A decade on from opening his own butcher shop in Haliburton village, Mike McFadden is getting ready to launch an even bigger
and better space for meat enthusiasts in the spring.
McFadden’s Meat Market on Hops Drive has been closed since Dec. 31, with McFadden in the middle of an expansion he says is five or six years in the making.
Taking over a portion of the space vacated by the former NAPA Auto Parts dealer, which recently opened a new location on Industrial Park Road, McFadden said his operation is growing significantly, from about 1,400 sq. ft. to 2,400 sq. ft.
The butcher told The Highlander Jan. 30 the project is about halfway complete, with plans to reopen his doors in April.
“We’ve been planning and wanting this expansion for a long time, but we just couldn’t find the location to do it,” McFadden said.
Once NAPA moved out of the unit right next door, McFadden said it was “too perfect an opportunity to pass up.” He quickly got to planning renovations with his landlord, Adam Brind, with work beginning at the turn of the new year.
There will be upgrades to the building’s exterior – including new windows and doors. Inside, McFadden says it will have a much different look and feel to before.
“We’re adding 1,000 sq. ft. and about 800 sq. ft. of that will be new retail space. We’re also adding one more walk-in freezer, which
will allow us to keep up with the growing demand for processing meats brought to us by local hunters,” he said.
The crown jewel of the expansion will be the reintegration of a deli counter, something McFadden had when he started the business in 2016. He’s also doubling his freezer space, given the growing demand for frozen foods. There will also be space to showcase pickled products, baked goods and specialty cheeses.
There’s one feature McFadden is particularly excited about debuting – a new ice table that he says will allow for a “proper seafood bar.
“We always bring in fresh seafood every couple of weeks, but I’ve been wanting to find a way to do oysters, mussels and clams a few days a week. I just didn’t have the facilities to do it properly before, but I’m going to do my very best to do it now,” McFadden said.
After honing his craft “working with great people” at the Haliburton Foodland, West Guilford Store and Todd’s Independent, where he operated a meat counter with an open cutting area, McFadden said he’s excited to expand on his open-floor concept in his shop.
“My vision has always been about being as open and transparent as possible – I want people to see the meat being processed, to
talk to them and show them how we prepare things, having that traceability all the way through,” he said. “This is about making
things bigger and better for everyone.”
With Brind and CDH Carpentry doing a lot of the heavy lifting so far, McFadden says it will be a community effort getting the store finished, with about a dozen local tradesmen and contractors pitching in to help. While it’s been difficult for McFadden being away from his usual day-to-day operations, he said words of encouragement from the community have kept him grounded.
“It’s incredible how many people will stop and ask me when we’re reopening. It’s a nice feeling to be missed,” McFadden said.
