Archive for the ‘Vanderbilt Beach’ Category

Don’t let the select Naples real estate “best buys” pass you by…

Sales according to Naples Area Borard of Realtors stats increased by 20% the end of the last quarter.  We have been chipping away at Naples property inventory and all indicators are pointing to the stabilation of our market in area pockets, particularly the higher end.

There is only so much Beach and waterfront properties to spread around.

Call today to find your piece of paradise 239-269-8889

In the Know: New ‘hybrid’ Publix to open Oct. 21 in Naples

Q: I understand that the new hybrid Publix at the Marketplace at Pelican Bay — I wrote to you about that over a year ago — is now set to open on Friday, Oct. 15, in keeping with all Publix’s Friday morning new store openings. Have you heard that date as well?

— Mark, Pelican Bay

A: The opening date has been changed. Publix’s first “hybrid” supermarket, which combines features of a traditional Publix store with a Publix GreenWise Market and cafe, will open Oct. 21 in the former home of Albertsons in the Marketplace at Pelican Bay, 8833 U.S. 41 N.

That’s a Thursday, the day of the week for opening all new Publix stores. The new supermarket will open at 8 a.m., and its adjacent Publix liquor store will open at the same time that day. A brief ribbon-cutting ceremony will proceed the stores’ opening.

The Publix across Vanderbilt Beach Road in The Pavilion shopping center will close the night before at 7 p.m. Oct. 20 and not reopen. Most employees will retain jobs across the street.

“The majority of our associates will be transferring from that store to the new location,” said a company spokeswoman, noting that the grocery chain has hired many new folks, as well.

L.A. Fitness is scheduled to open in The Pavilion by next spring. The renovation of the space is expected to take about three months, said Jake Devita at the L.A. Fitness location at Gulf Coast Town Center in Estero.

The new Publix, the Lakeland-based company’s prototype for what it is calling a “hybrid concept,” is nearly 55,000 square feet, larger than the average 45,000-square-foot Publix store, said Shannon Patten, a spokeswoman for Publix Super Markets Inc. This concept will be located only in selected markets and not replace the company’s 1,023 neighborhood stores in four states, Patten said.

“This is a special store, a very unique concept,” she said.

Despite its uniqueness, the new store’s exterior signs provide no indication that the store is any different than any other Publix. But, inside, the design of the new Publix creates a sense of abundance and freshness, Patten said.

The first hybrid concept store will feature conventional Publix items combined with an extensive selection of Earth-friendly, all-natural, organic products, Patten said.

“This store is unlike any other in the area,” she said. “It will have a large selection of freshly prepared foods.”

A cafe seating area offers WiFi and a variety of cuisine from a Pacific Wok area for Asian dishes to a location for gelato and gelato smoothies. A wide variety of entrees, side dishes and appetizers available include specialties such as cedar plank salmon, quinoa salad, a salad bar with 20 fresh selections and a soup bar with four gourmet choices available daily.

Every department of the supermarket will offer regular Publix items in combination with additional special products. For instance, the bakery department will have an assortment of chocolate-dipped items and products made with all-natural ingredients. The deli’s full-service counter will include an international selection of olives and antipastos. The produce department has been expanded with more exotic fruits, vegetables and organic items.

The store will offer more than 200 variety of cheeses from around the world, and a huge wine department will sell a variety of premium and specialty wines, including varieties made with organic grapes. Bulk dispensers will provide many items and the seafood department will include a lobster tank and an expanded sushi counter. The store’s body care section will offer conventional products, as well as a natural line of shampoos, vitamins, cosmetics, and other products.

“Our customers have become more food savvy,” Patten said. “We want to provide them with a place they can explore all these options in one convenient location.”

In addition, an event planning area of the store will be staffed by a specialist to coordinate party planning needs for every special occasion. It offers one-stop shopping and ordering for platters from the deli, cakes from the bakery, flowers from the full-service floral department and other items from throughout the store.

On opening day next month, free gifts will be presented to the first few hundred customers, and the store will feature a lot of samples and giveaways, including a special weekly sales ad for that store, Patten said.

The store’s location was one of 49 Florida stores Albertsons agreed to sell to Publix in 2008.

Source: Tim Aten, Naples Daily News

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2010/sep/28/know-new-hybrid-publix-naples-pelican-bay-ufood/

C.R. 901/Vanderbilt Drive Bridge Open!

The bridge opened to traffic at 10 p.m. tonight. Bicyclists and pedestrians are using a five-foot wide pathway temporarily. Crews will open the full width of the pathway (10-feet) soon – once handrail is installed on the outside bridge wall. Construction crews will complete installation of sod, pedestrian handrail and other items on the bridge in the next few weeks so please use caution when driving through the construction area.