WALTON, Ky. — Northern Kentucky's first planned Publix store is set to open Wednesday morning. 

“It is such an exciting day to open our first store in northern Kentucky, and we’re so excited for the residents to come out and try our wonderful products,” said Lindsey Willis, Publix media relations manager. 

Located at the Triple Crown Shopping Center, the store is near Interstate 75 where communities such as Florence, Union and Walton come together. The site has sat vacant since 1988.

Walton City Councilmember Rose Beach said the store's opening has generated excitement in the community. 

“I’ve heard a lot of people talking about it,” she said.

Beach and other invited guests toured the store on Monday and sampled many of its signature items such as the chicken tenders found in the famous “pub subs.”

“Absolutely beautiful from the start to the finish," Beach said. "Everybody has been so kind and considerate and very knowledgeable about what was going on and what items they were presenting." 

This is the third location of the Florida-based chain to open in Kentucky. Locations are already open in Louisville and Lexington. Four more are planned in northern Kentucky — Cold Spring, Hebron, Independence and Florence — with 13 planned for the state.  

“Just the display of everything is so clean," said Mark Webb, Union Baptist Church senior pastor. "The variety of products is really impressive, too. Our church and many other businesses, we try to stay local as much as we can and support the businesses around us, and they’re really good with us as well. It’s a great partnership.”

Beach said she thinks the store will go a long way in attracting people to the area.

“It adds another level of availability to the people that are moving to Walton because when you move in from a bigger place to a small place, it’s kind of confined to what you can have," she said. "But then when you get something big like this, it’s like, 'OK, now that’s going to bring more people in.'"“It adds another level of availability to the people that are moving to Walton because when you move in from a bigger place to a small place, it’s kind of confined to what you can have," she said. "But then when you get something big like this, it’s like, 'OK, now that’s going to bring more people in.'"

"It’s a better place for people to come to work, to live, to enjoy, to bring their children, their family." 

Willis, who described Publix as a "people business that happens to sell groceries," said the chain has more than 255,000 associates in total. Giving back is at the core of its mission, she said. 

“We’ve already been involved with the local food banks in the area," she said. "We’ve given more than 255,000 pounds of produce to them."

Visit Publix's website for more information on its planned Kentucky locations and additional details.