“I’ve wanted this shop for about 12 years,” said Tootie Jones, after celebrating the grand opening of Swift Level Fine Meats in Fairlea.
Jones is the owner of Swift Level Farm in Lewisburg, and has been raising and wholesaling beef cattle for farmers markets, private clients and restaurants for years, but now, her dream of opening a shop featuring her beef along with the region’s best farm-raised meats has come to fruition.
Swift Level Fine Meats is located across from the State Fairgrounds on Rt. 219 South, and features beautiful cuts of skirt steak, brisket, chuck roast, ground beef and ground brisket, tenderloin, rib eye and more from Swift Level Farm, along with chickens from S&S Farm and Rainbow Farm, Red Tail Ridge Farm pork, Sherwood Family Farm pork, S&S Farm eggs, White Oak Quality Meats, JQ Dickenson salt and pepper, and Spangler’s Greenhouse popcorn.
Jones is planning to bring an in-house butcher in the near future, where they will create custom cuts and fresh sausage on site. She’s also looking forward to introducing prepared charcuterie, an opportunity to showcase a “real variety of cuts you don’t see in the retail case.”
Jones said she’s born to retail: “I love retail and marketing. It’s a real passion of mine,” she said.
Jones said that Swift Level Fine Meats will fill the gap between the culinary needs of Greenbrier County residents and the food producers growing food across the region.
“There’s a no man’s land in the middle, and we are excited to get our beautiful, farm-raised products to the educated palette,” she said. “There is a knowledge and an appreciation, locally, for healthy, clean foods.
“This store is not just mine — it’s everyone’s. People now have fresh, local meat available six days a week,” she said.
Jones is already serving a wide variety of customers — she’s thrilled to already have customers from the west end of the county, White Sulphur Springs, other farmers, and carnivores of every stripe visiting her shop.
“People are excited,” she said.
Swift Level Fine Meats offers special cuts and orders– just call ahead, and Jones will get you what you want.
One afternoon last week, as Jones tended the cash register and shifted meats into display cases from the deep freeze, a Greenbrier Sporting Club customer stopped in to check on his rib eye order.
He’s ordered 15 rib eyes on Saturday for a party he was throwing Monday night.
“My butcher has to break down a whole steer to get him his steaks, but that’s not the customer’s problem,” she said as she called an employee to drive to Virginia where the meat was being butchered. Jones was going to drop it off at the customer’s home that evening.
Customer service, fresh, ethically-raised beef, and supporting our local farmers — that’s just what Swift Level Fine Meats is all about.
Swift Level Fine Meats is located at 836 Maplewood Ave. Store hours are 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m., Monday-Saturday. Custom orders and questions are welcome. Call 304-645-1020.
