Page 129 - South Mississippi Living - September, 2023

SOUTH MISSISS
Bri Mixon
The Blind Butcher Shoppe
Would you believe that prior to opening The Blind Butcher, Bri Mixon had never even bought a whole chicken? “I had certainly never cut one up!” she laughed. “The first time someone came into the shop and asked if we could cut up a whole chicken, I frantically went into the kitchen and asked, ‘Can anyone here cut up a whole chicken?!’ And my employees all died laughing because they couldn’t believe I didn’t know how to cut up a chicken and had decided to open a butcher shoppe!”
Before the doors of the butcher shop ever opened, Mixon was a hospitalist nurse practitioner – a far cry from her current career. “I became super drained both mentally and physically during the pandemic,” Mixon said. “I missed my family and friends tremendously but didn’t want to risk getting them sick as I was working on the frontline daily. After months of everything being shut down and social distancing, I craved good food and meaningful interactions amongst my family and friends.”
The idea for The Blind Butcher Shoppe came to her one afternoon while sitting on her back porch with her immediate family enjoying dinner. “I envisioned a place where you could come in and buy high quality, fresh gourmet food to take home to cook and enjoy,” she said. “After several more bad work nights, I quickly turned the loose idea into a plan and work began on building this brand that I truly love!”
The Blind Butcher Shoppe truly is a product of passion for Mixon, who has always loved to feed people. “Food is fellowship and fellowship is good for the soul,” she says. “Having customers come in and compliment my products and tell stories of how and who they ate with is the fuel that keeps me going.”
In 2022, The Blind Butcher Shoppe became a franchise after the sale of the first location in Lucedale. And, believe it or not, Mixon does all this while continuing to practice medicine!
720 Delmas Ave., Pascagoula
110 E. Frontage Rd., Ste. B, Lucedale 228.471.5128 | www.blindbutchershoppe.com
IPPI Living | www.smliving.net
September 2023 | 129