Sperry’s Mercantile – the little Meat Market that could…
Al and Trish Thomas bought Sperry’s Restaurant, the venerable Belle Meade steak and seafood house, from Al’s father, Houston Thomas and his brother Dick Thomas in April of 2000. Soon after, Al dreamt up the idea of opening a meat and seafood market behind the neighboring paint store in the small stone building, formerly occupied by a drapery shop. Following the 2010 flood, the drapery shop closed, and the building sat idle while Thomas and business partner, Sam Sanchez, worked to open multiple Sam’s and Sperry’s locations. After Harris Teeter closed, it became clear to Al that it was time to pursue his dream. “I got a call from a friend asking where to get good steaks” says Al, who was busy at the time opening the new Sam’s Place just down the street in the Westgate Shopping center. Al’s response was simple, “it’s time to open my market.”
What is now known as Sperry’s Mercantile, has quickly become the “go to” place for top quality beef, fresh seafood, and, as the awning says, “sundries”, a term referring to the eclectic mix of additional food selections that can be found in the 625 square foot shop. Upon entering the market, shoppers are greeted by the friendly and knowledgeable staff. You will also see Anne Clayton, Al’s sister, who is famous for her prepared selections stemming from her years in the catering business with Clayton Blackmon catering and their restaurant. Rounding out the service staff is Scott Beasley, a well-known server at Sperry’s for 32 years. “To say that we hit a home run with staffing and product knowledge is the understatement of the century”, adds Trish, Al’s wife, who championed the idea from day one. Recently, Al’s daughter, Cate, has become a member of the Mercantile team. Cate helps with the growing business of outside sales for the seasonings and is also spearheading the new Sperrysmeats.com that will provide mail order items from the mercantile.
“What is unique about the market is that we are able to sell all of the steaks and seafood in the market throughout the day, and if it doesn’t sell, we take it to Sperry’s Restaurant and serve it that night”, says Al. “The process starts over the next day” adds Trish. “How much fresher can it get”? In addition to the steaks and seafood selections, Al’s goal was to make it so that you could stop in and pick up an entire meal from Sperry’s, just uncooked to prepare at home. Imagine you want to fire up your grill, so you drop in and get a 6 ounce Bacon-wrapped Filet for your wife, and 14 ounce Ribeye for yourself, plus Crab Legs and an Airline Chicken breast for the kids. Add appetizers of Shrimp Cocktail or Smoked Salmon, a couple of Twice-baked Potatoes and sides of Sautéed Mushrooms and Asparagus, and you are instantly the most popular Dad around. Top it off with Sperry’s famous Peppermint Ice Cream with Rum Chocolate Sauce and a Sticky Toffee Pudding and its game on. Shoppers can find remarkably fresh seafood at the Mercantile. Al spent years working at seafood restaurants where he learned the business hands on. “Our suppliers deliver seven days a week with no minimums” says Anne. “That fact combined with our ability to turn our fish over daily results in a very fresh product” adds Todd Chatham, Sperry’s General Manager. Additional seafood selections include Alaskan King Crab Legs, Jumbo Gulf Shrimp and extra-large U-10 Scallops. We can order almost anything you want with enough notice. “We have many suppliers that get us anything from Bison Tenderloin to fresh Crawfish”, says Trish. “All you have to do is call and we will get it in”. The biggest surprise for Al and Trish is the number of salad dressings that the store is selling. “We were caught way off guard on this one” says Al, “we keep running out of dressing jars”. For 46 years, Sperry’s has been famous for its super fresh salad bar stocked with signature homemade dressings developed by Houston and Sue Thomas, Al’s parents. The big sellers include the Green Goddess, Old-fashioned Blue Cheese and the Roasted Garlic, unique dressings that you cannot find just anywhere. Other big sellers include an array of prepared soups and home cooked meals by Al’s sister plus the signature Sperry’s Steak Seasoning and Steak Sauce. Add to that an eclectic selection of high quality Charcuteries and cheeses, Hatcher Farm’s dairy products (which Al now uses at Sperry’s because of their exceptional quality), plus Amish eggs, and many other unique items to accompany your meal, and you’ve got a great place to shop locally on your way home after a long work day or pick up everything you need for a day on the lake.
