In early September, Adams Village Butcher Shop and Deli — a staple of the neighborhood for 10 years— closed its doors for about a month before re-opening in a smaller, newly outfitted, space two doors down from its original location at 786 Adams St. The store does not have a dine-in option like its 49-seat predecessor space; it’s now set up as a grab-and-go deli.

Gordon and Jeannie Saverse, the shop’s owners and operators, said that’s all part of their plan.

“I’m getting close to retiring and a lot of people were mad we were even discussing leaving,” said Gordon. “Instead of just leaving, because we were there for ten years, we decided to downsize.”

While it’s cozier than their previous unit, the business has only grown for the couple, who both grew up in Dorchester. “Since we were building this location, somehow it doesn’t usually look like it’s as busy, but the money is more,” said the owner. “Less rent, more money, I don’t know, it’s working.”

He added, “It’s a lot harder than it was before cause the space is smaller. My processing room is probably an eighth of the size of the other one. We make all our own Irish sausage in-house, and the meat room shrunk down to pretty much nothing,” Gordon explained. 

The shop is open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays, and from 7 to 3 on Sundays. 

When asked about how busy the new location has been. Gordon said: “Weekends are out of control. Monday is usually the quietest day and then Tuesday it starts picking up and it gets busier and busier.” 

Almost all their staff members stayed with them through the move, which the husband-and-wife team agreed was not as easy as it seemed.
“It was a very hard transition. We worked day and night pretty much getting home at 11 at night and getting back here at 4 o’clock in the morning,” said Gordon.

The couple’s hard work paid off when there was a line out the door on Oct. 20 for their soft reopening, which Jeannie joked ‘“wasn’t soft at all.”  
Their most popular products are Irish sausage, bacon ,and pudding. The shop is now taking orders for Thanksgiving including fresh turkey, roast beef, pork sirloin, and prime rib. Gordon and Jeannie say many of their recipes are inspired by the feedback of the large Irish American community in Dorchester. 

Gordon confidently claims that his Irish sausage is the best on “this side of the pond,” with people traveling from various states to purchase their meat. But with the new location also come new products. In the next few weeks, the butcher shop will welcome a new grass-fed line. “All natural, no hormones. No antibiotics,” said Jeannie. 

The Butcher Shop’s previous space will soon be filled by a new Irish-themed pub and restaurant owned by the Lydon family, which owns and manages the building.

The Lydons say they plan to purchase many of their meats from their neighbors at the Butcher Shop and source their fish from the longtime Adams Fish store across the street.

“It’s actually nice because there are a lot of new people in this area that are coming from outside of Dorchester,” said Gordon. “All these new businesses are just attracting more and more people to this area. I see it getting better and better. It’s one of these areas attracting more and more business by the day.”