Where's the Meat? Village Butcher Prides Itself on Sausages, Customer Service

The great Chicago blizzard of 2011 wasn’t good for .

The day before the blizzard was a good business day for the store at 3541 W. 99th St, Jerry Plienis, owner said. However, since then, business has been slow because customers stocked up on groceries to get the through a long period of time.

“The snowstorm threw everything off,” Plienis said. “People stocked up before the snowstorm and now they have enough of a supply for a few weeks. People were afraid of being snowed in, with radio and TV telling them to prepare themselves. It’s been a matter of wearing down their inventory.”

The store also closed for two days following the blizzard, further affecting business sales.

“People did come in and we had a good day before the snowstorm, but afterwards we closed for two days,” Plienis said. “When you close for two days, you’ll never make that up.”

In business since 1966, when Plienis’s father Anthony founded the store, A-J Meats prides itself on its homemade Lithuanian, Polish, a variety of Italian, and Swedish sausages. The family recipes have been in use at the store for three generations, and they also make homemade soups, including an upcoming Cajun one for Mardi Gras.

“We specialize in our own sausage. It is gourmet sausage. It’s natural, all the ingredients. We buy the best ingredients,” Plienis said. “We’re sausage makers. It’s an art. People call from California and we ship it to them. They can’t get this sausage anywhere else. It’s better than anywhere else.”

A-J Meats has been in the Plienis family for three generations, and each family member has made sure to follow the tradition of only serving the freshest of quality products and making people feel like the valued customers they are.

Plienis has been running the store since Anthony retired in 1984. Plienis, his wife Kathleen, son Kevin and a few part-time employees make up the staff most of the time. Serving the surrounding community, A-J Meats also depends on loyal out-of-state customers who make special trips to the store.

“I’m fortunate I draw from a 100-mile radius from Evergreen Park,” Plienis said. “If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be in business. You can’t rely on a neighborhood. You have competition out there that is unbelievable and draws away from a small business.”

While Plienis said he’s happy the business has survived and stayed in business for as long as it has, he predicts that small businesses like his won’t be around too far into the future.

“Small businesses are being absorbed by the big businesses. Big box stores are taking over small stores and people aren’t supporting small businesses,” Plienis said. “Economically, I can understand customers are looking for cheaper meat and then using Hamburger Helper. If they bought a higher quality of meat, they wouldn’t have to worry about Hamburger Helper. We buy from the best purveyors possible. Our stuff tastes better.”

While the store has a great appreciation for all of their customers, they are hoping to see more of the Evergreen Park community stop by to see what they’re about. To help accomplish that goal, Plienis’s son has started a Facebook page for the store, and they currently have over 182 people who “like” it. Since the site has become popular, the store’s advertising is done on their page.

Staying competitive is important to Plienis, who says Easter, Christmas and Thanksgiving are the store’s busiest times of year.

“I’m looking forward to Easter. It’s one of our busiest times of the year,” Plienis said. “... It’s kind of a Godsend at this time of year for us. We go through slow periods. It’s a roller coaster ride.”

As the weather improves, Plienis expects to see more people come into the store. In the winter, there is a decline in business because customers, especially elderly ones, don’t want to deal with the bad weather to go shopping. In the summer, “people don’t want to take a frozen steak and throw it on the grill. They want to enjoy it,” and thus purchase meat from A-J Meats, Plienis said.

With a store stocked full of fresh meat and unique condiments not available at superstores, along with catering, special orders, and take-out and eat-in menus, Plienis is anticipating things improving. As the economy rebounds, he expects people to take advantage of the store’s offerings.

“I feel the economy will turn around,” he said. “After the elections are over with in Chicago and the economy starts coming back, small businesses should come back. Right now a lot of the blue collar workers are laid off. ...These are the people who come through the store and they want something good to eat.”

To check out what A-J Meats has to offer, stop by the store. They are open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday to Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. They can be reached at (708) 422-4130.