AW Meat House opens shop in Catlettsburg

Dec. 22—CATLETTSBURG AW Meat House is expanding with its opening of a store in Catlettsburg.

Owner Tyler Wells said the store will be at 3750 U.S. 23, which is across from the Catlettsburg baseball fields.

"We had a soft opening Saturday but we're still waiting for internet to get on board before we start advertising more," Wells said.

The site is where Rodney Donahue, owner of Ashland Plumbing, had opened Catlettsburg Meat Market, but Wells said he worked out an agreement with Donahue to take over.

AW Meat House continues to act as a processing plant in Argillite; the Catlettsburg store will be a retail outlet, selling beef and pork raised by Wells' own ranch and other locals; he said lamb will hit the shelves later this week.

"I'm also purchasing shrimp and chicken and specialty products coming from premium sources," he said. "Our main goal is quality, but we're also trying to manage the price point. There are not just the normal, everyday meats."

He said during the holidays, beef tenderloin and prime rib have been in demand, and they've been busy keeping shoppers supplied.

"I'm glad they're looking at us," he said. "We offer really good cuts and people recognize that."

Wells has had many years of experience raising cattle and has a Bachelor of Science, food science degree from the University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture.

The expansion will create five or 10 more jobs total at both facilities, Wells said, noting eventually he hopes to have a butcher at the Catlettsburg store and plans to offer a deli with soups and sandwiches.

Meanwhile, AW Meat House was chosen to be the sole provider of meats at Sandy's Racing and Gaming. AW is the only USDA-certified facility within 100 miles of Sandy's. Wells said an outlet in the Cannonsburg area could be in the future, too.

"We don't want to go too big too quick. As we make these advances we're able to commit and follow through in our workload and we want to make sure we do it right," Wells said.