ROCKLAND — When The Blackboard Deli closed last year, many wondered what would take its place. Hops and Chops, at 77 Park Street in Rockland, is the full-service butcher shop and beer/wine shop that has moved in and plans to open in mid-May.

This is owner Dale Dare’s first entrepreneurial venture. A Rockland native, he plans to make this a family business that includes his wife, Elia, their son, Tyler, and his sister, Diana.

He was meat manager for Rockland’s Hannaford Supermarket for two years, and prior to that worked for a New Hampshire for Stop and Shop as a meat manager for nine years.

“I’ve been cutting meat since 1984,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to do something like this. The concept came to me more than 25 years ago. I was working at French and Brawn at the time and I always wanted to do something like this on my own. It’s taken a long time to get here, but finally, I think, the time is right.”

Dare said his butcher shop will offer handcrafted steaks to order, as well as a variety of cuts in the meat case available, including USDA Choice and USDA Prime cuts of meat sourced from several suppliers.

He’s still working on researching local suppliers and will offer free-range and organic chicken products.

“I have butchered whole animals, having cut hanging beef in the past, but for the sake of ease, we are going to be using meats that have already been broken down and can be further handcrafted into a variety of cuts,” he said.

On the Hops side, Dare is excited to be able to stock up with Maine made craft brews.

“The craft beer scene has exploded in the last few years with maybe 70 breweries,” he said. “We’re going to try and get the majority of those in the shop and we’re working with distributors now. One of the things you’ll be able to do is build your own six pack from all of the varieties. In addition the shop plans to offer fine wines, many also sourced from Maine, as well.”

They’re currently renovating the former deli’s interior.

“We are using some of the kitchen equipment that was in the building such as the range, convection oven and flat top grill, but we have removed the double decker conveyor pizza oven, and we are adding three meat cases,” he said. “We really liked the color scheme of the building so we are keeping the colors, but we will be adding our own decor throughout. We want to keep it simple and let the products speak for themselves.”

Beyond the hops and chops, there will also be a section of the store dedicated to prepared meals to-go.

“We will have fall-off-the-bone baby back ribs, homemade meatloaf, homemade meatballs, as well as a line of our in-house made sausages,” he said. “We also will have a signature line of meat rubs as well as marinades that we will be using in our products and customer may also purchase them to use at home. People can just pop in and grab made-from-scratch dishes, take them home and reheat them.”

The grand opening has yet to be announced, but when they do, they plan to offer special pricing on a few items and a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Stay tuned to their progress on Facebook.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com