Kennebec Meat Co., a butcher shop, will move into the Thomas Hyde Block on Water Street in Bath. The building previously held Beale Street Barbeque and Grill for 25 years. Darcie Moore / The Times Record
A spot in downtown Bath that once held a barbeque restaurant will continue selling meat, but customers will have to cook it themselves.
Kennebec Meat Co., a butcher shop currently on Richardson Street, will move into 215 Water St., which for 25 years had been the location of Beale Street Barbeque and Grill. Kennebec Meat Co. Owner Scott Raymond said he bought the property on Jan. 27 for $640,000.
The butcher shop, which Raymond hopes to open in April, will sell high-end locally-sourced meat as well as snacks. Raymond said he hopes to eventually sell ready-to-eat meals such as sandwiches and salads, but the shop won’t have seating.
Raymond started Kennebec Meat Co. last year with his son, Jordan Raymond, who is the general manager. Raymond lives in Georgetown and said he found himself “going far and wide to find good quality meat and other snacks,” so he and his son decided to fill that void.
“With more people cooking during the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve found there are a lot of people who appreciate high-end provisions and don’t mind paying for it if the quality is there,” said Raymond. “What we’re trying to dial into is people who really appreciate the quality of good beef, pork and other things you can’t necessarily find in your local grocery store. That’s the gap we’re trying to fill.”
Raymond said he believes the Water Street location will help the business flourish because of the location’s visibility downtown. He said he’s also excited about the developers planning to add housing nearby, which he suspects will increase foot traffic in the area.
The planning board approved a plan for neighboring 31 Centre St. to become a mixed-use space with co-working office space on the main floor and four residential units on the second and third floors.
“Richardson Street wasn’t a bad location, but a lot of people are in downtown Bath, especially in the summer,” said Raymond. “People are coming here for shopping, restaurants, groceries, and we would like to become known as a specialty shop. I think the Beale Street location lends itself much better to that.”
Raymond said he won’t make many large changes to the building itself. Most of the renovations will be to add equipment like coolers and shelving and remove the seating from the restaurant, “but the core structure of Beale Street won’t change.”
“For the most part, people will recognize the building as the old Beale Street when they come in,” said Raymond. “We’re finding a lot of synergy with what Michael Quigg did at Beale Street. We’re trying to keep that meat-based history going, not as a restaurant but as a place where people can buy the products.”
The building also has an apartment on the second floor, which Raymond hopes to eventually renovate and rent out.
The building at 215 Water St., known as the Thomas Hyde Block, was built in 1905, according to city records. The Thomas Hyde Block was also the last piece of property John Morse IV sold to close his family business, Sagadahock Real Estate Association.
Morse’s business once owned most of downtown Bath, but Morse started selling the 18 properties in his portfolio one at a time in September 2017 when no one in the family wanted to take over the business.
Morse sold 215 Water St. to Quigg, owner of Beale Street Barbeque and Grill, in January 2021.
Quigg closed Beale Street in late December 2021 after first opening the restaurant in May 1996. Though the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent restrictions placed a barrage of challenges on the restaurant industry, Quigg said his decision to close his restaurant came before the pandemic.
“I’ve had a personal goal that 25 years is a great run for a great restaurant,” Quigg told The Times Record in December. “For us, we’ve had a great time with the staff and guests we’ve had. This is just the right time for us. I understand that people may be sad, but for us, it’s our happily ever after.”
Quigg did not return requests for comments Monday.
Kennebec Meat Co. isn’t the only butcher shop looking to serve Midcoast communities.
The Butchers & Bakers, a combination gluten-free bakery and butcher shop, will be coming to downtown Brunswick in the Tontine Mall. The shop is planning to open in Wild Oats’ previous location.
According to a news release, the market will offer “locally-sourced meats, featuring traditional whole-animal butchery techniques, along with an artisanal gluten-free bakery,” as well as bread, pastries, cakes and other items. Butchers & Bakers will also include coffee and café-to-go options, including espresso beverages, salads and sandwiches.
Butchers & Bakers owners Marissa Stahl-Hodgkins and Steven Campbell did not return requests for comment Monday regarding when the shop will open.
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