Big Lou's Butcher Shop suddenly closes

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      Big Lou's Butcher Shop has been a popular sandwich spot near Oppenheimer Park for the past four-and-a-half years, thanks to its homemade recipes.

      But this past weekend, it shut its doors at 269 Powell Street, according to its Facebook page.

      It was linked to a scandal involving a founding partner, Allan Bosomworth, who was charged with spying on patrons visiting the washroom at the now-defunct Two Chefs & A Table at 305 Alexander Street.

      "The legal issues around one of Big Lou’s founding partners have been well-documented over the last two-plus years," the company states. "Quite simply, the financial and personal costs of dealing with those issues have made the Big Lou’s business unsustainable, and with the expiration of the lease at 269 Powell Street, it was time to close the shop."

      In January, Bosomworth was given a suspended sentence and ordered to do 12 months probation. Big Lou's was founded by Bosomworth and Karl Gregg.

      In 2011, the Straight reported that the name Big Lou's referred to a Salt Spring Island butcher who taught meat-cutting to Gregg in his teenage years.

      In the meantime, Big Lou's is promising pop-up events in the future.

      "We’ll treasure the friends we made, and we remain very proud of the awards that we won and the many kind words that were sent our way," the Facebook page states.

      Comments

      4 Comments

      tedo

      Jun 3, 2015 at 8:52pm

      all the new condo owners in the area dont have any money to spend.

      vancouvers cheapskate yuppies are mostly shopping at costco
      so the local business in their gentrified hoods are closing

      Xander Davis

      Jun 3, 2015 at 11:41pm

      Beef, pork etc. prices up.
      Most area people are going to Sunrise or Riceworld.

      And secondary backers?

      Sgt Transom

      Jun 4, 2015 at 11:00am

      tedo:

      Not sure what your definition of gentrification is but this place is across the street from Oppenheimer Park, which is mainly subsidized low-income housing. There are no yuppies down there. Nice try though.

      george dyck

      Sep 7, 2015 at 1:24pm

      my comment is that i bought a bottle of cowboy spice and ran out , so if you guys would like to let me know how i can get more please let me know