By Sophie Pappas
For David Chapman, opening Big Dave’s was like “coming home” 15 years ago.
“Everyone here is like family,” Chapman said.
But alas, after being a butcher and working most of his 64 years of life on his feet, he said it’s time to call it quits.
“My feet are telling me they’ve had enough,” he said.
Located at 1225 W. Oak St. in Zionsville, Chapman started his business after the grocery store he worked at on Main Street closed.
“I was hired to work at O’Malia’s near 86th Street the day the grocery story on Main closed,” he said. “And all my customers from Zionsville kept coming to see me at O’Malia’s.”
When one of his Zionsville customers mentioned to him that the bagel shop on Oak Street was for sale, Chapman was soon convinced that he needed to come back to Zionsville.
“The owner of the bagel shop told me as soon as I called her that if I brought her the money, she’d give me the keys that night,” Chapman said, laughingly.
In three days, a deal was made and the store was his. Since then, he’s been slicing deli meats and serving up meals six days a week, sometimes working 12 hours every day.
While Chapman said he doesn’t want to publish the price he is selling the business for, he said that he’s made it affordable because he wants to see someone nice take it over.
“My lease is up at the end of the year,” he said. “And the landlord wants me to sign for another five years. I just don’t think I can keep working like this for five more years. And it’s not the landlord’s fault, because business is business…I really want to see someone come in here and love this place. I’d even stay on and help them a few days a week.”
Chapman said that if the business doesn’t sell by the end of the year, he will go on to “plan B.”
“But I’m not sure what plan B is yet,” he said.
For more on Big Dave’s Deli, read Current in Zionsville next Tuesday, Sept. 30.
