138 year old meat & cheese shop is saying farewell

In 1886, a German immigrant opened a stall at Columbus’ Old Central Market, selling processed meats and other “old world” items. This entrepreneur, Alois ‘Grospop’ Thurn, who was working out of his South Front Street home, quickly realized he’d need a shop due to his tremendous success. In 1890, he bought property off of Greenlawn Avenue, and this old meat processing plant, Thurn’s Specialty Meats, can still be seen today. In 1965, however, the Thurn family constructed a new meat processing plant at 530 Greenlawn Ave., and since then, it’s been one of Columbus’ most popular retail locations for locally brined and smoked meats. 

Four generations and 138 years later of serving Columbus “the finest German-style homemade meats and sausages,” Thurn’s Specialty Meats is closing their doors and the owners are going into retirement. Their announcement on Facebook said their final day will be Saturday, May 25th, 2024.

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“This is a very difficult decision,” Thurn’s said. “Many thanks to you, the loyal and regular Thurn’s customers, who often represent multiple generations of local families, for your decades of continued support…We wish you all the very best in the future and hope that you will hold fond memories of Thurn’s Specialty Meats for many years to come…Auf Weidersehen.”

They’re still open for the next five months, and their Facebook says that they look forward to seeing you until their closure. 

Many people in the Columbus community solely rely on Thurn’s for high-quality, house-smoked, old-country style meat products,  and Columbus residents are taking to Facebook and Reddit to sing their high praises of this meat shop, letting Thurn’s know how much they’ll be missed. “So sad to be losing such a powerhouse of a small local business,” one commenter said. “My childhood was filled with shared history of our two families and smells of delicious meats from your shop,” another said.

“Everyone will miss Thurn’s, not just the products, but everyone there who cheerfully served us year after year,” said another person.

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