A century-old North Florida meat market is coming to northeast Tallahassee, bringing the traditional neighborhood butcher shop concept to Killearn.
Johnston’s Meat Market, which has operated in Monticello since 1926, plans to open a Tallahassee location at 3628 Shamrock Street West in Killearn Village Square. The new store will give Killearn residents a nearby option for fresh meats, custom cuts and smoked products outside the traditional supermarket setting.
The expansion comes as the neighborhood butcher — once a fixture in communities across the country — has largely given way to large grocery chains. Johnston’s has maintained that traditional approach, emphasizing personal service, custom-cut meats and relationships between customers and the people preparing their food.
The company’s history dates back 100 years to Felix and Alice Johnston, who opened a grocery store and refrigerated meat-locker business in Monticello in 1926. At the time, before home refrigeration became widespread, local families could rent cold-storage lockers for their meat.
Over the decades, the business evolved into Johnston’s Meat Market and became known throughout North Florida for fresh cuts, smoked sausage and other country-smoked products.
The Johnston family operated the business for three generations. Patrick Figueroa, who joined Johnston’s as general manager in 2022, purchased the company in 2024, becoming only the fourth owner in its century-long history.
The Killearn store represents a significant expansion for the longtime Monticello business and introduces Johnston’s “know your butcher” philosophy to one of Tallahassee’s largest established neighborhoods.
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