Thurn's Specialty Meats

Story

Thurn's Specialty Meats or Thurn's is a smokehouse found in the German Village district of Columbus, Ohio. It was founded in 1886 and has continues to operate using the same methods and recipes for years.HistoryFoundingAlois ‘Grospop’ Thurn, an immigrant from southern Germany started Thurn's in 1886 after seeing that there were no such smoke houses in the area, an area where there with many German immigrants at the time. He began by selling his product door to door in Columbus's Brewery District.LocationOn April 24, 1886, Alois Thurn opened a stall at the Old Central Market in Columbus after successfully selling his meats out of his South Front Street home. Some time in the 1890s, Alois Thurn purchased property on Greenlawn Avenue and closed his stall at the Old Central Market. The construction on I-71 through Columbus forced Thurn's to relocate to its current location in 1958. In 1965, the Thurn family closed their stall at the Old Central Market, two years before the market closed.OwnershipRobert Thurn and his two brothers sold the store to Albert Thurn in 1988. Albert's ownership marks the 4th generation of Thurn to own the store. Albert, his brother Anton, his son Alec and sister Teresa all work at the store. His father Robert Thurn died in February 2014.OtherOn November 2, 1992, Thurn's made the front page of the Columbus Dispatch when Presidential candidate Bill Clinton visited Thurn's while on the campaign trail.