Locally owned butcher shop closes after three years, deciding factors include rising costs

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- St. Clair's Butcher Shoppe announced the closure of the store after serving the South Bend community since 2021, with the co-founders calling it a difficult decision.

Co-founders, Robert Kolbe and Nick St. Clair, say their final day was Sunday, Sept. 1, despite their efforts to weather rising costs, shifting market demands, and unforeseen challenges.

“We wanted to bring back a time when shopping wasn’t just transactional,” said Kolbe. “We wanted people to feel like they mattered, like they were part of a community every time they visited. It's something that’s been lost in many places, and we hoped to be a small reminder of what that experience could still be. It was essential to us that our customers could trust in the quality of our products and know we were always upfront and honest in our interactions.”

Despite surviving the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the duo said they couldn't navigate the mounting pressures from rising costs and a rapidly changing market.

“This isn’t just the end of a business—it’s the closing of a chapter that’s been deeply personal for us,” Kolbe said. “We fought with everything we had to keep that sense of community alive, staying true to our values of trust and transparency. But even as we close, we leave with immense pride in what we’ve built and the relationships we’ve nurtured.”

Kolbe and St. Clair said they explored every possible path forward, before they made the final decision.

You can read their full announcement on the store's official Facebook page.