Our hopes that we would taste the brilliant zing of Jeffrey's spicy Italian sausage in our meat sauce once more have been forever crushed. The Lo-Down is reporting that after three months of financial limbo, Jeffrey Ruhalter is closing his family's butcher shop in the Essex Street Market for good.
After a glowing profile in the Times that described Jeffrey revamping his shop and reinventing his perspective on life, the shop's existence was in a constant state of peril, as his 75-year-old shop faced a 29% rent increase along with renewal fees. In March, Jeffrey met with the executives of the EDC and was "astounded" that they were determined to help him keep his shop. Though he had to temporarily close to get his finances in order he said that he "started to breathe again" after the meeting.
Jeffrey claimed that his family's business was the only original tenet still in the market, which includes another butcher shop. The EDC released this statement regarding Jeffrey's decision to permanently close:
“We wish Jeffrey the best, and thank him and the Ruhalter family for their decades of dedication to the market and its customers. We will now move forward with finding a new vendor to reactivate Jeffrey’s former space and look forward to continuing the success of this vibrant public market which serves the Lower East Side community.”
And Jeffrey himself knew that his shop might not reopen, so he ended his statement back in March with this poem:
Because this may be may my final ado I offer this:
I walk with my eyes open and closed.
I take a breath.
Feel the past.
Touch my soul.
Feel tomorrow.
Lay my head.
I say a prayer.
That you are here.
Jeffrey Ruhalter
Jeffrey’s Meat Market
