As your Savvy Spender, I sometimes want to know the story behind a place where I might do some of that savvy spending.  This made me interested in the new store on Franklin: The Meat House.  

Getting to know new business owners is part of my mission here on Chapelboro.com so I pulled up one hot morning and entered a protein paradise!

Paul and Donna Coon moved here a little over a year ago from New Hampshire (brrr) when Donna had the opportunity to relocate for her job in textbook sales.  Paul had spent many years in corporate engineering and had been contemplating a change and was investigating franchises. 

While they were discussing all this, they had to eat.  Where did they shop in chilly New Hampshire?  Frequently it was at The Meat House.  As customers they appreciated the product and how they were treated and another sort of marriage was born.

Living the corporate life, the Coons had moved before and had even lived in NC before: Charlotte and Winston-Salem.  But when they had a choice they picked the BEST part- right here!

The idea behind The Meat House is that it offers “one-stop shopping for a meal”.  From freshly butchered meats to pre-packed portions, the various meat and chicken options are available marinated or ready for your own recipe.  Side dishes and sauces are also sold.

The franchise agreement requires the Coons to use a percentage of local vendors (and that increases over the years as the business becomes established).  Paul gave the example of a contact with a local pastry chef to provide dessert options for the store.  As for his main product, he’s on the hunt (pun intended!) for local farmers who can guarantee volume and can provide a certified product.   If you’re reading this and you fit the bill, stop by The Meat House and ask for Paul!

Paul and Donna’s other plans are to become part of the good works as so many business owners do around here and they’ve already made contact with some folks affiliated with UNC cancer care, including SECU. 

With all the buzz around town about possible impediments to businesses from our local governments, this was an important question I put to Paul: “How was it to open a business here?”

Paul credits Chapel Hill Economic Development Officer Dwight Bassett for easing his way through the process.  He also says the inspectors helped him know what he needed to have in place, which saved time and aggravation.  He did say the question of signage was one place where he had to have some back-and-forth and he would certainly like the ability to add signage facing Franklin.  However, he acknowledges that compromises have to be made to have the kind of town where people want to live and, like him, move here to open businesses. 

Overall, Paul’s experience has gone so well he has offered to be an ambassador to other new (and potential) business owners coming to our fair Chapelboro land.

I asked Paul if life was easier off the corporate track and I’m fairly sure Donna is still laughing (and that was Tuesday!).  They both agreed they are in overdrive, learning things about their business, their new town, and about running their own business in general. 

Small business owners, do you have any words of wisdom and welcome for the Coons?  I’ll be happy to pass them along right here in the Savvy Spender column.  Carnivores, any special requests?  I’ll send those along too.  Just leave a comment below or write to me at Donnabeth@Chapelboro.com

 

Related Stories
‹
Framework for Change
A few weeks back I wrote about how a presentation from Chapel Hill Town Manager Roger Stancil had made it crystal clear that services would go down, taxes would go up or we could add to our tax base.  With that in mind I attended a presentation Tuesday evening on “Retail, Housing, and Economic Development […]
Open for Business
When I first started writing this column, I sent the Chapelboro honchos a very brief bio. When asked to expand it I added that I chose to cover business from the consumer perspective because, here, business is public policy more than anywhere else I’ve ever lived (and that’s not a few places!).   In my quest […]
East Rosemary Parking Deck Faces Increased Costs, Demolition Set for July
At the Town of Chapel Hill’s latest town council meeting, developers gave an updated timeline for the East Rosemary parking deck and detailed why the development will cost the town more than $10 million in unforeseen construction costs.
Economic Development and Eastgate Recovery With Dwight Bassett
In the aftermath of two hurricanes seemingly back-to-back, Orange County has been working – along with the rest of North Carolina – to rebuild and repair. “The Town of Chapel Hill has reached out to businesses in specific that were affected by the hurricane, that were flooded,” said Dwight Bassett, Economic Development Director for Chapel […]
After Residential Build-out, Chapel Hill Focuses on Office Spaces
Chapel Hill offers many elements potential residents find attractive. But available office space has not been one of them. The draw of UNC and proximity to Research Triangle Park has led to developments built around town to accommodate a rising population. But over the last decade, the town struggled to retain and add commercial space so […]
Simple Problems: Simple Solutions
The facilitator for the April meeting of the Chamber of Commerce Small Business Roundtable was Tori Williams Reid, Ph.D., co-owner of Right at Home – Durham/Chapel Hill, an in-home care and assistance company. During a session entitled Simple Problems: Simple Solutions, Tori invited participants to share current business problems and then for each one, she […]
Good Green Business At Open Eye Cafe
Who needs paper when you can just write someone’s order on the counter? Good green business by Open Eye Cafe; in Carrboro. Important keys to success: Dry erase markers Metal, glass or other surface from which dry erase markers will easily erase. Got any other examples of good green business? Tell me in the Comments […]
Fiscal Cliff
I was very fortunate to receive an invitation to visit the White House last Thursday. I was among a delegation of 40 community leaders from across the state of North Carolina who were asked to join in a conversation with the White House Office of Community Engagement about the impending fiscal cliff. Now the fiscal […]
We Need a Better Plan for Transit. Vote "No"
There’s a 1/2 cent sales tax referendum on November’s ballot. It will be used to fund a 25-year, $660 million plan for light rail and other transit in Orange County. Separately, the commissioners and Triangle Transit Authority (TTA) will add $10 to the annual vehicle registration fees. If the tax passes and the fees are […]
On Vandals & Customer Service
I posted Welcome to Notre Dame so it seems now would be a good time for a reminder.  Except instead of welcoming Phoenix Fans from Elon, now it would be more appropriate to welcome the Vandals from Idaho. So here ya go, a sign for your window: And in […]
›