Chris Bray picked up his first knife at 12 years old. It would be another three decades before he finally opened a shop of his own.
“I’ve been butchering for about 30 years,” said Chris, who owns The Butcher Barn alongside his wife, Tanya. He learned the trade from good local butchers over the years, picking up the craft the traditional way — hands-on, one cut and one mentor at a time. The idea of running his own shop stuck with him the whole way through. In 2023, he and Tanya finally decided to make it happen. “It’s been a pile of work getting here,” Chris said, “but the community has been awfully good to us.”
That work now covers beef, pork, and poultry, along with custom processing, curing, and smoking — a full-service butcher shop built on decades of hands-on experience rather than a shortcut anywhere in the process. The smoked products in particular are where Chris takes the most pride. “We still do things the old-fashioned way,” he said. “It takes longer, but I’ve always figured if you’re going to do something, you might as well do it right.”
Just as important to Chris as the product is the team behind it. “I’m incredibly proud of the team we have built,” he said. “They’ve become more than just employees to us — they’re family.” Through long days and busy stretches, he says his staff have consistently shown up ready to roll up their sleeves and help wherever needed, no questions asked. “This place wouldn’t be the same without them,” he said, “and we’re truly grateful for every one of them.”
Running a butcher shop, Chris has learned, involves a lot more than butchering. “Nobody told me I’d have to do emails, paperwork, and social media, and all the rest of it,” he said. Much of that side of the business now falls to Tanya, who Chris credits with keeping the operation running behind the scenes — occasionally at the cost of a late night or two. His approach, though, has stayed simple: “You just do what needs doing and get on with it.”
That same directness carries into the advice Chris offers anyone thinking about starting a business of their own. “You’ve gotta be ready to really work,” he said. “It isn’t easy. You’ll probably learn plenty the hard way, but it’s worth it.” Just as essential, in his view, is remembering who got you there in the first place. “Every customer who comes through that door has a choice where they spend their money, and we never forget that.”
Looking ahead, Chris and Tanya’s biggest priority is consolidation — bringing the retail storefront and the custom processing side of the business together under one roof. It’s a change he expects would make life easier across the board, for staff, for customers, and for the couple themselves. They’re also exploring farmers’ markets and new relationships with restaurants and stores that share their commitment to quality product.
For Chris, Rural Oxford isn’t just where the business happens to be — it’s simply home. He’s lived on the same road for 42 years, and says he wouldn’t have wanted to build The Butcher Barn anywhere else. “You know your neighbours, you know the customers, and people look out for one another,” he said. Since opening, the community’s support has been consistent, and Chris is quick to acknowledge how much that’s meant.
Some of that support has come through more formal channels, too. Chris singles out Rural Oxford Economic Development as a genuine help to the business, alongside resources like the Small Business Centre — the kind of local backing he’s grateful to have had in his corner as a new business owner navigating everything that comes with getting a shop off the ground. But at its core, he sees The Butcher Barn as a community effort from day one: friends who pitched in to help build the shop, employees who work their tails off day after day, and customers who keep coming back through the door. “We’ve put a lot of blood, sweat, and long nights into this place,” he said, “and wouldn’t be here without the people who supported us.” It’s not something he or Tanya take for granted.
The Butcher Barn is open Tuesday through Saturday — 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Fridays, and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. More than two years since opening, and thirty since Chris first picked up a knife at 12 years old, The Butcher Barn continues to run on the same principle that got it started in the first place: do it right, take your time, and never forget who helped you get there.
The Butcher Barn
Chris & Tanya Bray
885865 Oxford Rd 8, Bright, ON
Blandford-Blenheim Township
Established 2023
226-228-1023
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