After decades in business, Sault butcher wants to pass on his legacy
For most of his 71 years, Lou Bruni has run butcher shops in the Sault.
“We started in 1979,” Bruni told CTV News this week.
“We had three locations – four, actually, because we opened up a second location at one time.”
But now, five decades in, he has decided to sell his business, Bruni's Fine Foods, wanting to enjoy more free time.
“I’d like to stay home a little more often, I’d like to golf a little more,” he said.
“I’d like to maybe even garden, which I don’t have time to do.”
Though looking to sell -- his Wellington Street business is currently on the market for $499,900 -- Bruni said doesn't plan on retiring.
Instead, he wants to stay on as an employee, willing to help the new owner learn the ropes of running a butcher shop.
“They would need some instruction, obviously, if they haven’t had any education,” he said.
“It’s not something you learn overnight. It’s a touchy-feely thing.”
Most of all, the butcher doesn't want to see the Sault and the Steelton area lose another business.
“It’d be a loss for the city, not just the area,” he said.
“There are so few of us left."
Bruni's Fine Foods has the Sault's only two in-house smokers. Bruni said they have an extensive customer base that spans generations.
Customers we spoke with said it’s the range of specialty items they enjoy most.
“The types of choices, obviously, and things that you don’t see everywhere else,” one person said.
“The quality of the food, the taste of the food keeps me coming back.”
Bruni doesn't know how many more years he wants to keep working. He said he loves the job, but wants to pass knowledge on to someone who wants to continue serving the area for years to come.
"We need a younger generation to take over the existing businesses,” Bruni said.
“At one time that’s all there was --- small independents selling their wares.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.