Odie ‘Snap’ Sturdy stands in entrance of his new meat market at Hampton. (Particular to The Business)Odie “Snap” Sturdy is understood round his hometown of Hampton as the kind of fellow who’ll attempt to assist anybody in want and helps his neighborhood wholeheartedly.
After working two profitable eating places, he is now turned his consideration to Snap N’ Chop, described as a high-end, but reasonably priced meat market scheduled for a grand opening Jan. 1.
Sturdy just lately recounted how his street to entrepreneurship did not start easily.
“Again in 2005 I bought some drug costs,” he stated. “I fought it till the center of ’06 after I was convicted with a 20-year sentence. The decide suspended three years of that. After 4 years within the penitentiary, I used to be paroled and got here house in 2010.
“I had lots of time to assume whereas I used to be away and determined that was not the sort of life I needed. My spouse stated she needed to begin a restaurant. We had somewhat cash saved so she and one other girl went in companions and opened Granny’s Grill on Freeway 167,” Sturdy stated.
Granny’s is a eating institution with a popularity for good nation cooking.
Sturdy stated he utilized for a job with the town of Hampton after coming back from jail and went proper to work.
As issues bought going once more for him, he and his spouse Marcia began in search of a church to affix. The primary one he went to was the Meeting of God.
“I favored Brother Ricky Smith very well so we joined the congregation and started common attendance,” he stated.
“God was so good to us we had been in a position to buy a meals trailer and set it up in Woodbury the place people going to and from work on the protection crops might eat with out having to return all the way in which to Hampton,” Sturdy stated.
Sturdy defined how the meat market concept developed.
“I bought a constructing subsequent to the 167 red-light at 209 West Important Road downtown. My spouse Marcia stated she’d again me with no matter I made a decision. I used to be interested by a rooster shack with completely different types of fried rooster, however we already had two eating places,” he stated.
Sturdy stated he has an 80-year-old buddy, Hank Welsh, who ran a butcher store referred to as City and Nation in Hampton for 40 years. And what a buddy Welsh has been.
“I requested him if he thought that concept would work once more?” Sturdy stated. “He stated we do not have a contemporary meat outlet right here and persons are at all times going to purchase good meat merchandise. He stated he’d seen how I am keen to work laborious and the way I deal with my enterprise so he was going to return in and assist get me began. He’s instructing my assist and me all the pieces we have to know in regards to the butcher enterprise from what instruments are wanted, to the right strategy to put together a top quality product.”
Whereas juggling his many duties, Sturdy nonetheless retains his job with the town of Hampton.
“I’ve one other younger man apart from myself who’ll be working out there,” Sturdy stated. “Mr. Welsh says he can inform inside two days if a person goes to make it as a butcher. Hank would not consider in utilizing a noticed on any steaks due to the fats and gristle residue. He had me buy top-quality knives to do all our steak work.”
Sturdy says his new enterprise has a brand new walk-in cooler and freezer and all of the meat saws, reducing tables and grinding equipment to run a first-rate operation, including that he’ll carry just a few equipment like quite a lot of breads, seasonings and a small assortment of canned items.
“My nickname is ‘Snap’ so I settled on the enterprise title ‘Snap N’ Chop.’ We’re within the ultimate phases of finishing the transform now with our grand opening goal date as Jan. 1,” he stated.
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