LAKELAND — Plants are thriving on the walls of the derelict building that was once an A&P grocery store in the Parker Street neighborhood. Grass has reclaimed much of the yard, like a green tide lapping against its loading docks.
Inside, a woodwork mezzanine is illuminated by the hot November sun cutting a cone of light through the open doorway. A string of yellow drop lamps provides a warm glow deeper inside the building. The air is thick with moisture.
Far on the other end of the thin, 16,000-square-foot warehouse, Massachusetts Avenue is visible through grimy windows that once advertised the price of bacon by the pound and eggs by the dozen.