Publix Is Open in Elizabethtown: What's Coming Next

Key Takeaways

• Publix opened Wednesday, September 23, with a ribbon cutting at 6:45 AM and doors at 7
• At the community preview, Publix gave $131,000 to Feeding America, Kentucky's Heartland, and $10,000 each to Warm Blessings and Helping Hand of Hope, and hired over 100 local associates
• The store's upper deck, with free wifi and a water refill station, is open to every shopper, not just employees
• Publix Liquors and Firehouse Subs already have signage up in the same shopping center, with Beignets and Brew, Hotworx, Kilwins and Theology still to come
• Fuel Fortress, a new gym, opened Friday in the former Joann space

Summary

Nate Bryan walked into Business Buzz with the story people have been waiting on for months: Publix is open. He had footage from both the community preview and his own first grocery run, and between the two he covered the amenities, the charity checks, and the wide aisles that everyone seems to notice first.

It wasn't just Publix. The shopping center building in around it is coming together piece by piece, and across town a new gym opened its doors on Friday.

Full Article

Publix Opens

Publix opened Wednesday, September 23, with a ribbon cutting at 6:45 AM and doors open at 7. Nate got his first look the day before, at a community preview and press day, and again on his own grocery run once the doors were open to everyone.

At the preview, Publix put its opening week to good use. The store presented $131,000 to Feeding America, Kentucky's Heartland, and $10,000 each to Warm Blessings and Helping Hand of Hope, and said it has hired over a hundred local associates.

Nate's description of the store itself:

"It's huge, it's nice, it's big."

The detail that stood out most to him wasn't the size, it was the extras. An upper deck, reachable by stairs or elevator, is open to the general public, not just employees, with comfortable seating, wifi, a water fountain, a water bottle refill station and private bathrooms. And then there's the sub counter.

"You can grab a nice Pub sub, which people love, and go eat up there. People are already digging the Pub subs. The chicken sausage was a huge hit."

The store has 15 aisles, wide enough that carts and shoppers pass each other without a squeeze, and Nate pointed people to the Publix app for finding items and tracking buy-one-get-one deals.

He went back on his own family trip after the doors opened to everyone, and it matched what he saw at the preview: quick in and out, a long but fast-moving sub line, and no trouble finding parking even with several storefronts nearby still under construction.

The Shopping Center Fills In

Publix isn't opening alone. In the same building and the row around it, at least eight more stores are on the way, though most don't have opening dates yet.

Publix Liquors and Firehouse Subs both have signage up. Nate was clear on Firehouse:

"If there were concerns, it does have different owners from last time, so don't worry about that."

Firehouse is now hiring. Also in the mix: a UPS Store, relocating from its current spot near Penn Station, with no date set yet.

Toward the far end, the pink and white striped awning belongs to Beignets and Brew, a chain opening its very first location there. Next door, Hotworx has its signage and social pages up, bringing hot yoga to the corner. Rounding out the row: Kilwins, for chocolate, fudge and ice cream, and Theology, a skin bar. A few storefronts on the corner are still sitting empty.

Fuel Fortress Opens

Across town, Fuel Fortress, a new gym, opened Friday in the former Joann fabric store space. Nate is a fan of how they've marketed the opening:

"I like their marketing. Their videos are very good."

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