post featuring a picture of the road sign facing old Highway 67. The store's Marketplace sign frame is still easily recognizable, but the turquoise paint scheme contrasts with the freshly-installed red Winn-Dixie logo. This was presumably replaced following Hurricane Zeta's damage to the area in 2020.
I'd also like to stress this point: if you want to see a Winn-Dixie or Harveys as such, you need to go NOW. We do not know what the future holds, but I do know that stores have been popping up left-and-right to convert. It has become apparent that Aldi isn't looking out for the good of Southeastern Grocers, but instead is mostly viewing this deal as a real estate transaction. Even stores that are close to an existing Aldi or are claimed to not be conversion candidates have writing on their walls that doesn't look good . . . just saying!
Don't take anything for granted,
- The Sing Oil Blogger
I'd like to thank Henry H. for helping me research some of this store's background information.
Huh, who would have guessed that the Chevrolet Astro van in the first photo of the post wouldn't be the most retro thing in the whole post!
ReplyDelete♪Danke, dass du ein Freund bist...♪
Oh, wait, the Germans are kicking this Winn-Dixie to the curb? Some friend the Germans are! Then again, while it is sad to see a full-line supermarket get removed in exchange for an Aldi, this Winn-Dixie is quite a mess. How is it even possible that this Winn-Dixie is from 1998? This looks more like something from 1988 and with some elements looking like they are from 1978!
Looking at these pictures, I'm completely bamboozled about how this store was built five years after some of the Kroger Neon Signature stores in my area. At least one of those stores still has the original 1993 floor and it looks way more modern than this Winn-Dated! We won't even get into the rusty coffin coolers!
The K-Mart Plaza reference is quite funny because it reminds me of another topic we've discussed recently, the many Market Baskets of Salem, NH. The newest of the three has Market Basket historical flair inside memorializing (well, maybe that isn't the right word given that the store still exists, albeit with a slightly different look) the first Salem Market Basket, which was the first ever Market Basket-bannered store under the then-DeMoulas umbrella, which was located in a Kmart shopping center as indicated by the sign in the Market Basket history flair. Mike and I wondered if that spot was ever a Kmart foods, but it appears that it might have started out as a Grand Union. Whether Grand Union operated that store as a Kmart Foods, well, if they did, we don't have evidence of it. Link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/o3WC7rEJGB52d2MZ7
If you look at the full Google Maps gallery of photos for that Market Basket (the with with flair, not the Kmart Market Basket...or the other Market Basket next door, lol) you'll see how Market Basket, a relatively recently built one which looks very much like the 2023-built one I went to in North Conway, integrates a very 1990s look in a way which still works here in the 2020s. While there are some similarities to what is at The Beef People, there are also big differences! I know it might be a folly to say that it is too bad The Beef People didn't age as well as an almost brand new Market Basket, but you get what I'm trying to say!
It is kind of funny to see you explain Kmart as being a Wal-Mart type of store, but without food. I can remember when Wal-Mart was explained as being like a Kmart! The funny thing is that in New England, non-Supercenter Wal-Marts are still pretty common (we have a few in Houston as well). Not too far away from Salem, NH, in Falmouth, ME, there is a regular Wal-Mart in a former Kmart! The Wal-Mart even has the giant Kmart HVAC vents! This is across the street from a Shaw's in case AFB is planning a road trip, lol.
As for the Sing Oil photos, I think you're rubbing it in, given my comments last week, with the vintage Sing photos in what looks like portrait mode! Ok, those are obviously old film photos, but still! Oh well, I guess we have to take what we can get with old Sing Oil photos. I still feel that a Pepsi fountain in the Deep South is a faux pas, but at least they have plenty of Coca-Cola Classic, and Barq's, in the fridge! I also think putting motor oil next to the tampons is a faux pas, but at least maybe someone can use that as a convenient way to stop an oil leak on their Astro van. Ok, I think I'm about done with this comment, lol.
I know; that Astro is quite the throwback! The crazy thing is how that van was at most 3 years old when the photo was taken considering the Astro was introduced in 1985.
DeleteIt wouldn’t be a tour of a 1990’s Winn-Dixie without you getting the Golden Girls theme song in my head! Remember that this supermarket is from 1991 and was just expanded in 1998. The pictures can make this store look like a bit of a mess; however, it was doing pretty well with all things considered. I think the burnt-out neon and the old, leaky refrigerators were the biggest defects. Yes, the signage looked a bit dated, but what else would you expect from Winn-Dixie! The floor colors are a bit odd for a late-1990’s expansion; regardless, I still think they look better than the exposed concrete in a Kroger.
That old Market Basket is interesting. Even if it was never a Kmart Foods, I still think it was built in conjunction with the Kmart considering that architecture. I mentioned this former Harveys in Albany, GA, in an old post and some people thought it was a Kmart Foods. It turns out the store was built as a Big Star, but just used Kmart’s design language since it was the junior anchor. I wouldn’t be surprised if Kmart designed the building for Market Basket to be the junior as well. It is crazy how that “modern” Market Basket looks straight out of the 1990’s; I’m not sure if I’m a fan of the distracting floor pattern, though.
I was being a bit tongue-in-cheek when describing Kmart if you couldn’t tell! I’m surprised that non-Super Walmarts still exist considering how I haven’t seen one in at least a decade. It makes sense for them to be more common in New England where land is scarcer. I know I have walked into an early 1990’s Walmart before and felt like I stepped into a Kmart when I saw the low ceilings, etc. The thing is, that store never was a Kmart!
When you mentioned “portrait mode” the other week, I associated it with the cheesy artificial bokeh effect phones can create now, not the fact that the photos were taken in portrait orientation. I can’t change the fact that whoever shot this roll of film preferred portrait orientation over landscape! I’m just glad to have any photos of this store, so I’ll take what I can get. It is strange to see the old Pepsi fountain machine. Also, you’re really getting creative with that Astro van now – I think that’s as far as I should go too before I get into trouble!
Love all the classic Sing photos! Those were awesome to look through. A conversion into an urgent care clinic certainly is unusual, though! And that's neat it's so close to that Belk. Thanks for the link there. Wish I had visited that store myself!
ReplyDeleteGlad you made it to the D'iberville Winn-Dixie also. Great find with that old road sign! I wonder what will become of the remaining Mississippi stores.
Thank you! Despite having seen these photos many times before, I really enjoyed taking a closer look at them while writing this post and discovering details I had never noticed. I guess that’s why I landed on the blog as a way to document my findings! I can’t say how many “convenient” urgent care clinics I’ve seen, but at least patients don’t have to worry about getting wet if it is raining. I just hope the place doesn’t smell bad because it is probably a bit gassy! You’re welcome for the link, and it isn’t too late for you to visit the Belk or urgent care, either!
DeleteYes, that was quite lucky timing! With only four Winn-Dixies remaining in Mississippi now that D’Iberville has closed and Gulfport is on the chopping block, I can’t imagine that The Beef People have a bright future in The Magnolia State.
That was a neat look at the old Gulfport Sing store! It was interesting seeing what Sing's future could have been had the company not sold out to Amoco a few years later. Even for what appears to have been a small convenience store built between the gas pumps, Sing still managed to cram a lot of stuff into that space. Like Retail Retell mentioned above, it's interesting seeing the old Sing converted into an urgent care clinic, which left the overall gas station aesthetic of the building alive too! And at least I can sleep better now that I know Geoffrey the Giraffe has found new employment as an urgent care mascot in coastal Mississippi!
ReplyDeleteYour timing for visiting the D'Iberville Winn-Dixie worked out perfectly at least, so it seems like you were meant to cover this store! It's interesting seeing the official name of this location on Winn-Dixie's website as "Winn-Dixie at K-Mart Shopping Center" considering Kmart has been gone for over 20 years, much like how the one Lake Mary Winn-Dixie is still referred to internally is "Winn-Dixie at Gooding's Lake Mary". Looking closely at the store's facade, the late 80's/early 90's pre-Marketplace design begins to appear, and it's quite impressive how the interior transformation at this store (and many other Winn-Dixies that expanded in the 1990's) is almost seamless. Even Publix has a hard time making the interior transitions in expanded stores seem flush!
The blue tile in this store is strange, especially the way it was installed in the frozen foods department. It probably isn't, but it almost looks like WD added parts of the Marketplace tile design to the original blue stripes from the pre-Marketplace decor. Overall though, compared to some of the other Markeplace stores that survived into 2024, this seemed to be one of the better looking ones at least. Not the best, but not as sad as some like North DeLand and Tamarac appeared to me. It will be interesting to see what Aldi does with this space.
Thanks! It’s always fun to wonder about the “what ifs” when you see glimpses of a company’s future come to light just before a sale or liquidation, and I think this Gulfport Sing shares a lot in common with the Apopka or Jacksonville Winn-Dixie stores. Sing executives likely had the idea in their heads that this could be the “swan song” by the time the store opened (considering how the merger was originally slated to close in late-1989/early-1990), so it is still neat to see it being well documented and still “cutting edge”. Speaking of Winn-Dixie, I need to make it a point to visit one of the “Out to Pasture” stores because it appears that there is no guarantee for their safety.
DeleteSing did manage to cram a lot of stuff into that store, and I guess the lack of junk food options in the 1980’s helped provide extra shelf space which would now be utilized for more chips, etc. It’s hard to miss the fact that the urgent care clinic used to be a gas station, and the giraffe was a strange touch as well. I actually saw Geoffrey himself sitting in a Macy’s toy section this weekend!
Yes, the stars certainly aligned for that D’Iberville visit! Even with Winn-Dixie’s future looking dimmer and dimmer by the day, at least I can rest assured that I put in as much effort as possible to cover these older, unique stores. The fact that I had several years notice (starting with the remodel scare) helped as well. This one just turned out to be the luck of the draw with my first trip to Mississippi in two years lining up for me to stop by. I got a chuckle when I saw W/D’s official name for this store, and I’m not surprised there are other vintage names like “Gooding’s Lake Mary”. Maybe they still have a “Zayre Plaza” or a “Save Rite Center” out there as well!
It is impressive to see how well Winn-Dixie disguised this store’s expansion. Needless to say, I was in a Publix last week where the expansion was much less seamless, but I think that was kind of the point. That store will make for quite the fun post, as I believe it is the oldest Publix in operation (I’ll see if you can guess the store).
I’ve heard from several people now that say they have never seen the blue tile, either, so I wonder if this store was some type of prototype? I thought the same thing about the frozen foods tile being leftovers from the original 1991 store, but my photos from the old Pinson location show a totally different design. The fact that the blue tile was also used in front of the beer cases in the expansion makes me think it was all added in 1998. I agree that this was still one of the better looking Marketplace stores.