Courtesy / Kennebec Meat Co.
Seen here is a composite of the property with a Kennebec Meat Co. sign.
Updated: February 21, 2022
Site of former Bath BBQ eatery will become local-meat provisioner
Courtesy / Keller Williams
The former Beale Street Barbeque property will re-open as Kennebec Meat Co. this spring.
The site of the former Beale Street Barbeque in Bath is undergoing renovations to reopen under new ownership as Kennebec Meat Co.
Michael and Rebecca Quigg sold 215 Water St. to Scott Raymond for $647,000.
The transaction was initiated by Sean Ireland of Windward Development and brokered by Mandy Reynolds of the Magnusson Balfour team at Keller Williams Commercial and Steven Chicoine of Keller Williams Realty.
“It’s been quite the adventure,” said Raymond, who worked on the deal with his wife Michelle and son Jordan.
The building dates to the 19th century and is in Bath's Historic Downtown District.
It prominently bears the inscription Thomas W. Hyde Block.
Hyde (1841-1899) was the founder of what is now Bath Iron Works.
Former BBQ
For the past 25 years, the building was home to Beale Street BBQ.
“It was May 17, 1996, when Beale Street Barbeque & Grill opened the doors for the first time and immediately got our butts smacked with more guests than we could handle,” Quigg, who owned the eatery and the property, wrote in a recent blog post.
He continued, “I went outside after lunch and cried a tiny tear, then quickly returned and reset for dinner service which went amazingly well.”
Quigg closed the eatery Dec. 19.
“I know my closing of the restaurant is sad for many people, but it is not so for me,” he wrote. “It was all far too good to be sad about.”
High-end meat
The space is now being renovated to reopen as Kennebec Meat Co.
Raymond told Mainebiz the new business combines his business experience with his son Jordan’s butchering experience. His other son, Dylan, is a graphic designer and created the logo and will be managing the website and social media presence.
“So it really is a family business,” he said.
Scott Raymond is a regional senior vice president for a medical diagnostic imaging company called RAYUS Radiology. The company is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., but Raymond works remotely from his home in Georgetown.
Jordan Raymond worked in digital marketing in California up until two years ago, when he returned to Maine and began working at a butcher shop in Portland.
Last summer, Jordan moved to Woolwich, one town over from Bath, and father and son got to talking about starting a new business that would fill a local market niche.
“My wife and I really like high-end beef and provisions,” said Scott. “We found ourselves having to travel fairly far and wide to find them.”
Given his son’s experience and the lack of a high-end provisioning shop in the Bath region, they thought there was a market opportunity.
“We felt like there was a strong need in our area,” he said. “I live in Georgetown, so Bath is the closest big city, if you will. We’re there are all the time and we love the community.”
Family and friends were excited about the idea. The downtown location was perfect for their purposes, said Raymond. The purchase was financed through Bath Savings Bank.
“I spent all my summers growing up in Maine and have now lived here permanently for seven years,” he said. “Downtown Bath has a bit of a buzz. They vibe you get down there is great.”
With Jordan onboard to handle the business side of running the shop, they needed a head butcher. So they brought on Patrick Tweedie, who previously worked at Rosemont Market in Portland and is experienced with whole animal butchery.
Courtesy / Kennebec Meat Co.
From left, Patrick Tweedie, the head butcher and assistant general manager at Kennebec Meat Co., with the company’s general manager, Jordan Raymond, and owner, Scott Raymond.
“I’m using my business experience and my son is using his experience to combine and create what we hope is a unique experience in Maine, which is high-end meat and other provisions and a high level of customer service,” said Raymond. “I’ve learned in my business, that, if you do that well, you can be very successful.”
Cutters and grinders
The space was basically move-in ready, aside from getting in equipment, some of which is on back order until early March.
“We’re not going to change a lot inside other than make it appropriate for our business,” said Raymond.
Work is also underway to build a website, signage and banners.
Courtesy / Kennebec Meat Co.
Dylan Raymond created the logo.
The former restaurant came equipped with dishwashers and cooking appliances. New kitchen equipment will include cutting and preparation tables, grinders and refrigerated storage. In the retail area, there will be meat cases, open cases for prepared items and retail racks for sauces, condiments and the like.
The two-story building totals about 4,500 square feet. The shop will occupy the ground floor. The second floor is a vacant apartment that will be renovated to be consistent with a higher-end residential lease.
Investment in minor space modifications for the ground-floor space plus equipment is expected to be close to $200,000. Financing will be through personal funds and likely an equipment loan.
Sourcing will be through local farms and wholesalers, said Raymond.
“We’re developing a network through our contacts and farmers markets and reaching out and finding people and local farms that prepare really delicious foods,” he said.
The plan is to source some processed items, along with wholesale meats for uses such as making sausages at the shop and for butchering for retail sales.
An opening date hasn’t been set yet but the goal is sometime in April.
“The purpose is to leverage our respective skills sets with a strong focus on local sources,” said Raymond. “We think there’s a niche for people who like and appreciate and will pay for higher-end, unique items.”
Most Recent
Most Recent
Anonymous
February 25, 2022
Wish they’d open in Portland. Since Rosemont discontinued their butchery program there’s little opportunity for this kind of high end meats in Greater Portland
1 Comments