The shelves are stocked, the doors are open, and now residents around the State Route 181 and State Route 104 area have a brand-new Publix to call their own.

The 48,387-square-foot Publix at Planters Pointe Shopping Center opened this morning, Wednesday, Dec. 13. This is the third Publix for the Fairhope area. A line of shoppers formed in anticipation of the doors opening for the first time.

The Planters Pointe Publix, much like the Publix at The Shops at Point Clear, has the added feature of a second-floor eating area and central deli for those in a hurry or high school students on lunch break. The store offers a full-service bakery, deli, pharmacy with a drive-through, seafood, meat and fresh produce departments.

“We are excited to open our third location for our customers in Fairhope,” said Hannah Herring, Publix media relations manager in a statement. “We look forward to welcoming new and existing customers and providing them with premier service and quality products.”

The Planters Pointe Shopping Center has been complete for months but remained unopened. Publix did not have a comment as to why the opening was delayed. However, when Fairhope Mayor Sherry Sullivan was asked about the delays during a city council meeting in August, she said there were issues with the installation of the sewage infrastructure and that the site contractor was resolving the issues.

Publix is an employee-owned company with more than 250,000 associates and currently operates 1,361 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. A store in Kentucky is slated to open soon making it the first in the state.