There is a new butcher shop in Mobile. In fact, the ribbon-cutting ceremony was yesterday! Open for a few months in Midtown on Old Shell Road next to the Dew Drop Inn, The Blind Butcher is more than a butcher shop. It’s a specialty shop with lots of delicious options to make mealtime truly special!

Of course, you can purchase fresh, hand-cut meats, or you can select from succulent freshly prepared dinner options that can be grilled, oven-baked, or in most cases, air-fried, all with complete cooking instructions on the label. There are several new items from which to choose every day.

Linda and I had a friend recommend that we stop by before Christmas. (They opened in November last year.) We picked up several items, including stuffed pork chops, and then returned a couple of weeks later for a few more things. The stuffed flank steak that we grilled was delicious. We also bought a couple of nice butcher knives for Christmas presents. 

What stood out on our first two visits was the friendly staff. The hardest part was trying to choose from the variety of selections, but the folks at The Blind Butcher were great at helping us decide. Everything was easy to prepare and very, very good. Now, we take a small ice chest wherever we are in Mobile!

After such wonderful experiences, I contacted the owner, Lenore Thomas, to learn more about The Blind Butcher. We sat down last week to hear her interesting story. Lenore grew up in Mobile and earned her accounting degree at South Alabama. She’s been an in-house accountant for GAT Airline Ground Support since 2014.

It turns out that Lenore is quite the athlete. She went to St. Paul’s Episcopal School for her entire elementary and secondary education. She played every sport possible, starting with tee-ball, then softball, soccer, and gymnastics, and she landed on volleyball and diving throughout middle and high school. She later coached diving at Springhill Swim Club for 5 years, as well as volleyball at Wilmer Baptist Church.

Lenore met her husband, Adam, an Alabama Law Enforcement Agency officer, at CrossFit, where she trained and coached. After having young children, coaching got put on the back burner. “I would love to get back to coaching someday. It teaches you a lot. Stay involved or stay in trouble,” she says.

She told me about her time at the University of South Alabama. “I loved my entire life at South. I lived on campus and made it a full college experience. The professors are great and love what they do.” She joined the Kappa Delta sorority as a Freshman and was VP-Community Service, then the VP-Standards before serving as President her senior year. 

I mentioned that she is a leader and a teacher by nature. “I do have a sense of responsibility. I didn’t want to be president of the sorority at the time, but it was a good experience. I like to see people improve. Everyone is capable of leading at what they are good at.”

She and Adam are ready to hop on a plane and go somewhere at a moment’s notice. “We love to travel and take the kids with us most of the time. Sometimes we are flying standby, and it doesn’t always work out, but we are game.” She mentioned trips to the Grand Canyon, Moab, Utah (famous for hiking and mountain biking), SeaWorld, Colorado to ski, Chicago, and Universal Studios.

With such a busy life, I asked how she came to own The Blind Butcher. “We live in Tanner Williams in west Mobile County, not far from Lucedale, Mississippi, where The Blind Butcher first began. We were out and about in Lucedale one day and stopped by. We met Bri Mixon, who launched the store. I reached out to her, and  we went to lunch at Landmark Cafe & Grill  to discuss the possibility of opening a store in Mobile.”

By the time they met, Bri, a nurse practitioner, had opened a second store location in Pascagoula. “She was approached by two different people who wanted to buy her stores. So she sold them and began franchising the concept.” Lenore tells me that Bri is a fabulous cook but didn’t know a thing about being a butcher. “That’s why it’s called The Blind Butcher,” she says.

Lenore, still a practicing accountant for her employer, tells me she has always known she wanted to own her own business. “I like to see how thin I can spread myself ” she laughed. Not one to waste time, she tells me she and Bri were going to close on a Friday, but she went into labor, so the baby was born on Friday, and they closed on Monday instead!

Lenore’s sister-in-law, Erin, manages the store. You’ll find her mom, Martha, working the register a few days a week as well as her step-daughter, LillyAnn, and niece, Anna Grace, working on the weekends. “My family is important to me. I love that everyone is involved in helping around the shop.”

“The number one thing we want is consistency. We offer the very best meats and products that are available. We want The Blind Butcher to be a community thing, bringing really great items that you usually find only in larger cities.” She mentioned that they carry Hereford beef because it’s very high quality and consistently available.

“I like that we get to know our customers’ faces and names, can answer their questions, and get feedback on what they like.” She mentioned their Million Dollar Chicken prepared for an easy meal at home. “I am not a cook. That’s why we prepare really good things that are ready to cook to make awesome meals. Our hand-cut meats are always fresh, but if you are looking for something new, different, and delicious, we try to give you options and make it easy.” 

The Blind Butcher has a catering component as well. “Our Charcuterie boards are very popular. We offer charcuterie boxes for small parties or grazing charcuterie tables for large groups.” She tells me their Crawfish King Cake was popular during Mardi Gras. “It’s really good. Savory, not sweet.” They are also now taking pre-orders for Easter.

My mouth begins to water when thinking about The Blind Butcher. I enjoy meeting entrepreneurs, and Lenore certainly fits the bill. If you are looking for a fun, interesting shopping experience and enjoy great food, check out The Blind Butcher Shoppe. Be prepared to be impressed!

Thanks, Lenore. It was fun meeting you, and we wish you much success!