MONROE — It’s been a decade since Mike Buol and his wife, Deena, decided to try their hand at opening their own business in Monroe. 

After a short illness, Deena passed away in January at age 58. And although Mike’s Meats, Green County Locker fared well with a strong customer base and continuing business, the hardship of losing Deena was too heavy for Mike to continue on without his other half. Mike felt the weight of that loss in more than one way. 

“After losing Deena, I felt like I lost three people when she died,” Mike said. “I lost my wife, my best friend and my business partner.”

The morning of Friday, May 31 was the last day for Mike to lock up the business. In the back of the building, a staple of 18th Avenue in Monroe, is an apartment tucked away that he and Deena once shared. He has officially sold Mike’s Meats, Green County Locker to the owners of Ruef’s Meat Market in New Glarus, and has said goodbye to a business he loved and the many customers he called friends.  

The couple seemed to be destined for a life spent in the butchering business. 

After graduating from Monroe High School, Mike took a butcher course over six months in Fennimore before landing a job at Helland’s Locker in Juda. Deena was the daughter of Duane and Susan Helland and, despite her being older than him, Mike said the couple seemed to hit it off as they worked for her parents.

They soon married and moved to New Glarus, where Mike worked as a grocery store butcher at Roy’s Market for 20 years. Deena would spend the start of her career working in finance. 

When Roy’s Market sold and fell under new ownership, Mike decided it was time to move on. The business, Green County Locker, was for sale. He and Deena purchased it from Larry Gordon. 

Mike and Deena worked side by side to keep the business strong.

“She was the brains of the outfit,” Mike said. “We worked good together.”

Mike was proud to offer customers — who would often become friends — custom butchering. Animals weren’t slaughtered there, but Mike cut all of the animals once delivered in halves and quarters of beef and hogs. That part was about 90 percent of the business, he said. They also sold some products inside and had a smokehouse on the premises.

“This is a true butcher shop,” he said. “We take the whole animal.”

Deena began having health issues in the fall. The workload shifted, and the everyday routine changed greatly for Mike at Green County Locker. 

“Our business turned into my business,” Mike said. “And that wasn’t the plan.”

In recent months Mike took a trip to Arizona with his brother to take in some baseball. He said he did a lot of reflecting. It was then that he decided to put the business up for sale. He said he isn’t quite sure of his next step or what his future holds. 

“This work is hard on you, but it’s been a good run,” Mike said. “I made a good living and I met a lot of good people.”

He said the small shop allowed them to visit with customers. Deena could often be found handing out candy and hugs to children, sharing recipes and catching up with old friends. 

Without her, things just weren’t the same.

“There are too many memories,” Mike said. “And she was half the workforce. She’d do anything for anybody.”

Mike said he’s happy to see the business sold to another meat locker. And he’s also happy to see, in recent weeks, longtime customers stop in to say goodbye. 

Nita and Chris Hessling in New Glarus, who own Ruef’s Meat Market, purchased the business in recent weeks. Chris said they won’t reopen for about a month, tentatively, as they work through a busy New Glarus summer season and transfer some items to Monroe. They also need to obtain licensing and have an inspection. 

They do hope to handle a similar business the Buols had, Chris said, and continue to offer a small retail area as well. Chris said they weren’t initially looking to expand into Monroe, but the timing seemed right when they saw it for sale. The purchase was a quick exchange. 

“It’s important for us to be part of the community,” Chris said. “We didn’t want to see it close up.”

Chris said they were happy to work with Mike as he looks to move forward. Mike said he’s grateful to all of his customers over the years.

“The community has been good to us and we tried to give back as much as we could,” Mike said. “This was a mom and pop shop. It’s not fancy, but there was good service, and we treated people right.”