New Shop is Gourmet Hot Spot on Potomac

A new shop on Potomac Avenue is bringing gourmet tastes to Dormont shoppers.

Deb’s Gourmet Shop opened in April, and owner Deb Bell said her goal is to bring shoppers those things people see in magazines, but have a hard time finding in stores.

“Usually you can only get these kind of things in the summertime and you have to go to a craft show or order it,” she said. “It’s things you can’t normally go into the store and buy.”

Bell, a first-time business owner who is originally from Whitehall and now lives in West Mifflin, said her husband worked in the restaurant business for several years and will help run the store.

Bell said the new venture is a bit of a dream that she wanted to see come to life.

“I was really burned out in what I was doing,” she said. “I worked in the medical field for close to 20 years, mostly in medical billing for doctors’ offices. I said, ‘You know what? I’m close to retirement and I don’t want to do this much longer.’”

When a friend from Dormont told her about the vacant storefront on Potomac Avenue, Bell said she thought it was the perfect place to set up shop.

“The flow of traffic is wonderful here, and all the people walking past,” she said. “I just can’t feature a shop like this in many other places. This is a totally different atmosphere.”

The shop sells Keurig coffee makers and various brands of gourmet coffee, as well as specialty biscuit and pancake mixes, and Holy Chocolate products. Gourmet Creations veggie dip and dessert mixes also line the shelves, as well as spices for soup, chili, and stew, cooking rubs and olive oil blends.

Gift baskets can be made for special occasions.

Bell said within the next few weeks she hopes to bring in a selection of barbecue sauces and Amish-made jellies, and she wants to designate the front section of the store for specialty soaps.

Currently, the shop is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bell said she might change those hours, depending on the flow of business over the next month.

Deb's Gourmet is at 1410 Potomac Avenue.

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