JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — People living in Jacksonville’s Arlington area applauded the opening of a new grocery store during a community celebration held Saturday morning in the College Park shopping center.
On Saturday, shoppers like Tiffaney Carter walked through rows of fresh produce and searched for the best deal. She remembers when the former Winn Dixie in College Park closed 17 years ago.
“When I heard that they were bringing it back I was like ‘thank you’ because we need this. A lot of people don’t have transportation and so now, they can walk and now we have better options," Tiffaney Carter, an Arlington resident, said.
The store re-opened on Wednesday and Saturday excited shoppers lined up for deals and giveaways during a community celebration. Many were excited not only for the chance to win prizes, but the opportunity to buy fresh food in an area once considered a food desert.
“When Winn Dixie pulled out, it created that void, that food desert, where having a desire to get fresh produce, fresh meat, meant traveling several miles away from your home, and now after nearly two decades Winn Dixie is back," Ken Amaro, city council representative for District 1, said.
City Councilman Ken Amaro hopes that the store acts as catalyst for further growth in the area and says other tenants are already planned for the College Park Shopping center.
For those who live and drive past the new store every day, it’s a sign of growth.
“I thank god that it’s here, to bring the community back in and, it’s beautiful in here," Carter said.