It's hard for Cliff’s Meat Market founder and former owner Cliff Collins to sit in peace at the local butcher shop without being recognized by a smiling customer.
The winks and hugs he receives from locals are not a rare occurrence for the well-known Collins — he said that he has known some of them since they were kids. And even if he doesn’t know someone's name, he knows their face.
This familiarity with the community goes back to the origins of the shop, which is a blend of a butcher, grocery and convenience store that sits on the corner of Main and Greensboro Streets in Carrboro.
Collins worked as the manager of the meat market for a grocery store before he decided he wanted to start something of his own. And in 1972, he purchased the building from its previous owner, a transaction that started while Collins was slicing a ham for him.
On the first day of 1973, Cliff’s Meat Market was in operation. Even all those years ago, Collins said that, as a local, everyone knew his name.
Fast forward 47 years to 2020, Collins sold the shop to longtime employee and current owner Gerardo "Tolo’’ Martinez.
Still, though, Collins said that he hangs around the shop just about "all day every day", keeping up with customers and their families.
This deep care for community is a feeling shared by Collins, Martinez and manager and cashier Adrian Godinez.
The store's customers come from everywhere in the world, which Godinez said is his favorite thing about the shop. He frequently asks customers questions to learn little things about their cultures.
