Merindorf Meats to close one of its Lansing area retail stores, but has big future plans

WILLIAMSTON — Long-time family-owned meat market Merindorf Meats is closing its Williamston store permanently on Saturday.

"With much consideration of our family, customers, and employees we have made the difficult decision to close our retail space in Williamston effective on September 30, 2023," the company said in a message posted to the store's Facebook page on Sunday. "Thank you for your continued support of our small family business. We have enjoyed serving the Williamston community for the past 17 years and have built many friendships throughout that time."

The store at 500 Williamston Center Road, which has been open for more than a decade, is one of two locations operated by Merindorf Meats. The locally-owned business opened its first store in Mason in 1997.

"Our business goal is to expand and become USDA Federally Inspected, which will allow us to become a wholesale distributor," said the post. "The future of Merindorf Meats is bright, and we are excited to bring many of you along with us on that journey."

"We are going to become USDA federally inspected, which allows us to sell our smoked meat products to others as a wholesale distributor," said Chloe Merindorf, who manages the Williamston store. "Right now we can only do it within our four walls. And so we sat down and thought of our business plan and our growth strategy. The decision was very difficult to make but we decided to close our Williamston location in order for us to really put our focus and attention on expanding."

The goal, she said, is to be selling some of Merindorf Meats' products − starting with the store's hunter's sausage − in smaller, family-owned grocery stores in a year and a half.

The Mason store on West Barnes Road will remain open and Merindorf said employees at the Williamston store will have the option to work there.

"Mason will be in full force," Merindorf said. "We're actually encouraging our existing customers to go to Mason and a lot of them have expressed that we will be seeing them there."

The business will be selling its property in Williamston, she said.

Contact Rachel Greco at rgreco@lsj.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, @GrecoatLSJ .

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This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Merindorf Meats to close one of its Lansing area retail stores, but has big future plans