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Matt Smith of Walker plans to open the Louise Earl Butcher shop at 1106 Wealthy Street Se in Grand Rapids in late 2015.

(Garret Ellison | MLive)

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — A vacant storefront on Wealthy Street may get new life this year as a neighborhood butcher shop.

Matt Smith of Walker is hoping to open the Louise Earl Butcher shop at 1106 Wealthy St. SE, a few doors down from the Wealthy Theatre later this year once he closes on the building purchase.

Rendering of Louise Earl Butcher shop at 1106 Wealthy

“We want to do a lot of old-style terrines, pâtés — a lot of things you don’t normally see at a butcher shop or meat counter,” said Smith, who presented his vision for the empty storefront to the East Hills Council of Neighbors on Monday, Jan. 5.

“We’ll cut everything by hand.”

The building is current owned by Handicap Signs Inc. and is used for storage. It was built in 1936 and has remained boarded-up and reminiscent of Wealthy Street's rougher days for many years.

Smith said he’s looked at numerous buildings in the city and is eager to take advantage of the increasing foot traffic along the corridor.

Plans call for a new façade and roof on the 4,500-square-foot building, which is located in the Wealthy Theatre Historic District.

Smith has been planning the new business for a couple of years. He currently works at DeVries Meats, a processor in Coopersville. His background is in the restaurant and finance industries. He’s spent time working at butcheries in Chicago and Nashville over the last few years, conducting research on the retail meat industry.

“I needed to know everything top to bottom,” he said.

Louise Earl (a family name) will practice the traditional European-style “seam butchery,” he said.

“We want to get back to the old-style techniques,” he said. “We’re going to use whole, naturally-raised animals from local farmers.”

In addition to the meat counter, the shop will sell a small selection of fresh produce and pantry grocery items, as well as some retail accessories.

Smith said Louise Earl will sell sandwiches and soups from the kitchen.

Smith hopes to open the shop in late summer or early fall. He and wife Cynthia Esch are financing the new business with a combination of personal cash, a bank loan and a Small Business Administration loan. The project is also seeking support from the state’s Obsolete Property Rehabilitation Act program.

Louise Earl is expected to be open Tuesday through Saturdays.

“This isn’t going to be a shop you come into and find pre-packaged meat like at the grocery store,” he said. “It’s going to be a shop that, if you want to talk about the recipe you’re making for Sunday dinner, we’ll have the knowledge and staff to walk you through the cuts and help out with suggestions.”

Garret Ellison covers business, government, environment and breaking news for MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. Email him at gellison@mlive.com or follow on Twitter & Instagram