V&M Locker celebrates 50 years, grand reopening Saturday
V&M Locker in Leota will celebrate its 50th anniversary and grand reopening from 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16.
The event includes a free supper and tours of V&M’s new 48-by-88-foot retail store and sausage room addition.
Owners Chad and Julie Ruiter purchased V&M Locker in 2019 from Chad’s parents, Verlyn and Barb Ruiter.
In 1973 Verlyn Ruiter and Marv Van’t Hof purchased the former Clover Farm. They added hog and cattle processing to the existing retail operation and named it V&M Locker.
In late 2019 the Ruiters built a new addition to replace the 1950s cinder block building, and the project was finished just before the pandemic in March 2020.
They postponed the open house until 2022 but then waited another year to celebrate the store’s 50th anniversary at the same time.
Combining the two celebrations into one large event made sense, Julie said.
“I am looking forward to seeing our regular customers and meeting new ones,” she said.
The locker processes an average of 1,800 hogs and 1,600 cattle each year for area customers.
The retail store sells grocery items plus the award-winning sausages and processed products made in the locker.