A Juneau deli and Asian mart known for its sandwiches may be shutting down this year if the owners don’t find someone to take over the business.
Neil and Alma Doogan bought J & J Deli and Asian Mart from the original owners Jack and Jack in 2010, which is where the name J & J comes from.
The business opened in 1978. Back then, J & J mostly carried sandwiches and a few snacks. It wasn’t until a few years after the Doogans took over that they started carrying Asian products. The deli is a staple among Juneau high school students.
During the high school lunch hour on a sunny day in Juneau, J & J was packed. At least 20 students from Juneau Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé came into the small space and lined up to get snacks, Red Bull spritzers and, of course, sandwiches.
Sandra Bouvier is a junior at the high school and has been going to J & J since she was a freshman. Bouvier said that if the deli shuts down, kids might not eat as much.
“Just because it’s, you know, a really close walk from the high school and most high schoolers don’t drive yet so they’d either walk all the way to IGA or you know, not eat,” Bouvier said.
Bouvier also thinks there really is something different about J & J sandwiches.
“I swear you can make these sandwiches at home, but they taste like 10 times better here, so it’s my favorite place to go for food,” she said.
And she has no idea why they taste so good because it’s still the same white bread and lunch meat you can buy on your own. Alma Doogan, who makes the sandwiches, has a pretty simple answer.
“Because we serve the best, I guess. Fresh every day,” she said.
The main reason the Doogans want to sell is because Alma has been struggling with health issues for the past couple of years, so it’s been hard to keep up with the business.
Alma Doogan is usually the only one behind the counter. She does get some help during the lunch rush from her husband, son and son’s girlfriend. But that is usually for about an hour, and then she is running the shop by herself again.
The pandemic also hit the business hard, Neil Doogan said. When COVID-19 first came to Juneau, they were barely making enough to pay the bills.
“It was a ghost town down here,” Neil Doogan said. “We were open every day. We made a little money not much.”
Pandemic-related supply issues have made it harder to get what they need for the business, especially the Asian products that come from the Philippines and Taiwan. He said that some businesses they’d get products from are shut down for good, so they can’t carry them anymore.
Neil Doogan said he and his wife don’t care so much about whether a potential buyer wants to carry the Asian products or not.
“As long as they keep the sandwiches and stuff. Because that’s what made this place,” Neil Doogan said.
Alma Doogan said it is hard to imagine J & J not being around anymore.
She said she has really enjoyed working at J & J and she’s stuck with it because of the customers. Sometimes people will come over just to say hi to her.
“My customer, it’s not just a customer,” Alma Doogan said. “They become my friend and family.”
