The blue building on Bridge Street was left vacated after flooding from Tropical Storm Irene destroyed its lower level. But now—over a year since the storm—the businesses have started coming back.
It began with The Green Closet, a boutique thrift store that opened earlier this summer. The Sweet Spot, a bakery and ice-cream shop, came next, and Peasant, an Italian restaurant, followed shortly thereafter. And just last week, Warren resident Jeff Lynn announced his plan to open the Bridge Street Butchery in the building’s last empty storefront.
Lynn used to own Sweetwood Grill & Bar in Warren, and his idea to open a butcher shop was born from the realization that, in The Valley, “there was definitely a hole in the market for really good meat,” he said.
“People in The Valley know their food,” Lynn said. “People spend a lot of time in their gardens,” he said, and it only makes sense for them to have the freshest meat to accompany their fresh fruits and veggies.
At Bridge Street Butchery, which will open in the beginning of December, “We’re not freezing anything,” Lynn said. “We’ll be turning over our entire inventory every two days.”
That inventory will include beef and pork from nearby farms such as Neill Farm in Waitsfield, seafood from the Boston-based Wood Mountain Fish (whose motto is: “Bringing the oceans to the mountains—daily”), and select imported Boar’s Head deli meats and cheeses.
Lynn is basing Bridge Street Butchery off the old-fashioned butcher shop model—“We’re going to cut everything to order and make all of our sausages in house,” he said—but his business will also incorporate trendier options such as handmade sushi. “I’m experimenting with recipes and rolls right now,” he said.
While much of Lynn’s excitement about opening a butcher shop stems from the products and services he plans on offering, Lynn is also excited about the shop’s location. The Gulisanos (the blue building’s landlords) “have done a fantastic job rebuilding after Irene,” Lynn said.
“There’s just so much food going on down [on Bridge Street] right now,” he said. And there’s about to be more.
For more information about Bridge Street Butchery, visit its (under construction) website at www.info.bridgestreetbutchery.com.
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