A Heart for Serving Others

Julie Furlow, owner of Julie’s, celebrates 25 years of owning a successful business and giving back to the community

by JADE FITCH

June 1, 1996, was the first day of business for Julie’s Deli.  Pictured with Julie (second from left) are her parents, Sandra and Bob Furlow, and her sister, Sherry Grimes.

Julie’s is a well-known eatery in the Texarkana community. And this year, Julie’s is celebrating its 25th anniversary. 

Julie officially opened her “sandwich shop” with a soft opening, where she served around 25 customers on her first day. “Gerald Thomas, Interior Resources, was my first customer,” she said. As the years went by, business began to pick up, and “word of mouth that first couple of years really got us going.” Twenty-five years later, Julie’s serves around 300 customers each day.

In the late ’80s, Julie recalls telling a good friend, “What I really want to do is open a deli.” Fast forward a few years, and on June 1, 1996, Julie’s Deli had its opening day.  From an incredibly young age, Julie has been serving customers. Her grandparents owned Shackelford’s Grocery in Ogden, and when she was a child, she loved to work and play in their store. “My grandmother would let me stand in a chair and run the cash register; she taught me all about customer service.” 

The Julie’s Deli team – (front row) Julie Furlow, Penny Mulchey-Krantz and Brandee Page; (back row) Jennifer Tanner, Brandon Mosley, Kara High, Brittany Weeks, Susan Mervish, and Daniel Goza – catering a wedding at Cabe Hall in 2012.

When Julie’s Deli first opened in 1996, it began as a small “sandwich shop” that was only open during lunch. “My grandmother made all of my desserts,” Julie acknowledged. Three years later, “I made my first expansion by adding a small, gourmet food market where I sold Boar’s Head brand meats, casseroles, and gift baskets.” Julie’s Deli, then became Julie’s Deli & Market. Then in 2006, Julie’s Deli & Market had a complete remodel and opened with a full kitchen with a grill and fryer. To the market, they added a take home meals case, another casserole case, and a bakery display for cakes. At this time, they also chose to rebrand to Julie’s.

Kim Mulchey-Krantz, Joe Bruick, and Julie during a Chamber After Hours event hosted by Julie’s Deli in 2011.

Not long after, Julie hired a chef.  She said, “I did one of the best things I’ve ever done and hired the most talented chef in town, Jennifer Tanner, as Executive Chef and Catering Manager. We added a private room a few years ago, and now we are four businesses under one roof: a restaurant, bakery, gourmet food market, and catering company.”

Aaron Ferrell and Julie worked the Julie’s Deli booth during Harvest Regional Food Bank’s 2012 Taste of Texarkana.

This year, Julie is looking forward to expanding Julie’s catering service. “We only catered a couple of events in 2020, so we are super excited about our wedding and holiday catering this year,” she explained.  Of course, the year 2020, was challenging because of the pandemic; however, Julie and her staff “adapted, overcame, monitored, and adjusted” and “just made it work.” She said her staff came up with some great ideas on how to keep everyone safe and provide a great customer service experience. “We started curbside pickup, and now it’s our drive-thru, and it’s here to stay.” Despite the hardships created from the pandemic, Julie’s was able to come together and work as a team to overcome those challenges and implement updates that made the business even better.

Julie credits her amazing staff for helping her achieve successful business each day. Executive Chef Jennifer Tanner has been part of the Julie’s team since 2007, and “has really taken our catering to award-winning status.” “She is super creative, a talented chef, and so much fun to work with,” Julie admitted. Jennifer’s sister, Abby, is the lead cake decorator. “It runs in their family because she is hands-down the most talented cake decorator around.” Kat Stone is the market manager. She has been part of the team for 12 years, and Julie explained that “Kat is such a kind and patient person; she is so creative and has really grown our market.” Jenny McNabb is the kitchen manager. “She had worked as a chef for us until a couple of years ago and was promoted to kitchen manager; it’s a big job. She is a real team player that keeps us on track.” Lauren Keune is Julie’s recently-hired bakery manager. “Her experience with pastry with the Four Seasons Dallas has been wonderful; she is ultra-organized and keeps things running smoothly,” Julie said.

Andi Darby of Kicker 102.5 presents a plaque to Julie naming her an “Unsung Hero” for going above and beyond during the 2020 pandemic.

When you walk into Julie’s you might have a difficult time deciding what to order because everything looks delicious, but there are a couple of “bestsellers” that Julie says are made daily. Chicken salad is made six days a week. That’s a total of “about four tons a year.” That’s a lot of chicken salad! Their number one selling casserole is chicken spaghetti. And, if you’re craving something sweet, Julie’s is home to the original White Chocolate Strawberry Cake! “It’s our best-selling dessert,” Julie says, “and you can get it as a cupcake, too.”

From opening in 1996, to today, Julie’s has changed a lot over 25 years, yet one thing has remained the same: the heart of the business. Julie has a heart for serving others. She tries to live each day with a servant’s heart. Her favorite scripture is Luke 12:48 which states, “To whom much is given, much will be required.” “I have been blessed with a great business, wonderful family and friends,” she said, “and I want to share my blessings.”

Julie loves serving people. “I am so grateful to my staff and customers for their loyal support. Because of their support, we have been able to give back to the community by helping several nonprofit organizations, including the Harvest Regional Food Bank where I serve on the board and share their mission of alleviating hunger in our area.”

Prior to owning her own restaurant, Julie was a teacher. She taught middle school and some high school for 11½ years. She also coached basketball and track and field. She taught in Texarkana, Queen City, the Houston area, Baton Rouge, and Springdale, before returning to the Texarkana area where she chose to open her restaurant. She has always said, “If you can teach, you can do anything,” and she has proven this to be true by owning a successful business for 25 years, giving back to her community, and serving others.

Julie’s Deli was recognized by Four States Living Magazine as one of the top five “Businesses That Provided Excellent Customer Service During The 2020 Pandemic” in the magazine’s 2021 Best of Texarkana Readers’ Choice Awards.  Team members pictured are: Susan Eager, business office manager; Lauren Lathrop, bakery manager; Katherine Stone, market manager; Jennifer Tanner, executive chef, events manager; Julie Furlow, owner; Susan Mervish, personal shopper; Amanda Landrum, customer service staff; and Jenny McNabb, kitchen manager.