On March 1, Maxbauer’s downtown location closed its doors for the last time. An email went out to customers on Feb. 24 stating that multiple factors are going into the closing of their downtown location, including the cost of labor and the high rent in Traverse City. Mark Wilson, the owner of Maxbauer’s, stated that they will be fully moving over to their other location on South Airport called The Butcher’s Block. 

  Maxbauers Meat Market opened in 1913 by Albert and Tony Maxbauer, and then in 1950 it was bought by Barney and Tom Deering. It was owned by their family until 2012 when owner Mike Deering sold Maxbauer’s to Mark Wilson when Mike said he was “ready”. Mark has run the company since and even opened another store that focuses on having pre-packaged meat from Maxbauer’s conveniently at the ready. With Wilson’s full attention on The Butcher’s Block, he has plans to have nationwide shipping which would allow you to purchase the meat that many customers know and love all over the country. Customers would be able to do this through a local company called Truly Free Market. 

  The closing was very sad to a lot of the loyal customers who have been buying from Maxbauer’s since 2012 when it was bought by Wilson, but the closing was inevitable with the ever-rising rent in Traverse City. The construction happening on Grandview Parkway, which started on Mar. 10, was also a big factor in their decision to close. The store was unable to withstand the ever-rising costs and volume that was needed to keep it running. However, when Wilson combines the two stores into one, The Butcher’s Block has the potential to become even better than it was before.