‘It’s a food desert:’ Legacy Debs Grocery Store returns to the Eastside after more than 10 years

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The legacy Debs Grocery Store is back on the east side in Jacksonville after being closed for more than a decade.

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Many community leaders said these neighborhoods are underserved and a “food desert” for some families. Some neighbors said before Debs came back, several of them had to walk at least two miles to the nearest grocery store. Action News Jax Shanila Kabir attended the opening ceremony on 904 Day and heard from people who said this part of town needs more resources like this.

“This store means a lot to this community. A lot of us have to stress about how we’re going to get our groceries. Many don’t have cars and must rely on buses or friends to get a ride,” said Lenwood Harley.

Another resident, Louis Hartley said he lives less than a block from the new “The Corner at Debs Store”. He said many of his neighbors relied on him for a ride to the nearest store. Now, he expects to see his neighbors out in the community more. Hartley stresses he believes Debs will bring positive foot traffic to the east side.

Harvey’s and Fresh Market are between one and three miles away from this Eastside neighborhood, making it a food desert.

Dozens of people participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Speakers said the original Debs served the community since the 1920s and it was forced to shut down in 2011 after one of the owners passed.

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Joe Debs said that was his father Nick Debs and at his funeral, he said neighbors even asked him then “Where are we going to get our food?”

“It hit me hard, even in that moment where I’m burying my father. Suddenly, I realize the definition of a food desert,” said Joe Debs.

After that, Joe Debs said he still provided meals to the community, and many told him that the Debs store needed to come back. He helped work with the organization “LiftJax” and they partnered with others to revitalize the east side.

city leaders said this was a five-year project. The staple has now returned, and they said it is one of many ways to invest in the Eastside communities.

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