FLAT ROCK, Mich. (WXYZ) — A beloved local business in Flat Rock is preparing to close its doors for the final time.
Jim's Butcher Shop on Telegraph Road announced it will shut down at the end of this year after 51 years of serving the community.
Watch Demetrios Sanders' video report below:
Jim Latimer, who grew up as a meat cutter, always dreamed of opening his own store. That dream became reality in 1974 when he purchased what's now known as Jim's Butcher Shop.
"They had just a wish and a work ethic and just said hey let's do it, and that's what his passion was," said Stacy Latimer, Jim's daughter and the shop's manager.
Since opening, Jim's has served countless customers in Flat Rock. On Tuesday, those who entered the butcher shop were cherishing one of their last chances to do so.
"It's just the friendliness, the great cuts of meat, you just don't find this anywhere," said Steve Gerke, a customer at Jim's Butcher Shop.
Stacy Latimer says the decision to close isn't an easy one, but her father's health played a role. Despite the business doing well, trends within the industry are also a factor.
"You want do it on your terms and I think you just know when it's time," Stacy Latimer said. "The reality is small business people love small businesses. People love to talk about small businesses, but they don't always go to them."
Joe Sparks has been coming to the butcher shop for more than 30 years and calls it a community pillar. One memory he holds closely is when the store helped him fundraise for his son's football team.
"It was raining and cold. He said come in here inside my store in the front door and go ahead and sell those tickets," Sparks said.
Another customer thinks back to Jim's supporting their car racing endeavors.
"He actually sponsored my dad first and then he wanted to go on the other race cars," said Scott Apperson, a customer at Jim's Butcher Shop. "He's done a lot for us, you know?"
It's stories like those that Stacy Latimer says makes the past 51 years so special.
"It wasn't just selling meat and selling cookies; it's deeper than that. You can get that anywhere," she said.
As they get ready to close, she thanks the community for all their support.
"Every hard earned dollar anyone has spent here, every post you've shared, it all mattered to us and all made a difference," Stacy Latimer said.
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