Shop, sip, and sleep at this destination in Concordia.
Pushing through The Simple Life’s double doors leads visitors into a cozy space with warm wooden floors and high vaulted ceilings. Around every corner of this shop is a new discovery: a curated plethora of antique furniture and handmade home decor, a coffee shop with specialty brews, and a small restaurant with homemade cakes, soups, salads, and sandwiches.
Though the Simple Life has now also been joined by The Simple Suites and The Simple Market, it started off much simpler. Owner Debbie Deke and her husband, Tom Deke, started their venture by renovating an old church on Gordon Street in Concordia. “When we got this [building] back in 2019, we just opened on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and I had to keep working at the local veterinary clinic because there were just a lot of repairs that needed to be made,” Debbie says.
When the newly renovated space was unveiled, it contained only an antique shop and coffee bar. The grounds now host The Simple Market, a store in which visitors can buy made-in-Missouri products such as jams and cheeses, and The Simple Suites, two fully equipped suites that visitors can book a stay in. Both Simple Suites include a full bathroom, kitchen, washer and dryer, gas fireplace, and a dining area. Each suite sleeps up to six guests.
Debbie’s desire for simplistic excellence is reflected in everything she does, including her restaurant menu that is posted daily on The Simple Life Facebook page. Homemade eats at the restaurant range from creamy potato soup to a warm, melty Reuben sandwich to desserts like salted caramel cake and double layer brownie cake. The chefs, coffee bar staff, and servers strive to welcome every new face with warmth and kindness. “I trust my employees here implicitly. I mean, they’re just amazing,” Debbie says. “No man is an island, and you can’t accomplish what you do here without them. We’re a team.”
The Simple Life coffee bar—a popular stop for travelers and townies in need of a caffeine boost—boasts a large selection of crafted coffees. The menu above the bar lists the names of drinks, which are named after townspeople in Concordia. “The Ruth [flavored with salted caramel and chocolate] is named after my husband’s mom. The Hattie is named after this lady … well … if you knew her you would just absolutely fall in love with her,” Debbie chuckled. “The Tilly is named after my grandma, and the Ginny is named after my mom. The Opal [flavored with white chocolate and raspberry] is named after a lady that I loved growing up.”
The success of the business continues to astound Debbie, as the plan was never to be anything other than, well … simple. “Honestly, this has always been about ministry for me,” Debbie says. “We named it The Simple Life, because it is a simple life when you know Christ. Life is simpler because he carries your burdens.”
As The Simple Life continues to grow, Debbie’s vision stays grounded in the same morals and ideals that it began with. “I believe that Concordia, Missouri, is the center of the universe,” Debbie jokingly says. “People here are so generous and kind and good, and they have been extremely beneficial in helping us to grow.” Debbie continues, “God has so faithfully provided for us, and so, we’ll see what happens with it all.”
Visit The Simple Life in person at 808 South Gordon Street, Concordia, or online at TheSimpleLifeConcordia.com. Rates for The Simple Suites begin at $125 a night. Suites can be viewed on the website listed above.
This article was originally published in the March/April 2025 edition of Missouri Life magazine.
