East meets west: New downtown Du Quoin meat market & deli

Elkville native Jim Keller, 52, said he grew up hearing about Du Quoin being divided by the railroad tracks into the "east side" and the "west side."

In purchasing the old Numi's Market on West Main Street and a building across the street at the corner of West Main and Walnut that decades ago was a pool hall, he hopes to end that mindset.

By August he will have completely renovated his recently purchased Numi's Market building and turned it into a fresh meat market and deli--somewhat like Arnold's Market in Carbondale. Two years from now he hopes to open a downtown restaurant in the other building.

He looks out over West Main Street and says, "When I'm done there should be only one empty building left", the dialysis center building at the corner of West Main and Chestnut.

"We're going to step this up a bit," he said of his goal to bring east and west together in his new store.

Keller says, "I almost came back and did this in 2009." But, the money he made with an east coast company which sells semi-conductor manufacturing equipment kept the lid on his dream.

Divorced and a father of three, he decided that because of the Kroger store closure now is the time.

With respect to the building, "It's mine."

His mother lives in Hallidayboro outside Elkville and he plans to renovate the upstairs into a large apartment and live there.

"It's my after-life," says Keller, who grew tired of the travel.

The storefront is currently full of 'Art on Main' art and some of the front floor is torn out for inspection and repairs.

When finished he hopes to have fresh meat cases, a butcher shop, a deli counter off to the side and a west wall he wants the community to use for its art and its messages. He hopes the shop, to be called the "Urban Spoon," will be open from about 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. or 7 p.m. six days a week (maybe closed on Sunday or Monday).