By reporter Steven Smalley
?
?Due to circumstances beyond our control, we are closed until further notice,? reads the small sign on the front door of Bill the Butcher on 34th Avenue West near Metropolitan Market. Six Seattle-area locations are all closed, according to published reports.
A visit to the Magnolia shop found the store dark with a singular employee leaving in his car. He spoke briefly about the success of the individual location, but surmised there were financial problems at corporate headquarters.
A few customers stopped by to find the entrance locked.
?My wife wants me to stop here whenever she has steaks,? remarked Bob Andre, a weekly shopper. ?I like the people down here. They treated me well.?
?
?It tastes better. Everything about it is better,? said another regular, Jeff Nash, who also came by to shop.
Calls to Bill the Butcher corporate offices by Magnolia Voice were not returned.
The publicly traded company was experiencing financial difficulties, according to published sources, with losses of $3.2 million on sales of $1.3 million.