In 1968, located in the heart of an old German farming town, Lakewood Meats was established.

Joe Roster, Rochelle Holder’s grandfather, bought the market in 1971. Around that time, he saw Bruce walking past the meat market and offered him a job. He accepted. Bruce started delivering meat to Felton’s Topaz, Pizza Garden, New Shanghai, and Arch Cafe. Sell Rite was open at that time, and we could still shop for groceries and “put it on our tab.”

Downtown Woolworths was in business with their old ice cream bar and hot dog counter which brimmed with local families. Everyday, Grandpa still drove his 1960 red Volkswagen Bus to the market. You could hear the “tank” coming from a mile away. Then, Rochelle’s father, Jim Roster, purchased the shop in 1978, and he and Bruce became quite the duo, linking 200+ pounds of hand-tied sausage in just one hour.

Then in 2013, the business changed hands to Anthony and Rochelle Holder, Jim’s daughter. Now, Lakewood Meats still stands, a 50-year-old family-owned operation that still uses the same wooden butcher blocks, the same old school meat counter, and still holds onto the same Lakewood Meats values of traditional old school butchery. Many places have come and gone, but Lakewood Meats is still going strong because of its history, its product, and the people who care.