The meat and deli section at the back of the New Chelsea Market, which has been closed for several months, soon will reopen with a new line of health conscious meats, cheeses, seafood and fish.

Located at 125 S. Main St., the reopening of this in-house venture is scheduled for Friday.

“We’re looking at this like a start-up,” says Kevin Riley.

The change comes about 8 weeks after the meat and deli area closed upon the death of its former owner and butcher, Jeff Flintoft.

Flintoft, 64, died of cancer on Aug. 14.

Longtime Chelsea residents knew the New Chelsea Market as Schneider’s Grocery, which was started by Flintoft’s maternal grandfather, Oscar Schneider.

According to Flintoft’s obituary, “It was ... later owned and operated by his father, Howard “Red” Flintoft, and uncle, Carl Schneider. In 1928, the store was moved to the corner building at 125 South Main St. and in 1946, Red Flintoft expanded it to include the meat market.”

When Riley and his wife, Francisca Fernandez bought the market in August 2007, “We bought everything but the meat counter,” Riley says. Flintoft owned and operated it until his death.

When the couple took over the front of the store, Riley says there were 500 products. Today, in addition to food offerings, they’ve added a large selection of wines, beers and ales.

In fact, “There are 1,000 wines and 6,000 products with more than 600 of them Michigan made,” Riley says.

Inventory is driven largely by customer requests, Riley says. That won't change when they take over the meat and deli area.

“We made it look seamless,” Riley said.

Riley plans to continue some of the traditional items that Flintoft carried, while adding “health-conscious, antibiotic-free lines,” such as chicken from Bell and Evans, based in Pennsylvania.

He says he’d like to carry as many Michigan products as possible, but what he’s looking for are high quality items that aren’t too expensive.

There will be fresh and wild caught fish and seafood as well as cold cuts, cheeses and side dishes in the meat department, and he’ll piggy-back the selections on deliveries from suppliers made to local restaurants.

“We are always looking for the best value for our customers,” Riley says, adding that he and his wife are “revisiting some of the popular products” that Flintoft carried.

They are also in the process of making some inside cosmetic changes as well.

The owners have invested in a new slicer, scales, ice makers and shelving, while keeping intact some of the familiar portions of the meat section such as its display cases.

Riley says many of his customers want “antibiotic-free, grass feed and organic products,” so that’s what he intends to provide.

The couple plans to add a meat cutter and another employee to assist with service in the deli counter area. “It’s a more than a one-person operation,” he says, adding that there will be an opportunity for customers to order specialty items like roasts and Thanksgiving turkeys.

The New Chelsea Market totals about 1,300 square feet, with 900 square feet added in December 2008 for its expanding wine section.

The couple also plans to support local artists by starting Second Saturday Chelsea, a chance for people to meet artists and purchase their work from 6-9 p.m. beginning Nov. 13.

The artists will be set up in the front of the store on the second Saturday night of each month. There also will be food samplings and music.

“We want to get people to Chelsea and in the store so they can see the great art community,” Riley says.

Lisa Allmendinger is a freelancer for annarbor.com. She can be reached at lallmendinger@sbcglobal.net.