Just north of University Avenue, Gainesville’s 13th Publix location has opened its doors to the UF community.
The campus-oriented grocery store, located at 203 NW 13th St., officially opened May 4. It includes a pharmacy, a Starbucks and an outdoor lounge area. The parking lot includes 63 car spots, four handicap spots, 32 scooter spots and two spaces for motorcycles, according to Alligator archives.
“Publix is proud to open its first store in this beautiful community near the University of Florida, which includes a Starbucks,” said Dwaine Stevens, a spokesperson for Publix.
The store hired 145 new employees and is open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, Stevens said.
Prior to its grand opening, in a show of support for the community, Stevens said Publix donated to four local charities. The donations included $296,500 to United Way of North Central Florida, $3,044.43 to the Field and Fork Pantry, $70,000 to Alachua County’s Habitat for Humanity and $64,809.16 to Bread of the Mighty Food Bank.
Although some students say the store is smaller than they would have liked, many agree that the on-campus location is convenient.
“It’s kind of small, but it’s also kind of close to where I live,” said Keira Wharton, a 19-year-old UF psychology freshman. “So it’s convenient.”
Sydnee Vaughan, 18, said she believes the new store is close to everything, making it easily accessible to students who live on campus.
“Honestly it’s great,” the UF nutritional sciences freshman said. “It’s very convenient, it’s very modern.”
Contact Adam Turner at aturner@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter: @fladam98.
