Market with nutritious food options opens
Pottstown market with nutritious food options is open for business
New market in Pottstown is serving up fresh produce, plant-based alternatives and gluten free options.
There’s a new market in town and it’s serving up fresh produce, plant-based alternatives and gluten free options.
Deliah and Dean Market opened along High Street in downtown Pottstown this past September. Dena Reeves owns the health-focused grocery store along with her husband Ronald. The couple live in the borough and noticed Pottstown didn’t have a lot of convenient options for healthy food shopping.
Reeves said she has the ability to drive to stores that are further away but recognized not everybody in Pottstown can do the same thing. Since opening, Reeves has received very encouraging feedback.
“A lot of people have commented about how they’re just happy to have this type of store on High Street,” she said.
Reeves said several of the community members walk for various reasons and the market being downtown means it’s only a short distance from residents.
Reeves and her husband bought the space for the market one year ago and had a very specific vision in mind. The couple is intentional about the products they place in the store.
“What you see in the store is primarily how my husband and I eat,” Reeves said.
Not only was special consideration made when it came to stocking the store shelves but the name of the market has a story behind it as well. Dean is short for Dena, and Deliah was the middle name of Reeve’s mother. Reeves said her mom was a very hospitable and gracious woman who treated everyone with respect.
“Her spirit was always very inviting,” she said adding she wants market visitors to feel welcome.
A look at the market’s Facebook page shows several photos of customers smiling as they visit the grocery store. Reeves said she makes it a goal to learn the names of customers and to remember the products they were interested in.
“We want to be able to service the community and provide the things that the community is looking for,” she said.
Products at the market will change throughout the year, which makes it possible for customers to ask for items they don’t currently see in the store.
“We want to keep it interesting,” Reeves said.
She said it was important the market carried fresh produce options. This week, customers could even purchase big pots of fresh basil. The produce is sourced from distributors in Lancaster and other Pennsylvania farms.
“My preference is to use local and organic as much as possible,” Reeves said. In addition to fruits and vegetables, Deliah and Dean Market houses a variety of products for people with different food preferences or needs.
Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options
Reeves said many of people who visited the market since it opened expressed their excitement for the variety of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options offered at the store. A whole wall in the market is dedicated to plant-based canned goods and there’s a plant-based frozen food section. Gluten-free products stocked include dry goods, dinner options and snacks.
“And they’re good. We taste tested everything,” Reeves said.
The market website www.deliahanddean.com includes a blog that Reeves writes. The short posts cover topics such as simple living, healthy snack options for children and how to prepare quinoa. She uses the written posts to start conversations about various wellness subjects and encourage people to analyze how they can improve their overall health.
People will soon be able to participate in nutrition education beyond the blog. Reeves said a separate room in the market will be used for nutrition classes and food demonstrations. The grocery store will have a grand opening in November which will include chef-made food samples.
“We have a lot of food items here that people would love to try,” Reeves said. She added that customers who eat meat have been interested in the plantbased alternatives but were unsure how to prepare the food. Lessons such as this will be scheduled at the market after the grand opening.
Pet food and care
The market carries items for animals such as food and grooming items. Reeves stocks a pet food brand called “Tender & True”
“We’re looking to provide organic pet food. A lot of pet owners are looking for cleaner products to provide to their pets,” she said.
She said quality and healthy pet food products promote a longer life span, healthier joints and general growth in animals. Pet owners can also get pet care products at the market such as shampoo.
“The products are infused with herbs and things of that nature to really help manage their coat and their skin,” Reeves said.
She said some of the pet items are infused with CBD oils which are known to have a calming effect on animals. Cannabidiol, also known as CBD, is one of the components of the marijuana plant, but not the one which causes mind-altering effects. CBD is used in several products for health benefits.
There are also CBD options for humans at the market such as capsules and lotions. Reeves said she tried a sample of CBD at a convention she went to and now shelves that brand in the store.
“It works amazingly well and so I was sold from that point,” she said.
Furniture upcycles
Reeves repurposes furniture by creating something new from what used to be old, which is a process known as upcycling. She repaints, refurbishes and sands old furniture and then sells the pieces at the market.
“We do have the frame of mind about caring for the Earth,” Reeves said. “There’s so many things we already have that we really can just rework and make it something you can continue to be happy with.”
Deliah and Dean Market is open Monday through Friday and on Sunday. For more information, visit the website at www.deliahanddean.com or call 610-5514288.
“A lot of people have commented about how they’re just happy to have this type of store on High Street.” — Dena Reeves