Butcher's bids farewell to market after 57 years

M&D Embrey Butcher's in Abergavenny Market is calling time on 57 years of serving the Monmouthshire town as it trades from its stall for the final time today, Saturday, February 26.

Owner Tom Bowen, 65, – who has run the business with his wife June since they inherited it from her parents – has said the time is right for him to hang up his hat - but that he would still be selling meat from the shop at his farm in nearby Govilon.

“We’ve just reached that time of life,” Mr Bowen told the Argus.

Tom Bowen is calling time on his butchers in Abergavenny Market - that's had a stall there for 50 years.

“I’ve been here for about 43 years – my wife, June, first came here with her parents Melvin and Dorothy when she was 11.

“We’re here seven days at the moment, so we’re both looking forward to a slower pace of life.”

Opened by Melvin and Dorothy Embrey back in 1965, the butcher's has built up a loyal customer base in its many years of trading in the market.

Mr Bowen, who worked some years at the butcher's before he became the owner in the early 1990s, said he’s seen generations of families grow up during his time running the store.

“We’ve been lucky, we’ve had a lot of regulars – and still do,” Mr Bowen said.

Mr Bowen has had plenty of loyal customers over the years.

“There’s been people who have been life-long customers and have bought their meat from us until they’ve passed away.

“I’ve watched little ones grow up – just the other day we were speaking to someone who I remember from when she was in a pram.”

But it’s not just the people, Mr Bowen says he has witnessed a huge amount of change in the town.

“When we first set up here there was only a Tesco in the town,” he said.

“Now there’s about three or four big supermarkets in Abergavenny that have popped up over the years.”

Yet despite the competition, the butcher's has never fallen short of trade – which is partly down to them selling meat that is home-grown on Mr Bowen’s farm in Govilon.

Almost all of the meat at the butchers is home-grown.

“I think people like the fact that they’re getting local meat when they come to us,” Mr Bowen added.

“Which is why we’ll still be selling our meat from the farm to our regulars – but it’ll just be at a much slower pace than what we’re doing right now.”

News of M&D Embrey’s closure prompted plenty of messages of thanks from customers throughout the week, Mr Bowen’s daughter, Emma, said.

“We’ve had people speaking to us all week – we’ve had a couple of bottles of wine, too," she said.

“I think there was a bit of panic when we announced we’d be closing in the market – people were a bit worried about where they’d get their meat from.

It'll be an emotional day for the family tomorrow - their final day of trading in the market.

“Plenty have said how much of a loss we’ll be to the market once we leave.”

As the butcher's readies itself for one last hurrah in Abergavenny Market today, Mr Bowen said he’d miss the community in the market.

“I’ve made a lot of friendships with people here over the years,” he said.

“It’s a place where people are willing to help each other out and I’ll miss that.”