Renovations Update: the Home Stretch!

Debra’s opened in 1989, in what is now the middle section of our original. At the time, it was a long shot, and those 1,000 square feet was more than enough. “Health foods” weren’t exactly trending. Granola was for hippies, tofu was for weirdos, and vitamins were for crackpots. Organic produce was scarce and wilted. Carob was never going to replace chocolate (and chocolate was off limits). Meanwhile, there was one decent candy bar, but it was called the “Golden Temple Wha Guru Chew” so…. not exactly poised to break into the mainstream.  

And the world changed. And our business grew.   

Eventually, Debra’s expanded, twice: first to the right in 1999, and again to the left in 2006. We added more foods, crunchy snacks, meats, heirloom grains, organic chocolates, local cheeses, natural shampoos, herbal supplements, locally churned ice creams, great bread, and fresh produce. Our kitchen became a destination. And then Next Door happened opened in 2022.  

And now we’re almost done with our most recent renovations project, that’s been ongoing for months. We’ve upgraded as much as we can without bursting the seams of our building. That means more space for:  

• Fine cheeses. Gourmet cheeses. Hand-curated cheeses. And also, slightly-above-average cheeses. Even average cheeses. Cow cheeses. Goat cheeses. Sheep cheeses. Plant cheeses. All kinds of cheeses. We love cheeses. We’re excited to broaden our horizons under the loving tutelage of new cheesemonger Adam B.   
• grass-fed, free-range, and organic pastured meats and poultry.   
• We’re expanding “flavor alley.” Sauces and condiments, and all that fun. What we used to call “ethnic” before it became apparent everything is “ethnic,” relative to someone else.     
• Frozen fish will have its own dedicated area.     
• Frozen foods. We’ll have more flavors of ice cream. Some different sizes of frozen veggies. Plenty more heat-and-eat meals. More variety of gluten-free breads. Toaster waffles.   
• Some case stacks up front, to stock up on staples, cheap. 
• Plus our back receiving area ought to be a little easier to work in for our staff.     

As the process has dragged on, we haven’t always been proud of the cables hanging down from our ceiling, or the billowing sheets of plastic between our retail area and the construction zone. Etc., etc., etc. Thank you for bearing with us.  

We are especially grateful to KCR Karpouzis Commercial Refrigeration, who jumped in like superheroes to pick up the pieces. And Harland Electric, ditto. Seriously, Harland does residential as well. They’re superstars. Millwork by Cortni Frecha and Arrowmaker Designs. I won’t give a shout-out just yet to H.D.F. Painting, as they’re still in queue. But soon… And shout-outs to our tireless staff, and very patient customers.