Hills Bay Deli & Market was scheduled to open today on Old Ferry Road on Gwynn’s Island.

The store is probably best known for having once been home to Scrooch’s Market, but several other stores have been run there in the past. The business, owned by friends Debora Nixon and Sheila Taylor of Hudgins, is located next to the post office at Grimstead.

They offer a full-service market and deli. Although freshly prepared sandwiches are sold, there is no dining space. To better serve the elderly on Gwynn’s Island, they will offer delivery to those customers, Taylor said.

The store has a lot of new equipment, including kitchen storage and deli equipment. Shelves and displays are filled with all types of grocery items, from cereal and canned soups to potato chips and cleaning supplies. The deli section features an assortment of meats and prepared salads.

Nixon said they have a section where they hand-scoop Hershey’s Ice Cream and also sell novelty ice cream products. They plan to sell fresh produce soon.

They sell fishing bait and accessories as well as a small assortment of car oil and additives. They have permits to sell beer and wine off premises, Nixon said, and are well stocked with sodas, bagged ice and similar items.

“We have fresh coffee and doughnuts,” Taylor said.

Nixon is originally from Richmond and worked there for many years as a kitchen and bath designer at a business her family owns. Taylor is originally from Ashland and previously worked as a heavy equipment operator at a paper mill in Doswell.