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New butcher shop gets set to open in Fairmont

FAIRMONT — The simple act of going to the theater can be life changing. At least, that was the case for Jeff Schmidt.

He recalls driving down State Street on the way to a movie with his significant other, glancing down Winnebago Avenue and seeing a big sign in front of the former Olson’s Locker building.

“I had been looking for a butcher shop to purchase,” Schmidt said. “I actually had looked at one in Windom, but this was a much nicer facility. We started hanging out in Fairmont, checking out the community. We just love the town. The rest is history.”

Schmidt estimates he spent at least 18 months gathering the information he wanted and the financing he needed. He secured a business loan and worked with Linsey Preuss, Fairmont economic development director, to garner a $75,000 loan from the Fairmont Economic Development Authority.

But it was a $75,000 grant from the State of Minnesota that provided the final financial piece.

“Bryan Stading (Martin County EDA facilitator/consultant) helped me with that, and he told me I was one out of 44 applicants that got what they asked for,” Schmidt said. “Very honestly, without that grant, I wouldn’t have been able to pull this together.”

Schmidt says he’s “stuck a bundle of money” into the building at 917 Winnebago Ave. to refurbish it and bring it up to code.

“There’s all brand new refrigeration. That adds up in a hurry,” he said.

Everything in the customer area is brand new, including the epoxy floor, stainless steel lining the walls and overhead lighting. Schmidt originally planned to paint over an existing door in the corner but opted to replace it with a new one.

“I just couldn’t stand it. Everything out here is brand new except that door so it’s gotta go,” he said.

He takes pride in the fact that he hired all local firms to do the renovation work. Ken Reiman serves as general contractor, with DeWar Electric, Day Plumbing and Cress Refrigeration, all of Fairmont, Midwest Floor Coating of Truman and Harris Welding Armstrong doing the specialty work. Steve and Chad Smith did the concrete work.

“These guys are super people. I’ve developed relationships and friendships with all of them,” Schmidt said.

The new business owner brings almost two decades of experience with him. A native of Okabena, he studied meat cutting in Pipestone. He worked for HyVee for 15 years, 13 of those in management, heading departments in Worthington, Sioux Falls, Storm Lake and two stores in Des Moines before returning to Worthington. Most recently, he worked for a custom butcher shop in Lakefield for eight years.

Schmidt knows there is a demand for a custom butcher shop.

“In Lakefield, there was a three-month wait,” he said. “That’s pretty commonplace, but it can be longer.”

In addition to custom processing, the retail portion of the shop will feature a fresh meat case stocked with items to delight any carnivore: steaks, pork, beef jerky, beef sticks, summer sausage, polish sausage and other smoked meats. Schmidt anticipates having at least a dozen flavors of brats and a Lakefield favorite, cottage bacon.

“That’s a good one,” he said. “It’s a pork shoulder, but it’s leaner than bacon. It’s great with BLTs. In Lakefield, we sold a lot of that when tomatoes in the garden were ready.”

The shop also will sell a variety of spices and seasonings.

If a customer wants to buy in bulk, Schmidt can handle that too.

“I’m going to work with local farmers on that. I’ll have a list if someone wants to buy a quarter or half of beef,” he said. “If I have three people wanting a quarter and a farmer brings in an animal, I’ll ask him if he’d be able to bring in one more animal. Then I’ll find another person to take that last quarter.”

Schmidt will open his business with three full-time and three part-time employees.

“One of the full-timers is Scott Hines, a local guy, who worked at a grocery store for five years and just moved back to town,” he said.

Schmidt hopes to have the business open by the end of February. He plans a small gathering with the people who worked on the renovation and their families, followed by a soft opening with little fanfare and a grand opening about a month later. Customers eager to check out the shop can watch for announcements on the Fairmont Butcher Block page on Facebook or on its website, www.fairmontbutcherblock.com.

Hours of operation will be 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Schmidt says he plans to have these extended hours during grilling season, but they may be shortened during the winter months.

The shop’s phone number is (507) 399-2084.

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