Glick's has served Visalia since 1961.The business normally buzzes with activity but Shelly Byrd cut back on store hours seven months ago. Now the third-generation owner must close up shop. Byrd said, "It's kind of sad for it to go away because it's kind of like my family going away."
Glick's specialized in Harris Farm choice and prime cut beef. But you could pretty much get anything from alligator to pheasant at the market.
Long-time customer John Skadan of Visalia said, "It will be a shame to see them go."
Brent Swanson of Visalia added, "Thanksgiving and Christmas the line goes all the way down the block and people in this community have come here a long time to buy custom meats."
Byrd noted the struggles began about five years ago when people started buying cheaper cuts. Byrd said, "To this day I probably get 80-percent credit cards and 20-percent checks and cash so people are basically living off their credit cards."
Customer orders have picked up ever since word got out Glick's was closing so Byrd isn't done cutting meat. She said, "People are buying hind quarters and halves of beef from me so I have a lot to cut next week."
Glick's will suffer the same fate as Mearle's Diner, another closed business with deep South Valley roots.
