Publix, as well as its satellite stores and restaurants at the Shops of Marco will undergo a major facelift over the summer months.

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An artist’s impression shows what the entrance facade to Publix at the Shops of Marco on Marco Island will look like once the renovations are complete. The entire center is to undergo a revamp, reflecting a Bermuda tropical theme.

Various factors, including age and the ravages of 2005's Hurricane Wilma are the reasons for the revamp, said Shannon Patten, Manager of Media and Community Relations.

One of two Publix stores on Marco Island, the 39,000 square-foot store at the Shops of Marco opened in 1985. The entire center was bought by Publix Supermarkets in 2000, Patten said.

"The store and center has been upgraded throughout the past 22 years," she said, "but this is the first major remodel."

Photo by QUENTIN ROUX, Eagle staff
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This view of Publix at the Shops of Marco will soon be a thing of the past. The company hopes to finish the renovations by the beginning of the new season.

Besides all-round exterior improvements to the center — including new roofing — the Publix store interior will also be improved.

Patten said the project will likely begin in May, and it is hoped completion will be in about six months — just in time for the onset of the 2007 high season.

The work will not affect Publix or more than two dozen business tenants in the center, including restaurants, a beauty salon, clothing and curio stores, a Subway outlet, a liquor store, a nutrition store and a dry-cleaning business, Patten said.

"We're changing the entire look of the center," she said. "It will have a Bermuda look."

Changes have actually been ongoing for the past couple of years, Patten added.

"We've already put a new fence around the rear of the property," she said. "Over the past three years we've also put in new parking lot lights, overlaid with new asphalt and put in landscaping."

Patten declined to put a dollar amount on the project, but said it was substantial.

Marco Islander Judy Gewirtz said the upgrade will be welcome.

"A grocery store is a vital part of a community," she said. "By having this update, it will mean better services.

"It's been here a long time," Gewirtz said, "22 is a lot of years."

From a business point of view, former Marco Island Area Chamber of Commerce President Gewirtz said the project can do nothing but create a good environment for all the tenants at the center.

"I compare it to the way the Esplanade has created such a beautiful center," she said.

Tenant Debbie Schroeder, who owns Salon and Spa Botanica at the Shops of Marco, was short and to the point.

"Since we specialize in giving a new look," she said, "we'll be looking forward to getting one ourselves."

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