KatieMade adds butcher shop, changes storefront name

Last edited 3:38 p.m., Feb. 22, 2016

Two businesses under the Butcher Plus Baker name now operate in the Rountree neighborhood.

Bakery KatieMade and butcher shop A.J. Watson & Sons opened Feb. 19 under the new moniker.

Aden Watson, who worked as an assistant baker specializing in “Viennoiserie” – a French name for laminated pastries – for KatieMade owner Katie Kring now is co-owner of the new venture dubbed Butcher Plus Baker LLC.  The company is located in KatieMade’s roughly 600-square-foot space on the backside of 607 S. Pickwick Ave. The backside of the former Homegrown Food is leased from Owen Holdings LLC for undisclosed terms.

Watson said in addition to bakery items sold under the KatieMade name, Butcher Plus Baker sells house-made sausage and meat cuts branded under the name A.J. Watson & Sons.

“We were considering the difficulty of opening a butcher shop on its own and that’s when Katie and I decided to continue that brand under the Butcher Plus Baker name,” Watson said, adding KatieMade would continue to operate as its own business.

Watson estimated the store’s renovation budget at under $10,000, which included building a small retail counter and purchasing a display case, meat slicer and smoker.

Meat-filled pastries sell for $3-$6 each and meat from the butcher shop ranges between $8-$16 per pound, with pork sourced from Seymour-based Circle B Ranch LLC. The co-owners actively are seeking a local beef producer but currently lack storage space for whole animals, Watson said.

Watson said the store nearly sold out of product during its grand opening Feb. 20, and as a result he and Kring plan to hire more part-time workers.

“This week we’re really assessing our needs and are focused on getting through this weekend before we’ll have a proper assessment of how many people we’ll need to do it right,” Watson said.