By ANNA GILGOFF

Special to The Press

The line of customers that formed outside of Hartman’s Butcher Shop and Meat Market for weeks before the shop closed for the final time July 8 proved customer loyalty is alive and well even in present day.

“I don’t know where I’m going to go to find this quality of meat,” customer Luke Ross said. “I love this place, everything about it, fresh meat and good prices.”

Ross, from Lehighton, said he’s been a customer for three or four years at least.

“I drive past on my way to work,” Ross said. “You guys have been fantastic over the years,” Ross told proprietor Dennis Hartman as he took his prized bundle of black diamond steaks and fresh bones from the counter.

People came from far and near to grab favorites in their closing days of business.

“Waiting in line, I talked to a woman who drove from Bethlehem so they are loved by the whole Lehigh Valley,” New Tripoli resident Becky Fritzinger said.

“Another gentleman was there with a list to buy for his whole family of relatives.

“I will miss the shop greatly. No one else has hot dogs this good, and it’s so convenient because it’s so close.

“I was a regular customer of hot dogs, also their sausage and ham. I bought regular hot dogs, cheese dogs, sausage (sweet Italian), and maple flavored.”

Austin Mussleman just moved to the area in February.

“I’m here every week,” Mussleman said. “The meat is good and everyone’s polite.”

News about the store closing spread through the community from neighbor to neighbor, reflecting genuine sadness.

“I’ll be back before you close,” Mussleman said to the Hartmans as they tried to keep up with the pace. “I’m going to come down and check in again.”

Carol Hartman commented on the closing.

“Ever since we announced that we were closing, it’s been hectic here,” Carol Hartman said. “We can tell we’ll be missed but all good things must end, I guess.”

The shop with its iconic statue of a pig looking out on Route 309, has been serving the community for decades.

The Hartmans have been members of the American Association of Meat Processors more than 30 years.

Dennis Hartman talked about the organization.

“It is involved in nearly every part of meat processing, from USDA laws and compliance to educational events like seminars and webinars,” Dennis Hartman said.

The Hartmans earned international acclaim for many of their products, including their jerky and ham using time honored processes in their production.

High standards were a cornerstone of the business.

“Our forefathers came from Germany and that is where the curing and smoking originates,” Dennis Hartman said. “They developed dried sausage so they could slip it in their pocket and go out to the field to work. The old-fashioned sausage and the hams actually originated from Germany.”

The Hartmans have mixed feelings about closing their shop.

“Dennis and I appreciate all the business our customers have given us through the years,” Carol Hartman said. “Even though we made a good product, they stuck by us and that means so much to us both.

“You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do, but I’m going to miss the people.”