The Supermarket's Mysterious Interior Void

I had just finished showing my friend Wally the outside of the abandoned theme park, Splendid China, in Kissimmee, Florida, and we were a hot and thirsty bunch. Spying on the old theme park had been fun, and using some clever driving we'd managed to snag some new pictures from angles I'd never seen before. (It also helps that he is real tall and can hold a camera over a wall.)

So, with instructions from our wives to pick up ice and water, into the nearby Winn Dixie we went, the sliding glass doors peeling back to reveal their wondrous air conditioning and a ... Whoa! Were we walking into a miniature "Splendid China" here? Indeed, if you take a look through the set of photos accompanying this article (Don't look at #5 yet!), you'll see a remarkable amount of Chinese architecture inside the supermarket. Just beyond the main entrance, up on an inside building, are three life-size Chinese dolls, two are holding the strings to kites. Below that, water quietly flows under three short bridges that cross into another "building" with magazines and books. I gazed about and told my friend, "I've got to get my camera!"

As we walked down the right hand aisle, I spied a giant panda along the back wall, its lips quivering slowly in animatronic movements. To the left was another building that looked somewhat out of place...

The lighting, the colors, the buildings... what a spectacular place.

This is a supermarket?

It took a while to find the cash registers, but trust me, they're there. The store designers had tucked them a bit out of the way so you don't spy them when you first enter. Very clever.

With the ice and water successfully located, we began chatting with several employees where we learned that this Winn Dixie had actually once been a Goodings Supermarket. (Winn Dixie's official site even refers to it as "Goodings Formosa".) The supermarket had opened up around the same time as the Splendid China theme park which is literally behind the store. From what I was told, many of the Splendid China employees also took second jobs at this Goodings Formosa Store.

The Mystery Void -- in the midst of the store

Back in 1974, there was a made-for-TV movie called, "Bad Ronald". Now, I know what you're thinking, "The guy writing this article is named, Ron. He's probably a Ronald too!" -- but let me reassure you. I have no relation to the movie. Only that my name appears in the title. Anyway, the gist of the story is that shy, teenage Ronald accidentally kills a mocking girl around his age. Instead of going to the police, Ronald's mother then hides him in a secret room within the house. The real drama starts to then unfold when the mother goes for an operation and dies, and before long, the home gets sold to a new family with Ronald still secreted away in this hidden interior room. Through tiny holes Ronald spies on the family. Sound creepy enough for you?

As a very impressionable 11-year old at the time, I sure can remember being freaked out by this scenario, and it seems I've been looking for hidden rooms and places ever since.

I share all that to say that that's what I was thinking about when the Winn Dixie employee shared that there was a secret room in the store. Secret room? Now, before I tell you where it is, I'll invite you, the reader, to a challenge. Think you can spot it? Take a close look at picture #3. You'll need to click on it to open it to its maximum size. Now look at the yellow 'building' that is actually under the roof of the supermarket. Anything strike you as unusual? Looks like a building with a lot of different products piled around it, right? Just a simple display of assorted wares, with beverage coolers along one edge, right? Wrong!

The employee went on to explain that this secret room has been abandoned for around 10 years. Did you catch that? Ten years!

"What in the world is in there?" I anxiously asked.

"It was a Chinese restaurant," came the surprising reply. "There's a kitchen in there, and every few years we are told to go clean things up, even though no one ever cooks or goes in there."

I wasn't shy, so I quickly asked, "Can I see it?"

"Uhhh...." the employee looked around nervously. Perhaps the secret Chinese police were listening in on microwave technology. As for me, I was just trying to hide my growing excitement of another Urban Archeologist finding!

Now admittedly, I wasn't trying to get anyone in trouble. Winn Dixie wasn't going to get any "Bad Ronald" moments from me ... honest. I tried to put the employee at ease, but inside I was wound up tighter than a crunchy bag of uncooked Raman noodles. Imagine seeing something that no mere mortal has seen for 10-years, and here it was right under the noses of the store's everyday shoppers. Amazing! What a find!

The employee chatted on about how tables had been set up around the outside of the building, with folks strolling in for a quick bite, enjoying the colorful environs. I'm guessing that the nearby Splendid China theme park had a lot to do with the building's decor, eatery and success.

And then, in a quick move that surprised me, the Winn Dixie revealer stepped toward the store's products, pulled a wheeled display to the side and peeked through a hanging, dark veiled cloth. This was it! The holy grail of hidden Chinese restaurants!

"Quick, take a look," they suggested.

I moved forward and held out my camera, snapping one shot. (Yes, this is picture #5) Sure enough, there was a kitchen in there. Cupboards, counters, stoves, ceiling vents. Even a menu sign to the left (sure wish I'd taken the time to read what was on it) You would never guess that such an arrangement would have been found hiding out in the open. Right between the bottles of Diet Coke and stacked boogie boards.

Many "Thank you's" were then exchanged, and I left the store feeling like I was walking on clouds. An abandoned Chinese restaurant inside a supermarket -- who would have thought? What a unique find.

So, the next time something looks unusual or out of place, or there seems to be a void where a void should not be... go ahead and do it! Look behind the veil!

Who knows, you might find yourself ordering fried rice and eggrolls... Or maybe saying, ''¹..."hello' to a guy named Ronald!

On the Urban Archeologist scale, with extra points for having air conditioning, "Bad" Ronald gives this find two thumbs up.

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Winn-Dixie #2379

GOODINGS FORMOSA
7840 W IRLO BRONSON HWY
KISSIMMEE, FL 34747

Phone Number: 407-397-2210

Store Hours:
Mon - Fri: 7:00 A.M. - 11:00 P.M.
Sat: 7:00 A.M. - 11:00 P.M.
Sun: 7:00 A.M. - 11:00 P.M.

Facilities: ATM, Floral, Deli, Bakery, Seafood, Fresh Meat, Fruit Bar

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You might also enjoy:

The Abandoned Theme Park, Splendid China

Slideshow of The Abandoned Splendid China Theme Park

Slideshow of the Abandoned "Splendid China" Hotel