In a world where you can be a CEO of your company at 21, where you can be an ‘influencer’ or ‘expert’ without having much experience, and where anyone can look like they ‘have it all’ on social media, I think we all perhaps could use a solid dose of modesty.
Since moving back to Antigonish, a local business has intrigued me. Vasheresse Meats on St. Andrews Street – the local butcher shop - is a modest-looking store that's been there (and has looked more or less the same) for as long as I can remember. We grew up going there for meats and eggs.
My grandmother Fody used to say a few words strangely - Vasheresse was one of them. It was as if she was a Gaelic Donald Duck when she said it. It always made me chuckle.
Vasheresse’s has become one of my favourite stops during the week. I’ve noticed how incredibly busy they are! It got me curious about how they’ve been able to seemingly thrive, not only during COVID but in an industry that has been swallowed up by the big guys.
I asked the owner, Bobby Vasheresse, if he would mind sitting down with me for a chat about his business. I was confident I could get a few nuggets (of wisdom, not chicken) out of him.
Based on some basic math of when he got married, and how long he and his wife Jean (his partner in the business) have been married, they are both hovering around 80 years old, though you wouldn’t guess it looking at them.
As we sat in the back of the store that's housed their business for 50 years (Bobby has been in the business of ‘swinging meat’ for over 70 years – his father and mother started it around 1950) for our chat, the phone was ringing (and they actually answer it), the bell on the door chimed as customers were coming in and out, a sales rep needed answers about how much cheese to order, Jean ran to the bank, meat was being cut and Bobby answered at least five questions about where something was or the price of an order. Pearson Airport might not be busy right now because of COVID, but Vasheresse Meats is pumping!
When they started the business, four other butcher shops were doing the same thing in Antigonish. Over the years, everyone else has closed their doors and they are now the only remaining butcher shop in this area.
When I asked him why he thinks he is still standing, he said his secret was relationships and giving his customers good prices. Over the years, he has developed trust from both his suppliers and his customers. He has a few customers who have been coming through his door for close to 70 years.
An old radio announcer used to call him ‘Battling Bobby’ when listing his specials on air – Bobby has always been known for offering his customers good prices! Buying local enables him to cut the middleman out and offer both his farmer and customer a fair price (sometimes at his own expense). And he can also tell you exactly where the meat has come from.
Bobby doesn’t keep up with the Kardashian’s, but instead, he has been keeping up with what his customers want. As our town has become more multicultural, there has been a demand for different products. In front of me during our chat were big bags of chicken feet. Frog legs are something else he has worked hard to source for his customers.
Over the years, he's seen a lot of changes, and most recently, COVID has caused some big ones. In fact, COVID caused his business to grow – a lot - as people are focussing more on local.
Beyond the prices and the product, the main theme of our conversation revolved around good, old-fashioned hard work and keeping control of costs.
The only employees are Bobby, Jean, their son Brad, grandson Matt and just recently another ‘young fella’ was added on the payroll. Bobby said he's recently started working more like 12 hours a day instead of his previous 15. What a slacker!
Once a week, he drives to Cape Breton in his old truck to pick up cows from his suppliers. It's a favourite part of his week - he loves all the conversation he has with the farmers.
Conversation and connecting with his customers is something he values. He has noticed, over the years, people have become far more surgical in their visits – they come in, they buy, they leave and many don’t even say thank you. Not as much chit-chat or connection. He commented on people being so busy nowadays.
Busy? Are we really busier than people were in the past? I don’t believe so. Busy has become a filler word.
Not only do they have a bustling business, but they also have a farm at home with cows, horses, and mini horses, which they show. Every day, Bobby is in the barn before 7 a.m., doing barn work (and he finishes his day doing the same). That's how he sets himself up for having a great day. He doesn’t drink coffee, so being in the barn with his animals is his caffeine.
His modesty shines through when I ask him for some words of wisdom. After a bit of contemplation, he replied, "If you want to start a business, you can’t be afraid of hard work. You can’t have it all right away. Don’t be flashy and owe a bunch of money to the bank."
When he and Jean were newly married and starting their own business, the first ‘house’ they had was a tiny trailer he bought from a swamp in Port Hawkesbury. They really got to know each other during the two years they called it home! Relationships are key and you need to treat people with respect, and if you’re running a business with your partner – be sure you pick a good one.
With all I learned from him – including more knowledge on where meat at large grocery stores is now coming from, and how it is handled - he can be sure he has a new long-term customer in me.
I left the store with two beautiful T-bone steaks Bobby cut for me.
With an insatiable love for human behaviour and circumstance, Emilie Chiasson absorbs the world around her, and turns her experiences into relatable stories. From her home town of Antigonish, NS to her travels around the world, she never fails to connect with the characters and perspectives that make life a bit more colourful. Read more here.
