The fact that it shares a building with some of the boldest works of Dale Chihuly, or that arts havens like the Morean and Florida Craft Art are nearby, matters not to Publix, which opened a new store on First Avenue South between 7th and 8th streets in downtown St. Pete on Thursday.

It looks pretty much like any of the smaller Publixes (Publices?), like, say, the one on Treasure Island where you go to load up on brewskies for Sunday's drum circle, with one key difference: Instead of being situated on the side near the produce department, the deli — yes, sandwiches — is something of a centerpiece for the store.

The prepared foods counter has Fresh Market-esque, or even, dare we say it, Whole Foods-esque aspirations. 

As the second downtown St. Pete location for the Florida-based grocery chain, the store is housed in a large, gleaming white building that takes up much of the block — a space that was formerly a parking lot for the adjacent office building.

Publix occupies 28,000 square feet of the southern half of the first floor; the Chihuly Collection and a few currently empty storefronts take up the northern half. Several floors of (free!) public parking tower above. 

It'll probably be a pretty crowded spot, given how many people live and work close by, and how many people love those Publix subs. Luckily, there are about 90 other decent grocery stores within a 5-mile radius, including one about seven blocks southeast, so if flocks of locals stick to this location, it'll ease congestion at other ones… in theory. (Except Trader Joe's. Trader Joe's will never not be crowded.)

Despite the large deli area, there wasn't as much of an emphasis on gourmet foods or veggie/vegan options as we'd expected, and the produce section is surprisingly compact. But the beer and wine selection seems comparable to that of any other Publix, as it should.

But, hey, it was only until about 18 months ago that there were any food options in the immediate area at all. 

Go forth and sandwich, downtown St. Pete.

This article appears in Mar 9-16, 2017.