“We wanted to wait and let Joe get his feet on the ground with his career change,” co-owner Jen Strelcheck said. “Then we were not here on a daily basis — we wanted to be careful about what people would be expecting coming here. So now that we are set and Joe is here daily, I think we are ready to move in that forward momentum now.”

What started as a side business when the couple purchased the Northside Noodle Company has now become a full-time job for Joe Strelcheck, who gave up being an engineer for a local manufacturer to dedicate his time to the shop.

Until the Strelchecks purchased it, the business was mainly a wholesale operation; they would add a retail storefront to the building.

The first couple of years were busy — in addition to their full-time jobs, they had remodeling, running the business and a 1-year-old son, Jason.

Jim Paul/Daily News Photo Northside Meat Shop in Iron Mountain offers beef, pork, chicken and fish as well as sausages and pastas.

Jen Strelcheck said the business reached a point where it became too difficult to run from afar — one of them needed to focus on it full time or they would have to sell it.

The Strelchecks still make La Rozina pasta, which is available at local grocery stores, in addition to the Northside Meat Shop.

Although Joe Strelcheck has taken over the meat-cutting duties, Jen Strelcheck was the one with a history of working with meat that led them to start the meat shop. Jen Strelcheck had been at Kooch’s Meat Shop in Aurora, Wis., dating back to when she was still in high school — “one of the best jobs I have ever had,” she said.

Customers are the best part of owning the business, Jen Strelcheck said.

“Customers are always happy to come in and buy steaks and good-tasting things. It just feels really good when somebody comes in and says, ‘What I had last week was so good,'” Jen Strelcheck said.

She has regular customers who do weekly shopping and new customers stopping in all the time, Strelcheck said.

The Strelchecks believe they have a winning formula that sets them apart from the competition.

“Our prices are really good,” Jen Strelcheck said. “Since we do not have the overhead of a grocery store, we are able to manage our pricing a little bit better.”

Northside Meat Shop is known for sausage, including Italian, potato, breakfast and a variety of bratwurst.

“Everything is homemade, we make everything here from scratch. We are actually grinding, mixing and doing everything ourselves,” Jen Strelcheck said.

Northside Meat Shop also sells beef, pork, chicken and fish. They try to purchase the best quality meats, including their popular ribeye steaks.

In addition, they sell fresh pasta, noodles, ravioli, gnocchi and cappelletti.

Northside Meat Shop, a fully certified USDA shop, is a wholesale supplier for several area businesses. They can provide bulk orders for those looking to stock up, but custom cuts and orders are also available.

Northside Meat Shop is at 609 Vulcan St. in Iron Mountain and is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. The business can be reached at 906-779-2181.