PITTSBORO — O'Quinn's Butcher Shop held a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house on Friday, Oct. 27, at 193 Lowes Drive in Pittsboro.
The family-owned business, which has been operating for a little over three months, was inspired by Rodney O’Quinn son's desire to see his family work for themselves.
O’Quinn, who is semi-retired, decided to take the leap. He plans to run the butcher shop for a few years and then pass the torch to his son Patrick O’Quinn.
“When I get tired, he is going to run the business,” O’Quinn said. “This is going to be his.”
For O’Quinn, butchering runs in his blood — he has been cutting meat since he was 18 and has 33 years of experience working in the corporate world.
The entrepreneur shared that his time working in the meat industry has given him the ability to incorporate what he has learned into his own family business.
“I learned a lot of secrets and little knick-knacks through the years and I brought that here,” O’Quinn explained. ”Different cuts of meats, different ways to buy meat — the whole business aspect.”
O'Quinn's Butcher Shop carries a variety of items with choices of fresh meat cuts, lunch meats, surf and turf, and charcuterie options that people can pick for the holiday season. They sell a lot of local products such as grilling sauces, seasonings and even sides.
Local meats from Mystic Farms in Siler City are also sold at the shop. “We have ribs, briskets and ground beef,” said O'Quinn as he talked about some of the many items they carry.
“A lot of people are asking for venison meat and alligator meat,” said O’Quinn, who will be adding a freezer with specialty items to the sales floor next week.
“Pittsboro is a ribeye town,” said O'Quinn, as he elaborated on one of his most popular items. “Everybody here loves ribeye. It is the biggest seller as far as grilling.”
O'Quinn added that as the season changes and the temperatures cool off, people like to buy chuck roast. “This is a big winter thing.”
Another big seller at O'Quinn's Butcher Shop is their made-from-scratch sausages which are prepared twice a week using O'Quinn's secret recipe.
When asked why folks should shop at his store instead of any regular grocery store, O'Quinn shared that with them the customers not only get fresh meat cuts every day, but they also get customer service tailored to their specific needs — including cooking tips and advice.
“If you need something special, I can cut it for you on the spot any time of the day, all you have to do is come to see me,” O'Quinn said, adding that if he doesn’t have it, he can get it in a day or two depending on what it is.
O'Quinn's Butcher Shop posts specials online every Wednesday so their customers can see what they will have available every week.
The store is open six days a week. Monday through Friday they open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with the exception of Tuesday, when the store is closed. On Saturdays the store opens from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.