It’s been nearly 20 years since the town of Indialantic had its own grocery story. Now, it may get two.
Plans are in the works to construct a new 27,000-square-foot grocery store to the south of Indialantic Shopping Center.
To make room for the new store and parking lot, developers will tear down two buildings where the Hairteck salon and Sun Clean Dry Cleaners are presently located and utilize some undeveloped property just south of the other existing shopping center buildings at Watson Drive and State Road A1A. Other businesses located in the shopping center will remain – including Beachside Produce, which offers fresh fruits and vegetables as well as meats, salads and other specialty items.
Because a nondisclosure agreement was signed with the company, the name of the new store won’t be released until after the site plan is approved, which may happen as early as next month.
Local restaurateur Djon Pepaj is already expected to open a gourmet food market on 5th Avenue by December.
Pepaj is converting his former restaurant and bar, City Tropics, and four other buildings to the east, into a gourmet food mecca called Village Market, offering a variety of specialty items, including seafood and cheeses, a butcher shop, bakery, imported wine and liquor, and a rooftop bar.
A Facebook post by Indialantic Mayor Dave Berkman, announcing the unidentified new store, quickly gathered hundreds of comments, shares and likes – but left residents guessing.
This year, smaller and more focused stores are the trend, according to the 2018 U.S. Grocery Tracker, noting that the successful stores in 2017 were those focused on healthy, affordable food and private labels.
The size of the new store lends itself to a boutique-style, specialty store – as compared to the average 60,000-square-foot space of a typical Winn-Dixie.
Facebook comments on Berkman’s post expressed hope for certain stores including ALDI, Earth Fare and numerous calls for a Trader Joe’s.
Sorry, folks. It’s not a Trader Joe’s.
But Trader Joe’s spokeswoman Erin Baker says that while there are no current plans to open a location in the town, with public support, that could change.
“We are always looking for great store locations,” Baker said. “We are a neighborhood store and we want to be in neighborhoods that want us to be there.”
ALDI Haines City Division Vice President Matt Thon was a little more vague. “At this time, we don’t have any details to share regarding a possible ALDI store in Indialantic, Florida,” Thon said. “We always want to be conveniently located for our shoppers and Indialantic is a great location for ALDI.”
Earth Fare Spokeswoman Beth George was also noncommittal. “I don’t have any news to share just yet,” George said.
Mayor Berkman says he is “excited and proud” about the new project.
“From what I have been told this store will have a good portion of its square footage dedicated to prepared food, specialty items, and being designed to meet the needs of a beachside community,” Berkman said. “Reaction has been about 98 percent positive, with a few concerns on the impact of this building to our traffic and residential streets.” Berkman says he has been working with the developer – Matthew Development of Viera – to minimize those impacts.
Pepaj, who owns Copperhead Tavern in Indialantic and Sand on the Beach and Djon’s Steak & Lobster House in Melbourne Beach, was not very excited to hear about the possibility of a store similar to what he is already building.
“If it is anything like what I am opening, it would be ridiculous,” Pepaj said. “I don’t have to create new concepts, but I live here, and I love it, and I am doing it for the town. I don’t like the idea of some corporation coming in because I don’t think it’s in the best interest of the town.”
But Mayor Berkman believes there is plenty of room for both new businesses. “Indialantic hasn’t had a grocery store in many years and now in 2019 we will have Djon’s Village Market and a small grocery store; it’s nice to see this growth without losing our small-town charm,” Berkman said. “I believe these will complement each other and offer the beachside two great new businesses that are long overdue.”
Article by: Jennifer Torres, correspondent
