Orangevale Meat Shoppe Coming to Fair Oaks

They've been at the same location for 37 years, cutting nearly every edible animal and grinding it into sausage and salami for their loyal customers. There aren't many speciality meat shops around any more, but these guys pride themselves in their authenticity, quality and experience. And soon they'll be moving their shop to Fair Oaks.

The Orangevale Meat Shoppe, located on Main Avenue in Orangevale, will be moving to the Fair Oaks Pointe Retail Center this summer, with a target date of July 2. They'll be downsizing, owner Marty Sol said, and focusing on retail.

“This is your old fashionied type of butcher shop you don't see any more,” said Sol, who has been a meat cutter for 42 years. “At most butcher shops, the butchers don't know where the beef comes from. Some butchers don't want to work here because it's too hard.”

The Orangevale building has been riddled with problems due to the previous owner's lacking permits, Sol said, and once building inspectors came in looking for violations, “it just got to be a nightmare.”

Part of the downsizing will include ceasing breaking down whole animal carcasses, Sol said, but they'll still make meat brought in by customers into sausages. “Right now, if they bring in boneless meat, and want to make it into sausage or salami, we'll do that,” he said. “But we're not breaking down whole animals now.”

The new shop will fill a vacancy adjacent to the old Sheriff's service station. And it will boast more sausages, wild game meats (deer, elk and wild pig) and even some fish, Sol said. Eventually there will be a deli with “big, fat sandwiches” and salads.

“This shop is going to be an interesting shop, because it's going to be done out of a labor of love,” Sol said, adding that he's getting help from customers who trade. “It's all based on their time and not mine. It's a shop based on faith and that's important to me.”