This summer has been a busy one for me – between travel, work, and travel for work, I've hardly stopped. It has also been a busy one for the retail news cycle, considering how more-and-more Winn-Dixie stores seem to be disappearing by the day, and how one of the Southeast's largest furniture chains announced its liquidation.
Today, however, we'll be exploring a store that has been near-and-dear to my heart for a long time: not because I ever patronized it, but instead because it marks the best look we have inside a Sing Store from the late-1980's. We have finally made it to the time when these photos will see the light of day.
Despite having all of the historic photos I alluded to, I don't know too much about this old Sing Store. I do know that Tom Perry, former Sing Executive Vice President, executed a 20 year least with the Harrison County School District on April 15, 1988, for this 0.8 acre tract of land, costing the company $9,775 a year.
The main condition of the lease was that Sing was instructed to build a wastewater pump on the property to provide adequate drainage once the building was constructed. It appears that the school board previously had some sort of building on the land.
With Sing selling to Amoco in 1990, this store's 1988 opening made it one of the last 3 stations the company constructed, followed by Perry #2 and Jacksonville #4. The extensive number of photos also leads me to believe this was planned to be one of Sing's new station prototypes going forward, had the company remained in business.
Burns Oil Company of Mississippi officially assumed the lease from Sing on March 18, 1993, ending the 5-year run for the Georgia business in Gulfport. I'm not surprised Amoco was able to promptly find a buyer considering the store's close proximity to I-10.
I'm inclined to say the following photos were taken on the evening before the store's grand opening in two batches: the first set being taken earlier in the day when the station was making final preparations, while the second was taken at night after everything was polished up. The photo at the top of the post even looks like construction crews were still onsite performing punch list tasks!
What do you say? Why don't we see what all of the excitement was about inside the Sing!
Our first look is from just inside the door toward the automotive & cleaning supplies departments. See how it appears that product is still being unpacked?
This is followed by a look at the ice chest, which had been filled in the time since the first photo was taken. Does anybody remember that same "Ice" sign in LaGrange #4?
Continuing on, we find a partially stocked shelf of grocery staples including pet foods, cereal, canned goods, sugar, flour, oil, juices, coffee, and tea. Notice how the endcap closest to us still has a product information booklet attached to it, and how the department signs haven't even been attached to the walls! Also, take a look at that unopened case of Sing ice cups.
Several hours later, we find the same aisle after it had been fully stocked; we also see that the Styrofoam letters have been mounted to the walls. I wonder if those yellow "Mega Mugs" are the same ones that were still packed up in the box earlier.
Likewise, the endcap has now been stocked with what appears to be Golden Flake snacks.
Off in the distance, the drink center comes into view, complete with coffee, Pepsi, juice, and possibly ice cream.
I love how Sing pasted the "No Refills" sign to the top of the Pepsi fountain.
The last aisle of the store was home to cookies, crackers, bread, sandwich meat, and frozen foods.
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| Staged for Opening |
Oh, and you can't forget the L'eggs display like we saw back in Bradfordville.
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| Preparation |
Turning around, we see where a doorway adjacent to the cash register led to a solarium with booths for customers to chow down on bologna sandwiches from the delicatessen.
Anybody notice the same pegboard cabinets we saw at Columbus #4? I know the vinyl floor in these pictures looks much nicer than what I saw in Columbus – it would make sense if that were a floor polishing machine off to the left.
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| Preparation |
Back to the aisle opposite the drink fountain, we find an array of candy and gum much more in line with what's seen in a modern convenience store. Compare that to the heads of lettuce in Tallahassee #3 when it opened!
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| Staged for Opening |
It looks like "New Coke" was already a piece of history considering how prominently the word "Classic" is displayed on the numerous Coca-Cola cans & bottles.
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| Preparation |
Back in the grocery section, we find more canned goods, rice, and an abundance of condiments. Recognize any of the brands?
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| Staged for Opening |
Last, but not least, is this look behind the counter at Sing's delicatessen.
I see hot dogs, breakfast biscuits, BBQ beef, egg rolls, and fried chicken, among other things. Anybody want a 2 piece dark box for $2.49? For comparison, the same thing at Gulfport's KFC today would run you $5.
I also see the same inset cutting board I spotted behind the counter at LaGrange #5 & at Bogalusa.
All of those interior shots are nice, but the real magic of this place happened outside at nightfall . . .
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| Staged for Opening |
Just look at that backlit canopy – isn't it cool! This store uses the same updated design we saw in the grainy newspaper photo at the Perry Travel Center, except here we get to witness it in full color.
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| Staged for Opening |
This store even had a matching automatic car wash: a first for Sing as far as I've found.
The two things I'll point out in this shot are 1). Sing's use of "Auto Diesel" and how the Chevron station which eventually replaced this still used the descriptor on its signage and 2). how closely Sing's font matches the one Publix currently uses.
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| Staged for Opening |
Unfortunately, the photo of the car wash didn't turn out quite as well as the photographer had hoped.
Like I mentioned before, these photos have intrigued me for years. When I found out I had to take a work trip to Gulfport back in 2021, I knew there was one place I had to see before leaving (and it isn't the closed down O'Charley's on the right).
It turns out that the station still stands, just for a much different purpose than it once did. Now the building houses Maxem Health Urgent Care.
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Courtesy Maxem Health Urgent Care (Google Maps) - June 2021
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As expected, the space is now devoid of any obvious Sing relics; however, the discerning eye can still pick out a few traces.
For starters, the original doors and windows have survived. We'd currently be looking back toward the motor oil if this were taken in 1988.
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| Courtesy Maxem Health Urgent Care (Google Maps) - June 2021 |
A previous tenant also converted the old walkway to the solarium into a new front door (pictured below the exit sign) and the window to the seating area into a literal window. Previously, the cashier counter would have been just off to the right.
See the Belk sign through the window? That happens to be the same Belk Retail Retell shared about several years back which is housed in Gulfport's old Albertsons.
Since I couldn't go inside, I knew I had to drive back by to get a picture of the place without the glare of the car window. Thankfully, my coworker was kind enough to oblige later that day (I think this was the same coworker who joined me at the Laurel station).
Of course, it wouldn't be an urgent care clinic without a giant giraffe out front; it looks like he was dressed up for spooky season back in November 2021.
Interestingly, the billboard to the left was first sublet by Lamar all the way back in May 1988 for $600 a year. I'm sure the price has gone up since then!
Let's take a look at our obligatory street and aerial views before heading down the road to the D'Iberville Dixie.
Street Views
Google Street View - December 2007
Google Street View - July 2008
Google Street View - October 2011
Google Street View - May 2023
Aerial Views
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Historic Aerials - 1985 Future site of the Gulfport Sing Store |
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Google Earth - February 1992 Gulfport Sing Store |
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Google Earth - March 2019 Urgent care clinic / Former Gulfport Sing
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Google Maps - Directions from the former Sing to Winn-Dixie #1513
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Keep on scrolling for today's MTC feature!
Additional Resources:
Historic Aerials
Google Earth Pro
Google Maps
Harrison County Property Records
Winn-Dixie Marketplace #1513
10511 D'Iberville Boulevard
D'Iberville, MS 39540
Welcome to the More Than Convenience portion of today's post! Today's topic may be familiar to some, as this Winn-Dixie was one of ten remaining Marketplace stores at the beginning of 2024 and one of four (thus far) officially slated to convert to an Aldi. I've wanted to cover the former Gulfport Sing for a long time yet couldn't decide which store was worthy of holding the complimentary MTC title. After initially planning to include a Hattiesburg store, earlier this year I realized that there was a much more interesting supermarket located a mere 18 minutes from the Sing: the D'Iberville Winn-Dixie Marketplace.
Coincidentally, it was less than a week after I photographed this store when news broke that it would convert to an Aldi – I'm glad I decided to make the detour!
The timing of this post wasn't a coincidence either since I believe tomorrow, August 25th, will be this supermarket's last day in business. If you need a refresher of the other stores slated to convert to the Aldi format, make sure to check out the rolling list over on MFR as it gets updated several times a week.
Of course, the store we'll explore today is much the senior to this blog, so it would be an injustice if I didn't provide some glimpse into its past.
As evidenced by the subtitle, the D'Iberville Winn-Dixie was once co-anchor to a Kmart discount department store. Kmart, which one could compare to a Walmart without groceries, used to be the nation's largest discounter and operated thousands of stores in towns across the country. It was through financial woes, bankruptcies, mismanagement, and changes in consumer tastes that the once iconic brand eventually whittled its way down to a meager three locations in the continental US.
I'm sure that everybody reading this is familiar with Kmart, however, it shouldn't be discounted that Winn-Dixie could be headed down a similar path. As of 2024, there is absolutely no reason for Kmart to continue to exist, yet somehow it does. Will we be saying the same thing about Winn-Dixie in 10 years?
Let's hope not, but I will say that The Beef People have seen a steady trend of downturns over the last two decades and the new dawn which appeared to be emerging as the company entered into the 2020's now seems to have just been a mirage.
Despite the adjacent Kmart closing back in 2002 (after many of its siblings got a "Big" upgrade), Winn-Dixie continues to refer to this location as being in the K-Mart Shopping Center. Surely Aldi won't do the same!
Anyhow, let's close that sympathy card and take a look at a history book.
The Kmart originally opened in 1976 off of then-Mississippi Highway 67 in what was known at the time as North Biloxi. The city of D'Iberville was not incorporated until 1988, which really threw a wrench in things during my research.
Kmart #7052 first greeted shoppers on March 3, 1976, as the 937th store in the chain. As for the grocery anchor in the center, that title originally went to Sunflower Foods who constructed a store next door which opened in February 1982. The Sunflower was not long-lived and withered away a mere two years later.
Winn-Dixie wasn't far behind in joining the North Biloxi fun, considering how the chain announced plans to open a store at the corner of Cedar Lake & Popp's Ferry Roads in 1979, roughly 2.5 miles from the Kmart. That location closed by 1989, but a different WD located 2.5 miles in the opposite direction remained.
The Lemoyne Plaza Winn-Dixie officially opened its doors on December 2, 1973, along with a Morgan & Lindsey discount store and Stan's Rexall pharmacy. Surprisingly, the shopping center still looks largely the same today as it did 50 years ago, with the exception of being converted into a self-storage facility (shocker). If only there were still 1970's graphics on the walls!
It seems that the 20,000 sq ft Lemoyne store served its purpose until it was seemingly replaced in 1991.
Considering that the Sun Herald has a blackout period during the latter two-thirds of 1991 on Newspapers.com, I'm having to color between the lines a bit; at least I have a few guideposts to follow. The first pointer is this photo from January 1991 showing a new Winn-Dixie on 7th Street in D'Iberville. While there doesn't ever appear to have been a 7th Street in D'Iberville, there was a 7th Avenue which formerly ran behind the Kmart center. The 35,000 sq ft size also lines up with my Google Maps estimate for #1513's original footprint, and the June 1991 completion lines up with the blackout dates. Regardless, regular ads for this store began appearing again in 1992 once news coverage returns.
Likewise, 1992 also brought mention of registrations for youth baseball leagues & gymnastics classes in the "old Winn-Dixie on Lemoyne Blvd." I'd have to imagine that means the nearby store closed during the media blackout as well, especially considering how it was still mentioned in the present tense in January 1991.
While ads mention that this store underwent a remodel in 1996, the grocer filed permits calling for a $1.3 million, 10,000 sq ft expansion in May 1998; this brought the store's footprint to what we see today.
With all of that change, I'm a bit dumbfounded when it comes to figuring out where the interior dividing line is for the expansion. The exterior, however, is much easier. If you pay attention to the photo at the top of the post, you can see the signs of the original, symmetrical storefront. Take note of the wider columns: there are 5 total on the building, with 3 sets of two separated by three narrower columns. Meanwhile, the span directly under the Winn-Dixie sign is separated by four narrow columns. Since we know the right side of the store is where the addition occurred, we can look at the satellite images and see that the line in the roof roughly lines up with one of the wide columns. Once you cancel out that portion of the building (covered in an "Agreeable Gray" box above), you are left with symmetrical sets of columns. If my theory is correct, the store's original vestibule would have spanned the green rectangle above while a covered walkway would have been behind the red sections.
Also, take note of the lettering that Winn-Dixie has removed from this storefront over the years: "1 Hour Photo" was first to go, followed by "Open 6-12" sometime between 2013 and 2015. The most recent casualty was "Pharmacy" which lasted until last year's closure round, leaving behind the lonely "Deli", reminiscent of Auburn just offering "Food".
Take a look at this former store in nearby Moss Point, Mississippi, if you are still having trouble visualizing the D'Iberville supermarket's original footprint; they seem to have been nearly identical when they opened.
See, my puzzle pieces don't form a castle or a painting, they form a timeline. And to me, that timeline is much more fascinating because I never know what the end result will be. I typically know some general clues to look for, like a grand opening ad or a property record, but the colors in between the lines always tend to be the most intriguing. What's best is when I make connections about a place by looking back at my photos that I never would have realized just walking through the space (like that fact that this store has maintained its original symmetry or butcher counter placement). All of that is to say that I'm still amazed by how much history these seemingly mundane edifices contain. While many people take them for granted, they'll often wish they had done something to preserve them once they are gone. More importantly, without learning from the past, we are destined to make the same mistakes in the future.
Now that we know about the past of this Winn-Dixie, let's take a look at the present (while it's still around).
This shot gives us a better look at the old vestibule's footprint, which was formerly constrained by the larger column to the left and the larger column below the "a". It seems like the new configuration created a strange empty space to the left of the "new" entryway.
For today's trip, we'll explore the right side of the vestibule and see how well the old swinging door has fared over the last quarter-century.
Oh wow, what a nice surprise! I don't think I've come across another store with etched glass like this.
Once inside, we find the buggies exactly where we would in most every other W/D.
At least the sales floor looks a bit more interesting . . .
While I don't know exactly how this store's interior décor has evolved over the years, I'll make my best judgements over the next few photos based on other Winn-Dixies I've been to.
Wow, those bananas look really good! I suppose 67 cents a pound isn't a great price, though. Despite that, I will say that I'm proud of the framing of this photo with the Produce Patch sign in the background.
Turning around, we can see a nice overview of the original portion of the building which would have ended right around aisle 3. One of the easiest ways to tell where the old sales floor ended is by the presence or lack of the big, round air vents in the ceiling: the addition just got standard square ones.
Hmm, the colors in here remind me of a different, newer Winn-Dixie we've seen . . .
The first thing that catches my eye is how this store's Marketplace refresh looks a whole lot more like former Winn-Dixie #500's Transitional interior than #579 in Auburn did because the latter used a lot more black accents than we find here.
I'd go out on a limb to say that this store's neighborhood market refresh happened earlier than Auburn's did considering how the department signs still match the circa 2001 look from Pinson; however, this store's refresh was also much cheaper. I guess I can't blame W/D for being cheap here since all of the floor and wall coverings were only installed a few years prior.
If you look closely, you can see where The Beef People paid somebody to painstakingly paint the letters of the Produce Patch. You may even be able to see the texture from the old black stenciling.
Continuing on, we find the blush-colored flooring which accents the floral department, followed by the blue tiles denoting cold beer.
The "Local" graphics one these Chandeleur Island Brewing 6-pack price tags make me think of a banana sticker for some reason, and I'm not entirely sure why. Maybe it resembles the Chiquita logo?
Anyhow, I do know what these pale checkered tiles make me think of: a Winn-Dixie Deli Café. That is precisely what would have been here (the seating area, to be precise).
Not far from the café seating was the delicatessen proper. It's a shame that the neon was burnt out, but at least we still get to see some faded photos of food and a few unpainted pink and teal diamonds mounted to the vent hood.
If I'm not mistaken, the deli moved from the front right corner when this store expanded. Previously, the seafood counter would have rounded out the back right corner.
The rose & teal deli and butcher counter signs seem to be original to 1998, but I feel like the strip of green pinstriped wallpaper wasn't typical for that era of the package.
I also haven't seen this much baby blue tile in a store from the late-1990's; it doesn't seem to match any of the wall décor, to boot.
Let's spice things up with a quick look down aisle 9, complete with a Purple / Maroon package aisle marker down at the end.
I sure hope the W-D Brand beef hasn't been aged as long as that coffin freezer. Being this close to the ocean surely doesn't help matters, either.
"Fresh Airy & Poultry" is the highlight of our next shot, along with the first ever "Frozen Meats" sign I've seen featuring 3D lettering (despite that lettering still being slapped on after the fact).
The wrinkle on the right edge of the picture helps to highlight the pinstriped wallpaper I mentioned earlier. It also looks like a couple of the ceiling tiles got a little saggy.
Would you say this is frozen in time?
Moving on, we see a Winning Deal on some pretzels and instant mac-and-cheese.
Luncheon meats weren't quite as lucky as their colder counterparts considering how they only have 2D lettering on their department sign. They are also stuck with some 15 year old orange Transformational graphics instead of the newer black ones we saw back in the meat department.
The mysterious blue tile continues along aisle 16 and even in to the Oven Fresh Baked corner.
All I ever wanted was some Oven Fresh Baked.
Why is it that some stores, like #535 in Pensacola, lasted close to 25 years with five fully-functional neon signs while others, like this store, struggled to keep three burning? Is it the transformers that typically go bad or is it the bulbs? (I think it is the bulb in the case of the "B" above.)
In case you didn't know, I'm crazy about some Winn✔️Dixie Special Occasion Cakes.
Does that sign look out of place to anybody else? There are a whole lot of incohesive marketing attempts in this picture!
Oh well, at least we can still find the patient consultation area for the non-existent pharmacy next door. Oh, and take a look at that pinstripe wallpaper now!
Much like Auburn, Winn-Dixie put up several banks of shelves to cover the old pharmacy area. I'm honestly shocked at how well The Beef People managed to disguise the old spaces, especially since there used to be a neon sign mounted through the wall that they patched up.
The blue tile continues into the frozen foods aisle, which reminds me of what I'd expect to see in a 1980's store. Nonetheless, this, too, must be from 1998.
The only things I noticed being out of place in here were a few empty freezer cabinets; I obviously didn't think much of it since I neglected to take a picture. In retrospect, I'd imagine that was an early sign that this store was beginning to reduce its stock before the permanent closure.
I do appreciate how much natural light the large bank of windows lets in; this reminds me a lot of a Kroger greenhouse store in that regard.
Like all good things, this tour must draw to a close. I will say that despite this store's aged interior, it didn't stand out to me as being particularly low volume in contrast to Auburn. Sure, it wasn't extremely crowded midday on a Monday, but it still had other shoppers wandering the aisles and a reasonable staffing.
I also want to point out that the staff I interacted with were very friendly. I remember having a conversation about Georgia with my cashier, as she has family who lives in the Eastern part of the state. I genuinely hope that she and all of the other displaced employees are either able to relocate to the Aldi or quickly find new jobs. I'd be naïve to say that all of them will transfer, but one can still hope for the best.
Even with this store converting to an Aldi, I still wonder if the German grocer will find and remove all traces of The Beef People.
I noticed this old "Enter" sign as I was exiting the store, and the fact that it is so faded makes me wonder if it will go unnoticed. There are plenty of other cases where I've seen signs like this go unnoticed for decades after a company has closed or been sold off. Only time will tell, though.
"While you're at The Marketplace", I figured I'd mention how I feel confident that 2024 will mark the end of the longstanding banner for Winn-Dixie. As sad as it is to see the iconic nameplate disappear, it certainly hasn't come without warning, giving me plenty of time to photograph 7 of the 10 stores remaining as of the beginning of 2024. Thus far, here is how that list stands:
Stores set to convert to Aldi:
#579 | Auburn, AL
#609 | Avon Park, FL
#169 | Bainbridge, GA (rumored)
#1513 | D'Iberville, MS
#184 | Quincy, FL
Stores which remain (for now):
#509 | Chelsea, AL
#2342 | DeLand, FL
#478 | Eufaula, AL
#496 | Jasper, AL
#580 | Theodore, AL
#210 | Tamarac, FL
With that, I'll close out this post featuring a picture of the road sign facing old Highway 67. The store's Marketplace sign frame is still easily recognizable, but the turquoise paint scheme contrasts with the freshly-installed red Winn-Dixie logo. This was presumably replaced following Hurricane Zeta's damage to the area in 2020.
I'd also like to stress this point: if you want to see a Winn-Dixie or Harveys as such, you need to go NOW. We do not know what the future holds, but I do know that stores have been popping up left-and-right to convert. It has become apparent that Aldi isn't looking out for the good of Southeastern Grocers, but instead is mostly viewing this deal as a real estate transaction. Even stores that are close to an existing Aldi or are claimed to not be conversion candidates have writing on their walls that doesn't look good . . . just saying!
Don't take anything for granted,
- The Sing Oil Blogger
I'd like to thank Henry H. for helping me research some of this store's background information.
