In the 39 years that my dad and I shared space on the planet, I only ever heard him mention three places he liked to shop. Yep, just three. He wasn't much of a shopper, but these places got high marks.

Two of them were in Owensboro--Wyndall's Western Wear, or maybe it Was Wyndall's Farm Store, and Anderson's Department Store. As for the former, I can't remember which name is correct, but it's back when the Wyndall Smith family owned a lot of property on East 4th Street, including that store. He loved it.

The only reason he liked Anderson's so much was because he was GREAT at buying mom clothing for Christmas and that's where he always shopped until they went out of business.

MY FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH PUBLIX

And that brings me to a store my dad fell in love with in Lakeland FL, of all places. We were visiting my aunt and uncle in 1979 and went with them, one day, to pick up a few things at the grocery store. It was a Publix, and my dad was hooked. I honestly can't remember why, but he was still talking about it a couple of decades later. It made an impression.

I've studied that video walk-through to see if I could figure out why Dad was such a fan. For one thing, it's in Orlando, and I thought maybe the central Florida Publix locations were all similar, and they just might be.

Anyway, who knows? He loved it and he wasn't alone. When word came that Publix was moving into Kentucky, the excitement was palpable. Hey, I can't say anything; I get jazzed over roadside travel centers, and they are MUCH smaller.

HOW ABOUT FOUR PUBLIX LOCATIONS IN KENTUCKY

Well, that excitement will soon return as it's been announced that Kentucky is set to get a FOURTH Publix Supermarket. In fact, none of the four stores--three in Louisville, one in Lexington--are completed. Ground was broken on the FIRST Kentucky Publix just this summer.

PUBLIX HISTORY

I find it interesting that such a popular chain like Publix is only just now making inroads into its eighth state because it really does have a long history.

And I have to show you this one, even if it DOES cover a little of the same ground as the one above. But the one we visited in Lakeland--where the chain is based--looked like the first one you see here:

And shopping must be a great pleasure since Publix generates excitement every time it announces a new location. And just like that, Kentucky will have four of them before you know it.

Welcome to Kentucky, Publix. Your fans are waiting.

[SOURCE: Bizjournals.com]

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