SKANEATELES - When Gabriel Lewis tells people that she works in a butcher shop, she gets a lot of strange looks, but Hook & Cleaver, the new shop in Skaneateles that features organic meat and fish, isn't like other meat markets.

“People get to thinking about hanging meat and blood everywhere, but it's actually very clean,” she said, looking at the small shop's polished silver counters. “This isn't what people think of when they think of a butcher.”

The store's differences go further than skin deep. Christopher Brown and Matthew Maggio, the store owners, strive to give Skaneateles shoppers the opportunity to buy meat and fish that is healthier and tastes better, Brown said.

“We are trying to be a little different and provide food that is better for you,” Maggio said. “We are carrying products that remind you of childhood, when things were a higher quality and better for you. Our products are wholesome; the meat is fresh and contains no hormones or other chemicals.”

The shop sells paninis, lunch meats and cheeses as well as fresh, organic salmon, fresh clams and grass-fed chicken and beef.

“Even the pork is grass fed,” he said. “Most people, when they think of a pig, they think of him slopping around in the mud, but this guy is taken care of.”

Judy Nutting of Skaneateles decided to give the shop a try after receiving a positive review from her hairdresser, who had her try the chilled seafood salad, she said before buying half a pound of it to take home.

“I think it is a wonderful addition to the community,” she said. “People have said good things, that the prices are very reasonable for what you are getting.”

While higher prices may be enough to turn some people away, the store provides quality meat and service that would be hard to find elsewhere.

“Our prices may be a little high, but we are giving a fresher product,” Lewis said. “If someone wants something that the store doesn't carry, we take special orders. Do you see other stores taking orders?”

So far, the prices haven't kept the store from having a successful first month. Within the first few days, five or six people came in repeatedly, Brown said. The store attracts a lot of locals, which is what it really needs to survive.

Lunch attracts the most people, Brown said. A lot of people come in for a panini and decide to buy something for dinner too, he said.

“Business has been nice, and we are very thankful for that,” Maggio said. “But, like any business, we would love to be busier.”

Brown and Maggio decided to go into business together two years ago after they met through church and became friends. Brown wanted to open a butcher shop since few exist today.

“It's a lost art, being a butcher shop,” he said.

After doing research, the pair settled on Skaneateles as a good location and looked into five different buildings.

“It was a big relief when we found this store, but I never thought that it was going to work,” Brown said. The location, 19 Fennell St., used to be home to Skaneateles Consignment and it took five months of construction to transform it into a butcher shop.

“I've always wanted to own my own business,” Brown said before hurrying off to help another customer buy two steaks, clearly happy to share his passion with the community.

If you go

What: Hook & Cleaver

Hours: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays

Where: 19 Fennell St., Skaneateles

To learn more: Call 685-2088