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While working in Key West, FL recently I ran across an Advance Auto Parts Store, (1835 Flagler Avenue
Key West, FL 33040 ), That I am sure was an old grocery, I think Winn Dixie.

Other than paint and the front plate glass windows being covered over the building looks to be original. Inside the store has been completly redone, they even sheetrocked over the glass block windows.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/friendsofb ... 16/detail/

Coul possibly be a Pantry Pride as they seemed to be the dominant operator in the Keys until the early 90's. I do recall a Pantry Pride similar to that one when I last visited Key West in 1987, but I don't recall the address. Winn-Dixie, Grand Union and A&P are the other possibilites, centennial A&P's were less common in South Florida while the style is closer to Winn-Dixie or Pantry Pride and less grandiose than Grand Union. Publix didn't arrive until the 90's, ruling them out.

I didn't even think about A&P Pantry Pride or Grand Union, although I know that Pantry Pride was a strong player in the Keys. The store is located on the east end of the Island near the Key West High School and near older residential neighborhoods, not on the main drag.
We went by Publix, Winn Dixie, and Albertsons off of US1 on the other side of the Island, all of witch seemed to be much newer or at least somewhat updated.
All the Winn Dixies that we passed on the way down did seem newer so I don't know how long WD has had stores on the Islands.
Since the exterior of the store seemed to be unaltered other than covering the plate glass windows I'm sure its not a Centennial A&P.
Maybe Pantry Pride or Grand Union is a better choice?

There were no Grand Unions nor A&P's in Key West. (My memory goes back to the early 1970's) Key West's grocery options were somewhat limited for years. The first Publix in the keys opened in the early 1990's as Pantry Pride was fading away. I was surprised it took Publix so long. Winn-Dixie had stores in the keys much longer but Winn-Dixie either remodeled or replaced stores extensively in recent years. There aren't many Winn-Dixie markets anywhere in Florida that are recognizable from the 1980's (or even 90's) construction. Same for Publix. Albertson's is definitely the newest of any chain in the Keys. I didn't know until reading this thread that they had a store there. I am not surprised. If any new Albertson's was built it would be in a popular and affluent location.

I remember as a child that Winn-Dixie had ONE small older (late 1960's-early 1970's) store in Key West with a corner entrance. That store was there as late as the 1980's. However the building in the photos looks very much like it was the Pantry Pride. It reminds me of a simularly styled Pantry Pride in Oakland Park Florida.

Hey Edric.........good to hear from you :)

I'm pretty sure you are correct. This store looks very much like the Food Fair converted to Pantry Pride that I remember. But, looks like there was some major re-do on the windows configuration.

well in virginia just a little east of richmond it's about 20- 30 miles east of richmond , in i think providence forge, it's a fully preserved winn dixie superstore, but this was i think 2 years ago so it's probilly destroyed by now because it was comming apart when i last saw the store.

Hi Edric & Steve,

I think you are correct about this store being a Pantry Pride. I didn't think about them at first since the the Pantry Pride that I've dealt with didn't look much like this one and the building kind of reminded me of an old old Winn Dixie /Kwik Check that I rember from way back. (closed since the late 70's).

The front window area seems to be the only exterior work done to the building other than paint and closing in the back doors.
It looked like the front of the store had plate glass windows at one time.