The Deraney’s Today…

Newlyweds, Joe and Mable Deraney, founded their mercantile department store at 218 Main Street in downtown Barnesville, Georgia in early 1954—serving the citizens of Barnesville and the surrounding areas for nearly five decades. Over those five decades, the “Deraney’s” name became an established brand of exquisite service, timeless community support and giving, and family. Joe and Mable, while raising their five sons, worked tirelessly to ensure that not only did Deraney’s provide the community with the most fashion forward trends of the times, but to provide an exemplary level of kindness and family atmosphere. Their customers became their family, and over the decades, Joe and Mable would watch many of the towns young people grow into adults as they walked in and out of their storefront—many of them even working for Deraney’s. Simply put, Joe and Mable employed the highest level of integrity; treating every customer that came across their welcome mat with the same level of great service, dignity, and respect.

In 1996, Joe and Mable Deraney retired, and the Deraney name left downtown Barnesville—ending an era of “Mom and Pop” local clothing retailers. Their years of heartwarming service and dedication to their community would be fondly remembered and celebrated by Barnesville and beyond for years to come, especially after the passing of both of these titans of the business world.

In late 2014, Christopher Deraney, the second oldest grandson of Joe and Mable Deraney, moved to Barnesville into the Deraney Family Home on Stafford Avenue. Having acquired both the family home and the old department store building downtown, playful speculation swirled around the possibility of the Deraney’s grandson reviving the family business downtown. Christopher ensured the townspeople that a second “Deraney’s Department Store” certainly wouldn’t be in the works, but “Hey, ya never know what could happen!”

Having had a not-so-secret dream, for a great deal of his life, to one day open an Italian/Mediterranean restaurant and tavern type concept, Christopher toyed with the idea of doing so in his grandparent’s old department store. However, in late 2017 on the brink of closing, a local downtown Italian Pizzeria, just one door down from the original department store, would unknowingly make his long-time dream come true, and on Christmas Day of that year, Deraney’s Two City Tavern, LLC. was officially licensed by the State of Georgia. It has since changed ownership with Christopher’s longtime Chef, Bill Littiken, now affectionately known as Mangia on Main.

Today, twenty-eight years after his beloved grandparents closed their doors, Christopher, alongside his husband Justin, has reignited the Deraney name in Barnesville yet again, this time with exemplary event and design, and custom creative catering company. And in doing so, ensuring that every single client is treated with the same level of great service, dignity, and respect—just as Joe and Mable taught him. 

That’s the Deraney’s way.