From the back of the Common Market (O122L) to the front of the hallways (O120), NAIT’s meat store has transformed to an artisanal market, which increases space and includes an extended display with more options.
Rob Povey, Chair of the Professional Meat Cutting and Merchandising program at NAIT, describes the release of the artisan market as “a huge step forward.”
The market, which launched earlier in the semester, is an upgraded storefront selling meat, bread, soups, ready-to-cook meals, canned goods and more.
The idea behind the market came from Povey and Perry Michetti, who works as an Academic Operations Manager in the School of Skilled Trades at NAIT.
They wanted people to be exposed to a market that sells hand-made student products without needing to enter through the Common Market and go to the back corner. Passing through the busy hallways of NAIT would capture the interest of customers, students and instructors alike, said Povey.
“There’s a lot of people who walk by and didn’t realize we even had a store. We’ve been pushing for a new storefront for the last eight to ten years. [There were] lots of meetings and now it’s here. [The] inspiration is to have all the [culinary, baking and meat-cutting] programs collaborated into one store.”
The new location also features upgraded displays. “We had a little bit of other stuff at the old store … We had bread outside [the doors] in a wire racking. It wasn’t nice wood-wood racking … Now you come in, everything’s at one place,” said Povey.
A store manager and their assistant will monitor the store to continue receiving products from NAIT’s professional meat-cutting, culinary and baking students and instructors.
Povey is hoping to extend the meat-cutting program to increase potential apprenticeships, but nothing has been set in stone yet. The current program is 15 weeks, but Povey hopes to increase it to 18. He’d also like to see the store grow and offer more product types to bring students and their programs together.
For now, the market will remain in this state and continue to work towards the next big thing.
NAIT’s artisan market is open Monday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Tuesday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. until mid-December. It will re-open in mid-January until mid-April.
