One of the OG tenants at the revamped Ferry Building two decades ago, Golden Gate Meat Co., is, like some other longtime tenants in recent years, giving up its spot in the complex.

The company, which is primarily a wholesale business based in Richmond and Santa Rosa, has declined to comment on the closure of its only retail store. But the Chronicle has confirmed with Ferry Building reps that Golden Gate Meat Co.'s butcher shop is closing at the end of next week, August 20.

Ferry Building General Manager Jane Connors tells the Chronicle in a statement, "We had hoped to keep Golden Gate Meat in the marketplace, but we respect the owners’ decision to embark on the next chapter of their lives."

Founded in 1977 by the Offenbach family, Golden Gate Meat Co. was among the original tenants when the Ferry Building reopened in 2003 as a food-focused retail mall and restaurant hub.

Another original tenant, Cowgirl Creamery, shut down its Ferry Building location in March 2021, and just last week announced the closure of their flagship store in Point Reyes Station as well. (Cowgirl Creamery's founders, Sue Conley and Peggy Smith, sold the business in 2016 to Swiss dairy conglomerate Emmi, which has since merged it with Humboldt County-based Cypress Grove.)

Chris Offenbach, who has been leading Golden Gate Meat Co. since 2004, had previously told the Chronicle that business was significantly down during the pandemic, and that the shop's lease was expiring in 2022.

Among the original Ferry Building tenants from 2003, only a few remain, including The Slanted Door restaurant (slated to reopen this fall), Gott's Roadside (originally named Taylor's Automatic Refresher), Far West Fungi, Hog Island Oyster Co., and Acme Bread.

New tenants have been moving in to some vacant spaces at the complex, including fish taco spot Cholita Linda, which moved in last fall, and Senor Sisig, which has not yet opened.

It seems probable that the Ferry Building management will seek to lure another butcher into the space being vacated by Golden Gate Meat Co. — Conners bragged to Bon Appetit in 2015 that the marketplace had "We want the butcher and the baker—we even have a candlestick maker. We're looking at the experience as holistically as possible... We want to make sure the building has the raw food ingredients shoppers need."