Nelson’s friendly neighbourhood meat shop

Loyal customers enjoy the shop's meat pies and homemade soups

Co-owners Barry Jones and his sister Betty Peterson both have a passion for their business. — Photo courtesy Barry Jones

Railway Station Specialty Meats & Deli is a family-operated business in Nelson, B.C., that specializes in excellent quality and cuts of meats. It is both a meat shop and a deli, and most of the deli items sold are made in-house. Co-owners Barry Jones and his sister Betty Peterson both have a passion for their business, which specializes in bacon, sausages, pepperoni, various types of meat pies and homemade soups. They also prepare custom smoked meats.

"We're really thankful for our customer base that we have," said Jones. "We've built some loyalty over the years, which is always important for a small business when you're competing against the big guys. People can put a face to the products that we make. That's really important for us—otherwise we wouldn't be here."

Kootenay Business sat down with Jones to find out a little bit more about one of the owners behind the business.

What do you like most about your job?

I like the idea that we make things in-house. We are giving the consumer a choice and the ability to know what goes into the products that we provide them. That's rewarding, because a lot of people are asking more of those questions all the time now.

What was your first job and what's one thing you learned from it?

My first job was at Safeway here in Nelson. The biggest thing I learned? It's an old adage: the customer is always right. You have to try and give them what they're looking for, find out what their needs are and try to meet them as best as you can.

What's your number 1 passion outside work?

I have two younger girls, ages 10 and 12, so it would definitely be family. They definitely keep me hopping, since we started our family later on in life.

What's one thing people may be surprised to learn about you?

People would probably be surprised to know that I didn't start out as a meat cutter or a butcher. I was actually a grocer. I had a grocery store in northern B.C., in Kitimat, and just sort of fell into meat cutting. Because we had smaller stores, sometimes I had to fill in as the butcher.