The Corner Butcher Shop owners John and Will Fueling reached a milestone today. Having opened its doors on January 17, 2008, the store is celebrating its first birthday.

Despite economic conditions, the 2700 square foot shop is thriving at its 2359 Foothill Boulevard location with a growing customer base.

Though the shop is located in La Verne, a significant number of customers are Claremont residents. John Fueling said Claremonters make up approximately half the store’s customers.

“It’s been a good year,” John Fueling said. “I think a lot of people got tired of the big store atmosphere and eating boxed products. A lot of our customers tell me about how they had a local butcher shop when they were younger. So there’s a nostalgia factor involved too.”

According to the Mr. Fueling, the emphasis on quality makes the shop a desirable place for customers, who in turn suggested the market to friends and family.

“We have to get people to stop their cars and come in—and you need a compelling reason to get them to do that,” he explained. “We offer freshness, quality and our items are home-made. We use quality ingredients in all of our stuff and that helps in getting people to keep coming back. There are still 8-10 people a day that come in saying that they just heard of us because their friends recommended us to them.”

Along with the Fuelings, Ryan Bough (food prep), Ricky Brewer (executive chef), Tina Gannon (deli manager) and Eric Murray (butcher) make up the 6-person team performing day-to-day operations. A wide variety of meats, cheeses, sauces, wines and beers fill the shop with options for custom and catering orders. The store features a sandwich menu and take home dinner items.

Expanding its menu throughout the year and thinking “outside the box” are reasons executive chef Ricky Brewer cites for the store’s success. He said the customer’s voice plays a significant role in what the shop offers each day.

“We have food on demand and we let the customers tell us what they want,” Mr. Brewer said. “There was a lady who came in the other day and said she wanted fried chicken even though it wasn’t on the menu. So I fried it for her. We have so many items we can make and the good thing about being here is I have the creativity to do what I want. I’m really thankful to be here. John and Will are really good people.”

COURIER photo/Nicole Padilla

John Fuelling chats with Claremont regulars Bob Zondervan, Denise Zondervan and Linda Yao.

Claremont residents Bob and Denise Zondervan have been Corner Butcher Shop regulars since the store’s debut.

“We like to try the different rubs on the tri-tips and we also come here for the sausages,” Ms. Zondervan said. “We bought our Thanksgiving turkey from here and we just love the service. It’s also fun to buy their stuffed potatoes for dinner parties. We like that the food is really fresh and the prices are reasonable.”

Along with quality and service, Mr. Zondervan appreciates the knowledge the shop owners have about meat in general.

“They really know their meat,” he said. “I remember one time when I asked them about the collar bacon. They told me some things I didn’t know about it. They are very knowledgeable.”

The Corner Butcher Shop will be holding a wine tasting event on January 31. The event will begin around noon and will include appetizers.

Mr. Brewer feels the shop is on a good course and believes the store’s first 12 months was successful.

“We’ve done good,” he said. “A lot of places don’t start out well during their first year but we’ve done well. This year breezed by.”