Where’s the beef? Gillispie Meats celebrates 25th anniversary

Gillispie Meats owner Josh Gillispie works during the Saturday 25th anniversary celebration of the business. He had a bunch of men in the back and front counter helping out that day. Wendy Nugent/Harvey County Now

By Wendy Nugent, Harvey County Now

NEWTON—Josh Gillispie recalled a time when he and his uncle, Roger Gillispie, slept in Gillispie Meats at Christmastime. It wasn’t because they were homeless and penniless. It was the opposite–It was because business was so good.

“Busy—just a couple of us getting everybody’s orders ready,” Josh Gillispie said on Monday afternoon, a couple of days after the business’s 25th anniversary celebration on Saturday. “Worked until early morning and late at night,” he said. “A couple hours later, brush your teeth and go.”

Roger Gillispie and Josh opened the meat shop Oct. 1, 1997, at 420 E. Broadway, and it’s been there ever since.

“A true 25 years,” Josh said about the anniversary celebration since it was 25 years to the day the doors opened that they had their celebration.

The Gillispies opened the store when Josh attended Wichita State University. Josh worked there during college and then sporadically after graduating from college.

Josh became owner on St. Patrick’s Day 2020.

“Right in the heart of the pandemic,” he said.

Roger passed away in April 2020 at the age of 67.

Josh said people thought they’d never have Roger’s cuts of meat anymore and then everyone thought there was going to be a food shortage, so Gillispie Meats was rather busy its first couple of months after Josh became owner.

“Business has been great,” Gillispie said. “The community has been really awesome supporting us.”

The pandemic brought the focus to small businesses, he said.

Josh brought the focus to his own small business on Saturday, selling hamburger, ribeye and Kansas City strip steaks, and roasts at 1997 prices. He had a crew of men helping with meat in the back while it was standing room only for customers in the front. There even was a line out the front door. Before noon, a couple of workers, Nate Barron and manager Maria Velazco, tended to customers purchasing hamburger for $2.99 a pound, roasts for $4.99 a pound and strip steaks for $8.99 a pound, or anything else that was for sale there.

“I know we sold 700 pounds of hamburger,” Gillispie said. “We did sell other things besides that but everybody came in predominantly for [the reduced-price beef].”

They also sold 120 steaks and about 25 roasts.

They also sold smoked sausage and tri-tip that day, which was what people could sample outside during the celebration.

Also sold were about 20 T-shirts with an image of a butcher block and a cleaver on the front with the words “Gillispie Meats ‘Meat Maters of the Midwest'” on the front and “In Memory of Roger Gillispie” on the sleeve.

“Had four high schoolers that day—two in the morning and two in the afternoon,” Josh said.

To meet customers’ needs, Gillispie said they change the meat in the meat case out from season to season.

“That’s the fun challenge,” he said. “Gotta change with the seasons.”

He also introduces new products, thinking outside the box, like Maria’s Meatloaf. They also offer Ham Loaf, as well as soups in the winter for lunch.

“We’ll cook that up as it gets cooler,” he said, adding there also will be pork chili.

They also sell bierocks and cream puffs on Wednesdays.

“Get here early or call ahead because they just don’t last,” Josh said.

Josh misses his uncle at the store.

“I miss the baseball conversations at night,” he said. “That’s one of my fondest memories—come down here at night.”

Josh coached Legion baseball and Roger was Legion baseball business manager. They’d discuss a recent game, reliving it.

“Thank you to the community,” Josh said. “That was the whole goal with this. I wanted everybody to not forget—to keep the legacy going. That was the whole goal of keeping this open—keep his memory alive.”

 

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