We had a retail area of about 2,500 square feet in about 2007, I poked a hole through a wall and got about another 1,000 square feet and, now, we have about 5,000 square feetso about half the building is retail."Īnd this market has certainly made changes in the age of the coronavirus. "We had higher-end items you couldn't find anywhere else. "We were always kind of a grocery store," William told Windy City Times, as a steady stream of customers entered the spot ( although a crowd never amassed ). ) However, it now also has a specialty grocery as well as a commercial kitchen where you can get sandwiches ( more on those later ). ( And a tour showed how, literally, the sausage is made. Locals have flocked to Paulina Market because it was a combination smokehouse/sausage house/butcher shop. In 2006, longtime manager William and Laurie Begale, their three children ( Jackie, Joe and Johnnythe latter a onetime Windy City Times 30 Under 30 honoree ) and their devoted staff are in charge. Paulina Meat Market ( also called Paulina Market ) has been around for more than seven decades, having originally opened in 1949. However, if that's not enough to convince you about what the market does, maybe seeing people take a number from a ( plastic ) pig's mouth will do the trick. The scent of various smoked meats is enough to make most people's mouths water ( including this writer's )and, thanks to its expanded area, the spot is bringing in lots of people ( although capacity is limited because of the COVID-19 pandemic ). There's no mistaking when you're in the vicinity of Paulina Meat Market ( 3501 N. This article shared 2909 times since Wed Jul 22, 2020