147 S Market Street
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
Images
The front door of Meatheads. Photo by Spencer O'Keefe
A sign from one of the previous occupants of the space, the Gold Star Store, which sold feed and farming supplies to local residents. Today it is displayed on the wall of Meatheads. Photo by Sofia Biegeleisen
Adam Nussbaum: Owner of Meatheads. Photo by Abby Blinka
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
Today, local butcher shops are making a comeback. In the early 1900s, butcher shops were common in the U.S. because such establishments were the only place consumers could get their meat. Throughout the 20th century, however, pre-packaged meat became more readily available and inexpensive to purchase at supermarkets and, in response, butcher shops steadily declined. Currently, over ninety percent of consumers buy their meat from a supermarket or large retailer, but this trend has seen a bit of pushback in recent years. With the rise of the local food movement, consumers now desire to know where their meat comes from and demand healthier and higher quality products. Some even go as far as wanting to know who the farmer is and how the animal was raised. The pre-packaged meat found in supermarket refrigerators is rarely, if ever, grass-fed and locally-raised, which is to say it does not often meet the high standards of the local food consumer. Filling these gaps, butcher shops are an integral part of the local food movement. Even so, most butcher shops are run by people at or near retirement age and young new additions to the industry are rare. All of this makes Adam, a man who got into meat butchery as a teenager, his brand new business, and his dedication to local sourcing, all the more unique.
Sources
"3 Reasons Why Butcher Shops Are Making a Comeback." Gold Meat USA. March 16, 2017. Accessed June 14, 2018. http://goldmeat.us/3-reasons-butcher-shops-making-comeback/.
Howie, Craig. "Retail Analysis: USA." Globalmeatnews.com. December 18, 2014. Accessed June 11, 2018. https://www.globalmeatnews.com/Article/2014/12/18/A-focus-on-the-retail-meat-market-in-the-USA.
"Landmarks & Landmark Districts Register." City of Wooster Design Guidelines, December 2015, 88-101. Accessed June 5, 2018. https://www.woosteroh.com/sites/default/files/Historic%20Properties%20and%20Districts.pdf.
Mastroianni, Jennifer. "Wooster’s Louie’s a Great Place to Meat." Canton Rep, November 8, 2012. Accessed June 7, 2018. http://www.cantonrep.com/article/20121108/News/311089787.
"Meatheads Union." Meatheads Union. Accessed June 4, 2018. http://meatheadsunion.com/.
Mosser, Tami. "‘The Butcher’ Opens Shop under New Name, with New Partner." The Daily Record, May 15, 2016. Accessed June 4, 2018. http://www.the-daily-record.com/article/20160515/NEWS/305159608.
Myers, Dan. "America's Best Butcher Shops." Fox News. November 06, 2013. Accessed June 11, 2018. http://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/2013/11/06/americas-best-butcher-shops.html.
"Our Company • Wooster Brush." Wooster Brush. Accessed June 6, 2018. http://www.woosterbrush.com/wooster/our-company/.
Smith, Sarah, and Dan Gunderson. "The Changing Nature and Decline of Local Butcher Shops." Park Rapids Enterprise. November 16, 2017. Accessed June 14, 2018. http://www.parkrapidsenterprise.com/news/3666313-changing-nature-and-decline-local-butcher-shops.