In 2008, the Gateway Meat Market in Dartmouth, N.S., opened with two cash registers and a handful of employees; it’s now grown to have 11 cash registers and more than 100 workers. The popular shop celebrated its fifth major expansion on Thursday, welcoming hundreds of customers to check out the new space and new deals. “Everybody was really excited,” said Tamara McKay, social media and PR manager for the market. “It’s amazing in there.” McKay said their store now has roughly 26,000 square feet of space; the original store has 17,000 square feet. “The expansion was definitely out of need. You look at our lineups and we were not OK with having lineups every day,” McKay said. “We literally transitioned overnight from 8 p.m. closing the old store and then we open the new store this morning.” McKay said the store runs on a “high volume, low-profit model.” “As long as we can buy in bulk and pass the savings right onto our customers that can keep the prices down,” she said. “Really, it’s just about the volume that we do. It’s about not being greedy, it’s about wanting to help the community.” It’s that concern for community that has bred loyalty from customers like Catheryn Langdon-Burton. “We’re here to support local, now especially more than ever. Families are really struggling to put food on the table and for some who can afford, this gives us the opportunity to buy extra and give to our food banks and breakfast clubs,” she said. Customer Lizz MacMillan has four kids and says shopping at the Gateway Meat Market saves her money. “It’s the cheapest place to buy the groceries,” she says. “We needed a bigger space. It was always crowded. Too hard to get into and too hard to move and now hopefully we’ll have more room to get around.” Lori Pipes says the fresh fruits and vegetables are what draw her to the story. “They’re so cheap and they’re very, very good,” she said. “I buy a lot of it… I mean prices are so expensive and it’s just a good deal here.” With files from CTV Atlantic’s Jonathan MacInnis. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
