Neighborhood grocer Prescott Meat Market looks to the future

Prescott Meat Market has been the go-to grocer for the Central City neighborhood of Corpus Christi for 65 years. Names and owners have changed but not much else until Peter Patel and K.C. Chaudhari took over in November 2013. At the time, Patel was managing a hotel in McKinney and thinking about getting into retail. Chaudhari showed him Prescott Meat Market, which was for sale. 
“I went with him to research the business and observed how the local residents preferred to shop there instead of the bigger supermarket chains,” Patel told Corpus Christi Business News. 
They also noted two schools across the street, which provided a ready customer base of parents and students who dropped in for quick purchases on their way home in the afternoon. Evenings from 7-9 p.m. drew another crowd of locals looking for a quick and easy way to buy their staples. 
Patel and Chaudhari decided to form a partnership and purchased the market. They kept what was already good about the market and began working on areas that needed improvement — like the smell.
“The store smelled so bad, we needed to clean it out,” Patel said. “Then we noticed that the store lacked a soda fountain machine, so we added that as well.”
New merchandise soon adorned clean, gleaming product displays including gift items, perfume, household items and apparel. Well-stocked grocery aisles filled up with high-demand products. They priced staples lower than the bigger supermarkets and added money transferring and bill pay services for customer convenience.
“If ever we get a good price on inventory, we don’t keep that money to ourselves,” Patel said. “We transfer those savings to the customer.” 
The store runs weekly promotions, too. Meat is 10 percent off on Mondays; beer and wine are discounted on Wednesdays. 
Meats still beat at the heart of this small grocery store. Prescott Meat Market sells quality meat from local sources, including fresh beef, poultry and fish, all at reasonable prices. A line of meat products and staples cater to the local Hispanic culture, with barbacoa and menudo on the menu.
“We sell it cooked or raw,” Patel said. “On holidays, because we’re open when other stores aren’t, the line for menudo is out the door! Some people will even drive all the way from out of town just to come here. Menudo is our top seller.”
According to Patel, their business plan of good prices, good quality meat and products, a clean and comfortable store offering convenient services in a convenient location has helped increase customer traffic. They have had to hire additional staff, which currently totals 15. 
“Our customers love the changes we’ve done,” Patel said. “They see how bright the store looks, the new items we’ve added.”  
More changes are in store. Patel plans to remodel in March 2017, expanding the floor plan with square footage available in the back of the business. 
“We will relocate the cash registers to a different section of the store to create more space,” he said. “We also plan to add a deli section to the meat market where families can get breakfast and lunch. There’s so much potential for this store.”
Patel and his staff plan to nurture the store’s relationship with the neighborhood while drawing in customers looking for quality meat and other products. The goal is to continue the store’s long history. 
“We’re proud of the fact that this store is one of the oldest meat markets in town,” Patel said. “We plan to upgrade it and bring it to the next level and continue to provide quality service to our customers well into the future.” 

Prescott Meat Market is located at 4414 Prescott St. For more information, call (361) 855-7483 or visit prescottmeatmarket.com or its Facebook page by searching for “Prescott Meat Market.”