diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 4d6a9f39..bf508d74 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -57,29 +57,29 @@ The python package can be installed using [pip](https://pip.pypa.io/en/stable/ge
 pip install wrangles
 ```
 
-This installs the core package, which covers the vast majority of use cases: all data wrangles, recipe execution, Excel and CSV file I/O, HTTP connectors, and SQLite.
+This installs the core package, which covers the vast majority of use cases: all data wrangles, recipe execution, Excel/CSV/JSON file I/O, HTTP connectors, SQLite, DuckDB, MongoDB, AWS S3, Salesforce, SFTP/SSH, notifications, and the OpenAI/Gemini/SerpAPI integrations.
 
-### Optional dependencies
+### Full install (adds SQL Server, Access, PostgreSQL, MySQL, and Parquet files)
 
-Connectors for databases, cloud storage, and external services require additional packages. Install only the ones you need:
+A handful of connectors depend on heavier, more platform-specific packages (SQL database drivers) and aren't included by default:
 
-| Capability | Install |
+| Capability | Package(s) |
 |---|---|
-| Microsoft SQL Server | `pip install pymssql sqlalchemy` |
-| Microsoft Access | `pip install pyodbc` |
-| DuckDB | `pip install duckdb` |
-| PostgreSQL | `pip install psycopg2-binary sqlalchemy` |
-| MySQL | `pip install pymysql sqlalchemy` |
-| MongoDB | `pip install pymongo` |
-| AWS S3 | `pip install boto3` |
-| Salesforce | `pip install simple-salesforce` |
-| SFTP / SSH | `pip install fabric` |
-| Notifications | `pip install apprise` |
-| OpenAI SDK | `pip install openai` |
-| Google Gemini | `pip install google-generativeai` |
-| SerpAPI (web search) | `pip install serpapi` |
-
-> If a connector is used without its required package installed, Wrangles will raise a clear `ImportError` with the exact `pip install` command needed.
+| Microsoft SQL Server | `pymssql`, `sqlalchemy` |
+| Microsoft Access | `pyodbc` |
+| PostgreSQL | `psycopg2-binary`, `sqlalchemy` |
+| MySQL | `sqlalchemy` (`pymysql` itself is already in the core install) |
+| Parquet files | `pyarrow` |
+
+Install just the ones you need (e.g. `pip install pyodbc` for Access only), or install all of them at once:
+
+```shell
+pip install sqlalchemy pyodbc pymssql psycopg2-binary pyarrow
+```
+
+If you're working from a clone of this repository (e.g. for local development), `pip install -r requirements-full.txt` does the same thing, plus everything from the core install.
+
+> If a connector is used without its required package installed, Wrangles will raise a clear `ImportError` with the exact `pip install` command needed, so there's no harm in starting with the core install and adding packages only as you need them.
 
 Once installed, import the package into your code.
 ```python
diff --git a/requirements-full.txt b/requirements-full.txt
index 15406ae9..ba0e521a 100644
--- a/requirements-full.txt
+++ b/requirements-full.txt
@@ -8,7 +8,9 @@
 
 # SQL databases
 sqlalchemy>=2.0,<3.0
-duckdb>=1.0.0
 pyodbc>=5.0.0
 pymssql>=2.3.3
 psycopg2-binary>=2.9.10
+
+# Parquet file support (file connector)
+pyarrow
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index f0b013c5..137c1d08 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@ pandas>=2.0,<3.0
 numpy
 numexpr
 polars==1.33.0
-pyarrow
 
 # Fuzzy text similarity
 rapidfuzz>=3.0,<4.0
@@ -31,6 +30,9 @@ xlsxwriter
 # Cloud & storage
 boto3
 
+# Embedded database
+duckdb>=1.0.0
+
 # NoSQL
 pymongo
 
diff --git a/wrangles/connectors/file.py b/wrangles/connectors/file.py
index f05b701c..ed0170a1 100644
--- a/wrangles/connectors/file.py
+++ b/wrangles/connectors/file.py
@@ -4,18 +4,22 @@
 Supports Excel, CSV, JSON, JSONL and Parquet files.
 """
 import pandas as _pd
-import pyarrow as _pa
-import pyarrow.parquet as _pq
 import logging as _logging
 from typing import Union as _Union
 from io import BytesIO as _BytesIO
 import base64 as _base64
 import os as _os
 import re as _re
+from ..utils import (
+    wildcard_expansion as _wildcard_expansion,
+    LazyLoader as _LazyLoader,
+)
 from openpyxl.utils.escape import unescape as _unescape
-from ..utils import wildcard_expansion as _wildcard_expansion
-from ._formatting import default_file_format as _default_file_format
 from ._formatting import file_format as _file_format
+from ._formatting import default_file_format as _default_file_format
+
+_pa = _LazyLoader('pyarrow')
+_pq = _LazyLoader('pyarrow.parquet')
 
 
 _schema = {}