While many grocery stores have faced shortages due to the coronavirus crisis, Hartman’s Butcher Shop, 7291 Autumn Road, New Tripoli, has worked hard to keep customers well-supplied with a wide variety of fresh, cured and smoked meat products.

Owner Dennis Hartman spoke with The Press on July 14.

He said there has been high customer demand for his shop’s goods during the ongoing pandemic.

“When it first started, we had a lot of phone calls from people who would go to the local grocery stores and they would find out they didn’t have the products,” Hartman said.

“The meat products were gone. The pork products were gone. The chicken was all gone and the meat shelves were empty.

“They would call us from the store and say, ‘Do you have meat?’ and we’d say ‘Well, yes, we’re a butcher shop.’”

Hartman noted the pandemic had led to shortages of meat, along with other goods, at larger stores.

“They were just overwhelmed,” Hartman said.

“Of course, when it hit the Midwest is when everything was shut down - large slaughter plants in the Midwest - and that’s where the supermarkets get their products from.”

However, unlike the larger grocery stores, Hartman’s butcher shop sources its meats from local farms, which has allowed them to continue providing products to the community.

“We get from local farmers. We buy our beef and pork from them, and we were able to get them from the farm … and have product ready,” he said.

“And, we have the ability to harvest under USDA. It worked out well for us.”

Hartman said business has been steady during the pandemic, and he has seen a mix of familiar and new customers.

“We’ve been doing well throughout the whole operation,” he said. “It has slacked off a little but we’re still picking up a lot of people who originally came back and they said it was their first time here, and they would like to come back and get some more again.

“It was repeat business. They were in the first time when they couldn’t get meats and things at the grocery store.”

At times, Hartman said, the high demand for meats had created small shortages of certain items but noted the scarcities were only temporary, thanks to the hard work of the shop’s employees.

“It was a little hard at times keeping up with everything, like all of our products and everything, but we did succeed and we got through it - maybe a day’s shortage but by the next day we had it,” Hartman said. “Took for some long days, long nights, and a lot of work from the family here who runs the operation.”

To ensure customer and staff safety, Hartman’s follows state guidelines for mask-wearing on premises.

The store is also regularly disinfecting counter tops every 20-25 minutes, sanitizing and following social distancing.

“There’s enough room for three customers in there at a time, and of course when that many are in, the others wait outside,” he explained.

“During the pandemic, they were lined up pretty far outside. Parking lot was full, and they were parking by the neighbor and up the street. It was a hectic time.”

He said numerous customers have been purchasing hog halves and even full sides and quarters of beef from his shop.

“They took them home and put them in their freezers to ensure they had an adequate supply of meat at home,” Hartman said. “Everybody wanted to be sure they’d have enough food for the summertime and with the pandemic going on, a lot of people are skeptical about going out to eat, or about who’s handling their food when they do go out to eat, so a lot of them are cooking at home.”

Additionally, Hartman said shoppers have also shown an increased interest in grilling and home-smoking, which is reflected in the meats they are buying.

“They come in for briskets, pork butts, fresh pork bellies, ribs … anything they can think of, or even good steaks,” he said. “It’s [the pandemic] changed the way people are cooking - and how they’re cooking - eating at home more and buying locally.”

Thanks to the stable business, Hartman has been able to keep his staff - his wife Carol, brother Larry, daughter Heather and employee Dennis Haas - busy and in the shop.

“It’s been good, everybody working. They’re helping me through it,” he said.

Hartman’s is a family-owned, third generation business, which was founded when William E. Hartman - Dennis’ grandfather - built a butcher shop adjacent to the current location in 1940.

“Of course, back then they would do door-to-door sales … You had a day when the butcher would come and bring fresh meats delivered on the delivery truck,” Hartman said about his grandfather’s business.

His father, Paul E. Hartman, built the current butcher shop in 1957.

“And, I got out of high school in 1971, and in 1972 I was running a butcher shop,” Hartman said.

Hartman’s is well known for numerous products, from meats to hot dogs, kielbasa, sausages, dips and country-style, home-smoked bacon - all made on premises.

Hartman noted several of the homemade products are award-winning.

“We make a beef jerky that’s won many national awards, state awards, and we entered in an international competition in Germany and also won awards there. So our jerky is a big thing,” Hartman said.

Also visible throughout the store are awards for hillbilly jerky, smoked ham and landjager sausage, among other products.

Furthermore, Hartman noted that during the current times the store has seen increased sales of a particular type of lunch meat.

“One of our local competitors just closed and they used to be noted for their Lebanon bologna and ring bologna, so we picked up quite a bit of their customers and we see sales increased in that category,” he said.

The shop also carries a variety of cheeses and Pennsylvania Dutch staple foods including horseradish, chow chow, sauerkraut, pickles and apple butter which, Harman said, “complements a lot of our products.”

In closing, Hartman thanked the community for its patronage, and offered some tips on shopping and supporting local businesses.

“Buy local. Support the local people, the local farmers, which we do, and get some good-quality local beef and pork - things you can’t get in the grocery store.”

Hartman’s Butcher Shop is open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and from 8 a.m.-noon. Saturdays.

More information is available on the shop’s Facebook page, and customers may call 610-298-8232 to place an order.