The Shawn family believes in quality, locally sourced food, and that’s how they run their family business, No-BS Meats.

Nikole Shawn never saw herself owning this business, but it has grown organically. Her husband, Lakota Shawn, a military Veteran, grew up ranching. They have land in Eastover, so he began raising a cow or two to feed his family. They would keep a quarter of a cow, and sell the rest to their friends to offset the costs of raising the animals. People were so pleased and kept returning for orders, and the business quickly grew.

When the business was showing a 30% growth year over year, the Shawns realized they had something. In 2024, they got all of their necessary commercial certifications to sell on a larger scale. They began selling at farmers markets and created an online store. At nobsmeats.com, patrons can order bulk meat portions of cow or pig. It’s also possible to buy bundles of various meats. No-BS Meats has been operating as a service-area business up to this point; they make deliveries within an hour or two of their farm, and they can ship packages in dry ice around the country. Also, they can still be found at the farmers markets at Dirtbag Ales Brewery & Taproom and North South Brewing Company.  

Recently, the Shawns decided it was time to find a brick-and-mortar space.

“We were walking downtown one Sunday after church, and as soon as we saw the space we knew it was the right place,” Nikole said.  

Friday and Saturday, Sept. 25 and 26, No-BS Meats celebrated its grand opening at 124 Gillespie St. in the heart of downtown Fayetteville. Friday evening was set aside for their No-BS 100 Founders Club;  the first 100 people to buy in at $1000. The grand opening served as the first of their annual Founder’s Day events.  

The idea of opening a storefront came about because the Shawns realized their inventory wasn’t working for them most days of the week. 

“When we weren’t at a farmers market or delivering, our inventory was just sitting at the farm,” Lakota shared.

In the No-BS Meats storefront, people can come in Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m.- 7 p.m., to purchase their meat. But the store is more than high-quality beef and pork. The store looks more like an old-fashioned grocer with a modern feel. They stock fresh local produce like apples, onions, pumpkins and cantaloupe. They have many other grocery items like fresh oats and bread, dairy, fish and Extended Roots Coffee. 

“We want people to be able to get everything they need for meals, and it’s all locally sourced,” Nikole said. “Everything we have in the store is from North Carolina, except the sugar. That is from South Carolina.”

For the Shawn family, quality meats and customer service with integrity guide their business philosophy. This has cultivated 98% customer retention rates.  

“We have all experienced terrible customer service, where it’s difficult to get a hold of a person. It can be so frustrating,” Nikole shared. “We want to be super easy to deal with.”

Early on, Lakota focused a great deal on the logistics behind the business. He and Nikole wanted to ensure they had a simple pipeline that worked for their family and allowed their customers to get quality, local meats and other items year-round. The fact that their online prices include the shipping costs, so people can see upfront exactly what they’re paying, is also part of their business practice.  

When asked how they plan to run the new store, along with the farm and online business, they spoke about trusted friends and family who help them run things. They have four part-time employees, and those people help to build the sense of community the Shawns value so much. 

“When someone comes into the store, they will see the same three or four people working, so they will get to know their names,” shared Nikole. 

It is still possible to become a No-BS 100 Founder, and that comes with many benefits; founders get $125 in meat credits (online or in store) for the first 10 months of membership, plus 10% off for life and a black tote bag (that gets patrons 5% off their purchase when used while shopping). 

Their love for community, quality products and the customer experience has remained central to No-BS Meats, and this storefront is the next chapter for them. But they’ll be quick to tell you this is not the final chapter for No-BS Meats; they have more ideas cooking.