As May quickly approaches, businesses in downtown Coupeville gear up for a busy summer. This year, there will be a change at one of the more visible buildings in the area.

The Harbor Store deli, in Coupeville Wharf, is changing hands and will become a full-service restaurant next month.

The new restaurant, the Harbor Store Cafe, opens May 1 and will offer a host of local favorites, including steak, seafood, soups, salads and sandwiches.

“It’s just going to be a chance to taste the food they live around,” chef Joe Graham said. He added that he wants to keep the menu small with several items available for lunch and dinner.

In the coming weeks, workers are going to be busy installing the kitchen equipment necessary to operate such a restaurant. They will also be moving the gifts out of the area. The new restaurant is expected to hold 15 tables and will serve about 40 people.

Graham wants to be open for business by the beginning of May. That way he can take advantage of Penn Cove Water Festival and the tourist season.

In addition to the full-service restaurant, owner Jan Graham will hold culinary classes out of their new business.

She said the classes include ethnic foods, cooking techniques and basic meals. She said classes will feature local chefs and cooking enthusiasts.

“We’re excited because we’re doing what we enjoy doing,” Jan said, adding she’s received calls from cooks from around the island eager for a local place to teach classes.

Jan added that the culinary classes will help the business make it through winter months.

The classes, called “Helping Hands Cook,” were originally going to be offered at the Coupeville Recreation Hall. However, the limited kitchen facilities prevented that plan from happening, Jan said. With the new restaurant, students can easily see cooking demonstrations with the open-air kitchen.

Joe said people eating at the restaurant also enjoy watching their food being prepared.

In addition to the restaurant, the Grahams will also run a small store that will serve boaters who dock at the pier.

To be able to open the Harbor Store restaurant, the couple needed approval from the Coupeville Port, which owns the facility. The Port Commissioners approved the lease during a Wednesday morning special port meeting.

Jim Patton said the Grahams will take over the lease from previous owner Long Bechard, who just finished the first year of a three-year lease. Rent for the restaurant, located on the east half of the Wharf building, stands at $950 a month.

Even though she won’t be serving food out of the deli, she remains a prominent fixture at the wharf. She is still operating the Harbor Gift Shop and Gallery and will continue serving as Harbormaster for the Port.

She said she wanted a break from being involved in every aspect at the wharf.

“I’ve been doing it for 12 years and it’s too much for one person to do,” Bechard said.

While the gift shop and art gallery remain open, the deli has been closed since October, Bechard said.