Shelbe Hall-Seay first went to work for Richard Duffney at Fallon’s historic downtown butcher shop, Heck’s Meat Co., in 2009, where she fell in love with the business and the building and downtown Fallon. She worked at Heck’s until 2016, staying on with Danni Warburton after the tragic loss of Duff, working with her two little boys napping in infant seats in the back.
Since then, she and her husband Troy have started an automotive business and are raising their boys. They have also purchased Heck’s and re-opened the shop as Momma’s Meat Company, a specialty butcher shop focusing on custom domestic and wild game processing.
“I am so excited about serving this community at our long-standing local butcher shop,” she said.
Shelbe was born in Fallon and understands the importance of small, local businesses to the community. Many will remember her dad, Terry Hall, as the Health Inspector, and her grandparents are Lou and Skip Carrica, who owned Fallon Glass for 35 years, sponsoring innumerable little league and softball teams throughout the years and were foundational in bringing Top Gun Dragstrip to Fallon.
Shelbe was raised hunting and fishing and has been a carcass butcher for 14 years. She knows her way around the industry and has worked on the harvesting floor for years. She and Troy are the third owners of the shop. The building has seen a few changes over the years. When the Kerns and the Beeghlys originally bought it in 1937, it was an auto shop. In 2014, Patricia Sammons orchestrated the painting of the mural on the north side of the building facing the parking lot.
Customers will find the traditional meat cases full of fresh-cut meat, the beautiful old wood floor rubbed smooth by years of traffic in search of the weekly menu. Shelbe was behind the creation of the amazing burger and sausage blends the community loves, including the Dragon Burger – a hamburger grind that includes bacon, cheese, and jalapenos.
“Some of my best creations left with me and will come back with me,” said Shelbe, “rest assured, we will not be changing anything within the shop: fresh turkeys for Thanksgiving, garlic-cloved prime ribs for Christmas, hams for Easter and freshly brined corned beef for St. Patrick's Day.” We will continue to offer custom processing for both domestic and wild game.
One of the newest additions at the shop will be a smoker, and Shelbe cannot wait to get started providing that to the community. “That also leads to so many more possibilities for us: Jerky, smoked sausage, and don't forget all new bacon flavors,” she said.
In addition to the butcher shop, fresh produce from local farmers, fresh-made bread specials, and local honey are available. “You can also look forward to Door Dash and fresh seafood,” said Shelbe.
Shelbe has made it through the arduous process with the United States Department of Agriculture and has been approved to accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
“Change is never easy,” said Shelbe, “The only promise I can give is this: It's only going to get better. I'm just here chasing my dreams.”
The shop also has convenient Momma’s Meat Co. gift cards for the holidays.
Momma’s Meat Co. is located at 250 S. Maine Street and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., closing at 4:30 on Saturdays.
Pictured below: Shelbe at the door of the shop’s original meat refrigerator and Shelbe’s trusted helpers and butchers.
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