The Corner at Debs Store
In Jacksonville’s historic Eastside, (also known as Outeast to residents), a local grocery store that supported the community for decades will soon get new life – and help write the neighborhood’s next chapter. The red brick building at the corner of Florida Avenue and East 5th Street with the hand painted “DEBS STORE” and “Drink Coca-Cola” sign was an important symbol of vitality and life in the Eastside for 90 years, and with a new mission, The Corner at Debs Store is once again offering fresh produce, meats and much more to the next generation of Eastsiders.
Debs was founded in 1921 by Lebanese immigrants Nicolas and Rosa Debs, who lived above the store. Sons Nick and Gene Debs took over operations in the late 1940s, with Nick managing the books and Gene purchasing fresh produce from the farmers’ market to stock the shelves. More than a grocery store, Debs was a centerpiece of the Eastside’s commercial strip along Florida Avenue and served as a gathering place and community hub. The brothers ran the store with help from their families and neighborhood kids until Nick’s death in 2011, when the doors were shuttered for good.
Nick’s son Joe Debs, who worked in the store until he went off to college, has been a fierce advocate for reopening Debs since its closure. He started working with LIFT JAX, a nonprofit that seeks to help break the cycle of generational poverty in Jacksonville by focusing on pillars of housing, education, community wellness and financial vitality. Working with neighborhood stakeholders, they found there was substantial demand in the neighborhood to bring Debs back, but it would take some heavy lifting to pull it off. “LIFT JAX’s role is to work with community leaders to understand what’s important to them – in this case, access to healthy food, and bring the partners and resources to the table to make that happen,” says David Garfunkel, president and CEO of LIFT JAX.
The new Corner at Debs Store is the result of a collaboration between LIFT JAX, the Historic Eastside Community Development Corporation, the Debs family, Goodwill Industries of North Florida, Vystar Credit Union and other partners. The partners funded a two-year, nearly $3 million renovation which updated and expanded the old building, bringing it up to 2024 standards and roughly doubling its size to more than 5,000 square feet. Goodwill Industries of North Florida now operates the grocery store, which is the only affordable, sustainable, healthy grocery in the Historic Eastside. The Debs project is also Goodwill Industries’ first ever foray into the grocery market, anywhere in the country.
Dane McGraw, vice president of new mission ventures at Goodwill, oversees the project. He aims to keep prices competitive and accessible for the community while sourcing from smaller Florida-based growers and producers, just as Nick and Gene Debs did. Because of Debs’ smaller footprint, sourcing smaller quantities from localized growers and producers makes sense. "One of the biggest barriers we faced was getting distributors to take our tiny store seriously compared to larger buyers. To overcome this, we started sourcing directly from local farmers and entrepreneurs, and as a result we've been able to fill a need for our neighbors Outeast while also supporting neighboring business owners. Our local growers and producers are able to provide us access to the freshest variety of products.”
McGraw and his team also collaborated with the Eastside community extensively to ensure Debs stocks items that folks want to buy, including name brand items and culturally relevant produce. “We’ve spent a lot of time listening to our neighbors, ensuring that the items on our shelves reflect what the community truly wants and needs,” says McGraw. “This approach not only ensures that we offer fresh and relevant products but also strengthens the ties within our community."
The Corner at Debs Store project is part of a wider strategy to revitalize the Eastside while combating the negative repercussions of gentrification. Lying adjacent to the stadium district where construction of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ new facility will soon begin, the Eastside has seen considerable interest from developers, along with the likelihood that this new investment may drive property values and costs up to the point that it displaces current residents. To mitigate this pressure, Eastside leaders and civic organizations are pursuing community-driven projects like Debs as part of a strategy called “withintrification,” in which revitalization is focused on existing residents and their needs, rather than developers and newcomers.
To that end, Debs will serve as much more than a grocery store. The project also includes services the community has identified as significant needs. Goodwill will host employment services and training on the upper floor, while Vystar will offer banking services and an in-house ATM. "The key to transforming our communities lies in our ability to come together, innovate and breathe new life into the forgotten spaces around us,” says Suzanne Pickett, president and CEO of Historic Eastside CDC. “Just as we restored an old Debs grocery store, we can revitalize our neighborhoods and nourish our souls with the power of unity and resilience."
The restoration of the original Debs Store is a project that has always held dual purposes. “First and foremost, we’re restoring access to fresh dairy, meats and produce that have been absent from this neighborhood for far too long,” says McGraw. The store will once again serve as a community hub, offering new services through collaborative partnerships under one roof. “This is more than just the opening of a grocery store,” says McGraw. “It’s a significant step towards eradicating the food desert Outeast and bringing much-needed services to our neighbors.”
