1932 | RENO, nv

Ken’s grandfather, George Sanford Jolly, opened his first butcher shop in Reno in 1932. The shop was called Rovetti’s and stood at 247 Sierra Street downtown. A look at the ads from the time give you an idea of how much has changed in the last 90 years…

1937 | Sparks, nv

A short time after George headed East to the small railroad town of Sparks and opened the aptly named Sparks Market in 1937. Though this was an expansion, the phone number shortened to just three digits…

1945’ish… | reno, nv

The dates are a bit vague, but George kept moving and expanding his history. From Hanson’s on 2nd, California Market on Virginia, to Reno Meats, in one order or another he found himself part of the local grocery scene. Want a good rundown of Reno’s grocery stores? Visit This is Reno

1974 | sparks, nv

George had his two boys around the shop from a young age. Ken’s father, Richard, started his career on the railroad at a young age but pitched in at the shop during game season and holidays. The other son, Dallas, ventured into the trade on his own in 1974 with the opening of Butcher Boy on Rock Blvd. He went on shortly after to purchase Reno Meats on Commercial Row, and Ken started his apprenticeship.

The Butcher Boy Decades

The small local shop on Rock served the neighborhood for 20 years, when an expansion added a deli and more grocery in the early 90’s. Ken had taken on the daily management with Dallas supporting and making cameos during the busy holidays. Ken’s son Clint could be seen “helping” in the shop from a young age, which meant you could find three generations in the shop at times.

Ken fully took over in 1995, with Clint taking on bigger roles as the company expanded into catering, wines and more. Just a short 12 years later we saw the opening of Butcher Boy Prime on South Virginia which brought a further expansion into finer meats with a huge display of game, fresh seafood and the area’s first Dry Aged retail display.

Through a few twists and turns, Butcher Boy re-emerged on the corner of Plumb and Arlington with a tribute back to its roots of the best quality meats and service.