SPRINGDALE, Ark — Steve Dime of Dimes Meat Market is retiring after 48 years.
Dime opened Dimes Meat Market with his wife in 1976. He's been a butcher for a total of 60 years with some time spent at Safeway in Fort Smith. When his job looked to move him up to Kansas City, Dime decided to follow up on the claims his sister-in-law made that Northwest Arkansas needed a Meat Market.
Dozens of customers visited the meat market on Saturday, May 4, hoping to see Steve one last time at work.
"This is the first time in my life in 60 years, that I hadn't had to kind of work on a Saturday, so I'm kind of looking forward to that," Dime said jokingly.
Neighborhood customer Doug Baldwin said he decided to stop by after both of his daughters texted him about Dime's retirement.
"You can't leave here without him telling you thank you five or six times before you get out the door," Baldwin said.
Barbara Neil also stopped by to see Steve at the market one last time.
"You meet Steve one time. He knows you. He knows your name. He knows all your kids. He knows everybody and he doesn't forget," Neil said.
Like many, Baldwin and Neil were left with a bittersweet feeling with Dime's departure.
Dime said he prioritized quality in his products, but it's probably the way he made sure everyone felt at home that customers will remember.
"Even my children have such fond memories of coming to the meat market on the weekends," Baldwin said. "My daughter mentioned that to me this morning, and what great memories we've had and we're surely going to miss him personally."
Dime recounted instances of customers who had come into the meat market and realized his dedication to making customers feel at home.
He once surprised a customer by remembering their name, even after they'd been gone 25 years. He said another customer said he was the first person that made them feel good about Northwest Arkansas when they moved here 5 years ago. He also earned a 28-year dedicated customer in a doctor who didn't have cash at his first visit. Dime didn't accept cards at the time and told him that he trusted him to pay the next week.
Dime said that's what made him feel good about his job as he looked forward to seeing customers come in.
"I couldn't be more satisfied with my accomplishment up here," Dime said. "It's like losing part of my family. The whole Springdale area is part of my family, you know, I really love and appreciate everything y'all do."
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