Del's 24-Hour Food Store, an East Naples landmark, is coming down

Liz Freeman, Naples Daily News
·2 min read

Demolition began Thursday on Del’s 24-Hour Food Store at the corner of Bayshore and Thomasson drives in East Naples.

Clearing the property of the two-building structure will take about two weeks, said Jim Raiser, co-owner of Gulf Shore Site Development who has the contract for the demolition.

People from around the neighborhood who remember Del’s for always being open —the store didn’t have locks — stopped by Thursday to watch the start of the landmark’s demise.

Even Raiser, 73, who grew up in Naples, remembers stopping at Del’s as a kid.

Is the demolition sad?

“I’d say yes and no,” he shrugged.

2020 coverage: Collier moves forward with purchase of Del's 24-Hour Food Store

Demolition began Thursday, July 14, 2022, of Del's 24-Hour Store at the intersection of Bayshore and Thomasson drives in East Naples. The store opened in 1961 by owner Del Ackerman. It closed permanently in 2020, a year after his death. Collier County bought the property in 2020 for $2.1 million. Liz Freeman/Naples Daily News
Demolition began Thursday, July 14, 2022, of Del's 24-Hour Store at the intersection of Bayshore and Thomasson drives in East Naples. The store opened in 1961 by owner Del Ackerman. It closed permanently in 2020, a year after his death. Collier County bought the property in 2020 for $2.1 million. Liz Freeman/Naples Daily News

Owner Del Ackerman, who was known for having a big heart and for his philanthropy, opened the store at 2802 Thomasson Drive in 1961. He died on Aug. 15, 2019 at age 83. A year later, the store was permanently closed.

Collier County bought the property in 2020 for $2.1 million from Ackerman’s widow, Theresa Ackerman, according to Debrah Forester, director of Collier County’s Community Redevelopment Agency.

There are no immediate plans for the property and it is not being advertised for sale, she said. The plan is to get ideas from residents about what they want to see at the corner and the Bayshore CRA will do a market analysis.

“We want to take a minute after the demolition and get feedback from residents what they would like to see at the site,” she said.

Del's 24-Hour Store at the corner of Bayshore and Thomasson drives in East Naples comes down, two years after Collier County bought the property for $2.1 million. Del Ackerman opened the store in 1961 and it never closed. He died in 2019. Liz Freeman/ Naples Daily News
Del's 24-Hour Store at the corner of Bayshore and Thomasson drives in East Naples comes down, two years after Collier County bought the property for $2.1 million. Del Ackerman opened the store in 1961 and it never closed. He died in 2019. Liz Freeman/ Naples Daily News

The contract with Gulf Shore is for $142,000, with a demolition time allowed of 30 days and another 30 days for close-out work that includes putting sod down, according to Camden Smith, project manager with the county’s facilities management department.

Collier commissioners in 2016 renamed the intersection of Bayshore and Thomasson as “Del’s Corner” to recognize Ackerman’s contributions to the community. An official dedication ceremony was held Nov. 5, 2021.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: East Naples' Del's 24-Hour Food Store: demolition begins