About Us

Pinnon’s Meat Market is presently owned by Rockford west side natives, and 20+ year Pinnon’s employees, Katie Bartel and Brittany Stack.

The doors of this facility were originally opened in 1951 and the store was known as Ken’s Market until 1976 when it was sold and Pinnon’s was born! Shortly thereafter, two local west-side boys and store employees, Tom and Dan Baker grabbed the reins and ran the store until their retirement in December of 2022, when they in turn passed the torch to Katie and Brittany.
Following the tradition that was originally established by Tom and Dan, Katie and Brittany now own and operate what has been referred to as a “Hidden Gem” on the Northwest side of Rockford. Pinnon’s is a neighborhood corner market, specializing in Fine Meats, Seafood, Deli and Bakery with a very successful, award winning Catering department that has been managed by Katie and Brittany for many years.

Pinnon’s strives to deliver a welcoming and nostalgic neighborhood aura for all customers who come from miles away just to shop here! It gives Katie and Brit an immense sense of pride to have customers who make a point to stop in, say “hi” and purchase their Pinnon’s favorites while visiting from elsewhere in the country and beyond! They love to hear how folks just can’t leave town without their two Rockford favorites: Pinnon’s Meats and Mrs. Fisher’s chips – both located on the same street!

Every single employee takes great pride in the relationships that they have developed with their customers and community! A trip to Pinnon’s is akin to taking a step back to a much simpler time; where a shopping experience was also a type of social event. Here, folks can shop at their leisure while perusing high quality products at fair prices. They feel free to reminisce as they wander the store amongst vintage signs and old fashioned meat market equipment; mouths watering as they take in the aroma of freshly baked goods, foods being prepared by the catering staff, or waiting to savor a home cooked lunch at a reasonable price! Everyone’s purchases are handled with care as our amazing, loyal staff goes out of their way to make each and every shopping experience at Pinnon’s their “most favorite visit yet!”.

Staff is eager and helpful and continually offer personal touches; like sharing favorite recipes, suggesting helpful cooking tips or specialized meat cuts, or recommending homemade entrees or baked goods. It is also quite common to see staff members deliver groceries outside and load them into waiting cars!

Katie and Brittany both share an immense sense of pride at having worked for Pinnon’s throughout the years; only taking time-out to complete their Bachelor’s Degrees (always returning on school breaks). Both greatly enjoy their time at Pinnon’s and it has certainly become a 2nd home to them. So, when Tom and Dan announced their joint retirement, and offered them the opportunity to purchase the business, they jumped on it. They knew they wanted to learn all of the ropes of running the business, and having been gifted the opportunity to do just that, they worked with the Bakers to soak up all of the knowledge surrounding them. They consider themselves blessed to continue the business and take it to “the next level”. They are honored and humbled to have the opportunity to carry on the Pinnon’s family business for many more years to come.

Katie and Brittany believe strongly in supporting local small businesses and have been raised to be Proud Rockfordians. They love the strength of the Rockford community members and how everyone pulls together to help one another. It never ceases to amaze them what a big “small town” Rockford is. They are honored to live here and are committed to supporting each other, their Pinnon’s family and surrounding small Rockford businesses.

It may seem as if Kate and Brit just “stepped” into ownership, however it has been a long, time consuming process; often sacrificing family time and planned events to ensure that things run smoothly. They would advise any others considering opening a small business to be sure that they are truly in love with what they want to do and that they plan to invest countless hours, juggle untold hiccups along the way, and never be afraid to ask other business owners for advice!