BELMONT, MI – A new meat market is preparing to call West Michigan home next month.
Local John Grady, along with his sons Matthew and Brian, plan to open Grady’s Meat Market at 1303 Post Drive, near U.S. 131, on May 1.
“I’ve been around dairy cattle all my life, and we’ve always butchered our own animals with my family. I grew up on the west side of Grand Rapids, and I loved Frank’s Market, and I thought to myself, ‘That’s what I’d like to have someday.’”
The family will focus on offering custom butchering and secret sausage recipes.
USDA-certified, Grady’s will also have smoked meats, a deli counter and premium dry-aged meats. Game and unique meats will also become available in the future.
John Grady said that he called on his two sons to help bring the market to fruition.
At the time, his one son, Brian, was having trouble staying afloat in his day job, so Grady steered him in the right direction: opening a business with his father.
“We decided to go for it and found a great location,” Grady said.
Now, Brian is close to becoming a master of carving meat to offer the perfect cut. He’s been working at West Michigan Beef to improve his skills.
Grady himself said he has been close with people who operate slaughterhouses in Florida over the past few years, learning how to make sausages, molds and everything in between.
“It just made me want to open Grady’s Meat Market even more,” he said. “I came back here and basically retired and said, ‘This is what we’re going to do.’”
The new business not only gives his son Brian a new lease on life but also allows his other son, Matthew, to run the finances. It’s truly a family business, with his wife helping out when she can.
He told MLive that he wants to pass the business down to his two sons and, hopefully, his grandsons will take over one day.
“We have a long-standing family tradition of people staying at jobs for a very long time,” Grady said. “My mom and dad were at the post office all their life and we have farmers in our family.”
Looking ahead to the grand opening, Grady plans to have specials, including discounts on various cuts of meat.
The protein includes beef, lamb, pork and chicken sourced from local farmers, such as Spartan Farms, before the cattle are slaughtered at West Michigan Beef.
Grady assures customers that the pricing is lower than grocery stores like Meijer, which averages to over $21 per pound for premium steaks.
“We’re going to bring over the quarters and have them hanging in our cooler,” he said. “We’ll dry age them and cut them up as needed. If someone wants something special, we can take a piece off the line and make a cut.”
Down the road, the family might add draft beers to the menu from breweries like Founders Brewing Co. in Grand Rapids.
The 3,295-square-foot space also includes a deli section with seating for about 50 people. Customers can grab a coffee or a cup of soup during the winter to keep warm.
The building is also home to retail and residential space that has been under construction for more than a year. Developers Dan Ucello and Nate Coffman have been spearheading the project.
This additional space includes a drive-through option and can be leased as one or two separate units.
With two months left until the grand opening, Grady is ensuring the space is in tiptop shape, so clean that the floor shines.
“I stress to my boys we have to be the cleanest building in all of the United States,” Grady said. “You don’t want to get a bad review or a bad mark from anybody out there. We want to do it the right way. I want a place for the community to come buy a meal to cook it up at home and get away from the negativity in the world.”
The hours of operation for Grady’s Meat Market will be from 9 a.m. daily.
Dining and Cooking