New Publix on Hwy 98 in SoWal breaking ground

Could it have been the location of Zeales (sp?) store/ Dicky Saltsman's? If I am right, you know why, don't you?

That would be Johnny and Winnie Ziel's store, my aunt and uncle in law.

Have any of you heard of Wegman's? They are the ultimate grocery store! Fortune magazine has voted them as one of the top companies in the country to work for. The average store is 160,000 square feet and is two stories tall. I drive 45 minutes to get to the only Wegman's in Maryland. It is the most incredible store you will ever shop in. I don't think there are any in the south. They originated in New York.

Have any of you heard of Wegman's? They are the ultimate grocery store! Fortune magazine has voted them as one of the top companies in the country to work for. The average store is 160,000 square feet and is two stories tall. I drive 45 minutes to get to the only Wegman's in Maryland. It is the most incredible store you will ever shop in. I don't think there are any in the south. They originated in New York.

There was some survey last year where Wegmans was No. 1 nationwide, Publix was No. 2.

The average Publix btw is 40 something thousand sqft.

Best place to live for organic foods?

Hello,

My name is Rachel, this is the first time I have used this site. I am considering moving to the gulf coast area. Anywhere from Navarre to Destin. I eat mostly organic food and it's really important for me to be near a grocery store that can offer a wide variety of organic food products... Could someone tell me what the best area to live in would be? Or tell me the grocery stores that carry organic foods and their actual addresses? I have tried to find this info in a Google search and am having no luck. Please feel free to email me as I am having a hard time finding where I can bookmark this page and I don't know if I will be able to find my way back here as I just came upon it accidentaly during a google search.

Thanks,

Rachel

Re: Best place to live for organic foods?

Hello,

My name is Rachel, this is the first time I have used this site. I am considering moving to the gulf coast area. Anywhere from Navarre to Destin. I eat mostly organic food and it's really important for me to be near a grocery store that can offer a wide variety of organic food products... Could someone tell me what the best area to live in would be? Or tell me the grocery stores that carry organic foods and their actual addresses? I have tried to find this info in a Google search and am having no luck. Please feel free to email me as I am having a hard time finding where I can bookmark this page and I don't know if I will be able to find my way back here as I just came upon it accidentaly during a google search.

Thanks,

Rachel

bookmark = Ctrl D

www.ShopForTheHealthOfIt.com = Blue Mountain Beach

For the Health of It has a lot of good organic foods, including stuff you won't find anywhere else. Publix has a number of stores throughout the Panhandle, and has a pretty big organic selection. Fresh Market in Destin doesn't have a huge organic section per se, but they carry a lot of European products, and EU food standards tend to be higher than what's over here.

That would be Johnny and Winnie Ziel's store, my aunt and uncle in law.

Who lived in the house that later housed the Sweetheart Shop, and were very wonderful people, who sold the store to my dad and my aunt when I was just a wee tot. Whether it was called Ziel's or Dickie (he HATED to be called Dickie by anyone other than my grandmother!) Saltsman's depended on when you became familiar with it.

Oh, and the answer to the trivia question was LeBleau's. When I met Fuzz, roughly 2/3 of his meals were eaten there. In fact, our rehearsal dinner was there - and Frank LeBleau surprised us by tearing up the bill.

Great food, but I'm told you didn't want to see the kitchen.

About Kelley's...

The Kelley family has, or possibly had, stores in Fort Walton Beach and Niceville. When they bought the IGA in Freeport, folks were ecstatic as the quality of the meat sold at the Kelley's stores was phenominal. I have no idea if that is different now, or how involved the Kelley family actually is in the Freeport store these days. I've only been in there once or twice in the last four years, and felt like I needed to go home and take a shower both times.

I don't fault Kelley's for their prices, as there is no way that an IGA, a Piggly-Wiggly, a Thriftway, or a Kelley's can compete with a Winn-Dixie or heaven forbid, a Wal-Mart. This is because the "wholesale" price a grocer pays for his merchandise is based upon the volume he buys. The same truck (Lewis Bear, Wood Fruitticher, etc) can stop at two different stores and charge two different prices for the same item. The last store I worked at (won't mention names) would ask me to stop at Wal-Mart and buy film because Wal-Mart's retail price was less than our distributor's wholesale price. But I digress...

Because of this, smaller stores absolutely must step up to the plate in customer service to maintain their clientele when the big boys come to town.
Thriftway in DeFuniak, which has EXCELLENT meat and local produce, has done this successfully. If Publix - who is higher than Wal-Mart and Winn-Dixie but provides cheerful customer service - comes to Freeport, Kelley's is toast.

For The Health of It! Great product and great service!

So where is the new Publix near 393??? Forgive me in advance if the answer is buried in this thread. I did a quick peruse, but the posts strayed greatly from sj's original subject.

So where is the new Publix near 393??? Forgive me in advance if the answer is buried in this thread. I did a quick peruse, but the posts strayed greatly from sj's original subject.

You're kiddin!

So where is the new Publix near 393??? Forgive me in advance if the answer is buried in this thread. I did a quick peruse, but the posts strayed greatly from sj's original subject.

Construction has not started.

Y'all REALLY do not want a Whole Foods here, not kidding. They're snakes in hippie clothing. Both Mr. OM & I worked there. The organic produce is not that great & it isn't any better than Publix, Starbucks, etc. They go in & take over local stores & markets. The only one I liked was Harry's Farmers' Market, because the produce section was awesome!

If you want a small chain health food store, Earth Fare out of Asheville would be best in that genre. OR for Ed & Rachel to open another satellite FTHOI....

PLEASE! We actually need a grocery store with coolers that work and vegetables that are edible in Freeport. The owners of Kelley's just don't seem to care. I would prefer to buy from locals but they need to have a product that is reasonable (price and quality) and that does not exist in NoWal. As it is, the nearest "real" grocery store is in Niceville or DFS.

Ohhhh I love Wegmans!!! We have a Wegmans in every town back home (Rochester, NY). No Wegmans down south yet.

Have any of you heard of Wegman's? They are the ultimate grocery store! Fortune magazine has voted them as one of the top companies in the country to work for. The average store is 160,000 square feet and is two stories tall. I drive 45 minutes to get to the only Wegman's in Maryland. It is the most incredible store you will ever shop in. I don't think there are any in the south. They originated in New York.

Ohhhh I love Wegmans!!! We have a Wegmans in every town back home (Rochester, NY). No Wegmans down south yet.

I have friends that tell me about how wonderful Wegman's is. I have loved Publix as far back as I can remember. Whenever I go to Publix, I tell friends and family I am going to pleasure myself. It's a play on their great advertising slogan, 'Where shopping is a pleasure.' And it is. Everyone there (at any of them from Miami to Nashville) is so nice and helpful. What is Wegman's advertisement slogan, do they have one?

What is Wegman's advertisement slogan, do they have one?

"Every Day You Get Our Best!"

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Construction has not started.

I was told it would be complete sometime in 2009 (fall I think?)
I can't remember for the life of me exactly which parcel it is... I couldn't pinpoint it and I was a little afraid that it was one of the ones with the newer For Sale signs up...

It does still have the old "for sale" sign posted, but it isn't actively listed.

It does still have the old "for sale" sign posted, but it isn't actively listed.

More real estate litter.

We use the Publix on 98 at Carillon Beach every visit as opposed to the WinnDixie which turned sort of nasty after a while. Yep, the meat is a bit pricery but we buy seafood anyway at one of the local seafood markets and only wish we could find a Farmers Market with local produce when we are at the beach. Anyone have a suggestion for local produce? And I hate driving twenty miles for some tomatoes unless they are really, really local. And good.

For local and regional produce, go to For the Health of It, located in Blue Mtn Beach on 30A.

Or Toni's in Grayton - got some great peaches there last week!

More real estate litter.

....Florida State Flowers.



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Or Toni's in Grayton - got some great peaches there last week!

Me too. mmmmm