The renovated Eastside neighborhood building will be operated by Goodwill Industries of North Florida.
- By Max Marbut
- | 12:00 a.m. March 13, 2024
Goodwill Industries of North Florida is making its final plans to reopen the Debs Store in the Eastside neighborhood north of the Sports Complex.
The new grocery will be called The Corner at Debs.
“We will probably open in June or July. We are preparing to celebrate all of the funders that helped with this project,” David Rey, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries of North Florida, said March 11.
A grocery store operated by immigrants from Lebanon opened in 1921 in the two-story brick building at 1478 Florida Ave., now A. Philip Randolph Boulevard.
After 90 years in business, the descendants of the founders closed the store in March 2011.
LIFT JAX was formed in 2020 to create mixed-income housing, cradle-to-career education, community wellness and long-term financial viability to end generational poverty in areas like the Eastside.
The nonprofit formed a community partnership in 2021 to redevelop the Debs Store and bring a grocery store back to the neighborhood.
The store is more than 1½ miles from the nearest grocery and is within four blocks of a U.S. census tract designated a food desert.
City Council approved a $650,000 food desert grant in February 2022 for LIFT JAX’s partnership with Goodwill and VyStar Credit Union to bring a source of fresh food back to the neighborhood in a $2.3 million project.
In September 2023, the city issued a building permit for Baker Consulting & Engineering LLC to renovate the site at a construction cost of $500,000.
Additional partners joined the effort, including Florida Blue, the Jacksonville Jaguars, Baptist Health, the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, RS&H and the state of Florida.
“It’s a different style of business than our donated goods business. We are running the grocery store,” Rey said.
Goodwill also will operate a GoodCareers Center job skills resource facility as part of the neighborhood redevelopment project.
“We will provide employment support including helping adults enroll in career certificate programs at Florida State College at Jacksonville and also the Take Stock in Children high school mentorship program,” Rey said.
VyStar is installing a walk-up ATM and providing access to financial and counseling resources at the site in a small office.
“The second floor will be available to other nonprofits with programs that can benefit Eastside residents,” Rey said.
Grocery vendor contracts are being finalized to meet a healthy food concept and provide much of what is available in larger stores in about 2,000 square feet.
The store will be open seven days a week with daily hours yet to be determined.
“We are surveying the community to get their take on the expectation of hours,” Rey said.