Carol Johnson | Southern Indiana Business Report
ODON – Before the Odon Locker became the No. 2 most visited destination in Daviess County, plans were already sketching out a larger, more efficient retail store and meat processing facility. And before there were plans on the table, there were conversations about possibly building a new Odon Locker.
Those plans, six years in the making, are underway just behind the current Odon Locker. With the frame in place and the roof on, this new building towers over the original. Work is progressing ahead of schedule and it could be open by August.
The Odon Locker is a popular butcher shop that draws thousands of customers to Daviess County each year. In its annual report, the Daviess County Visitors Bureau reported that the Odon Locker recorded 68,000 visits in 2025. Earlier this year, the business was awarded a Momentum Award from Radius Indiana for its consistent growth.
Owners Norman and Fran Swartzentruber said the business has outgrown the current building. To address the overwhelming popularity that often sends a line of customers snaking out the entrance, the new facility will triple the size of the retail section.
The retail area is being expanded from the current 2,600 square feet to 9,600 square feet. A larger freezer section will increase the space for more products. The freezers can be re-stocked from the back, eliminating the need for employees to interrupt shoppers when re-stocking.
“We have a lot of products we can’t display right now and customers have to ask for them,” Norman said.
The north wall will house an expanded deli and fresh meat selection. The owners are planning to offer grab-and-go sandwiches and salads as well as a sandwich of the day. There will be a space for customer seating and a selection of Odon Locker merchandise.
“We want to make the shopping experience better for our customers,” Fran said.
The couple’s three sons – Lucas, Isaac and Andrew all work in the family business. They are big hunters and will display many of their mounts from big game to bobcats. The building will house a large storage area, staff offices and larger break room. The family invited employees to sign their names or leave messages and verses on the wood framing during the initial construction.
When the new building is complete, the front portion of the old store, which dates back to 1948, will be torn down. The name, Odon Locker, originated from the early days of the business when customers rented a storage box to store their meat because home freezers weren’t readily available. Over time, that service was no longer needed.
The Odon Locker has been in the Swartzentruber family since 1970. Norman and Fran bought the business from his parents Amos and Lena in 1998. Norman learned about the meat-cutting business from the ground up, starting in 1981 when he was a teenager.
High quality, fresh meat has always been what sets the Odon Locker apart. All fresh meat is cut daily; there are no fillers or preservatives added. The ground beef is ground multiple times a day. The Odon Locker also smokes its own bacon and ham. And the marinated turkey – a customer favorite – remains a closely guarded recipe.
Outside of Daviess County, the business draws customers from Indy to Evansville and Bloomington to Bedford. Customers know they’re getting a quality product and that makes a trip to Odon worth the drive.
Bob Grewe, executive director of Daviess County Economic Development Corporation, said Odon Locker has become synonymous with the town.
“For many people, Odon Locker is what comes to mind when you think of Odon and North Daviess,” Grewe said. “The quality, taste, everything about the product is head and shoulders above anything you can buy at the supermarket.”
The business still does custom butchering for beef, pork and lamb. The expanded offerings on the retail side have increased business. Besides beef and pork cuts, the Odon Locker offers marinated turkey, beef jerky, brats and many other items, too numerous to list. The deli carries 70 cheeses and lunch meats.
“The Odon Locker carries such a variety of products, fresh or frozen and there’s been a series of innovations that have resulted in big gains in traffic and sales,” Grewe added.
Tracking retail sales, Norman noted that while sales had doubled in the last two decades, the business spike seen during the pandemic led to the steady retention of those first-time Odon Locker customers.
The entire Swartzentruber family looks forward to completing the new facility and giving customers an improved shopping experience.
“Our new facility will provide more efficient service and more of the products customers love,” Norman said, “all while maintaining the old-fashioned, friendly feel that our customers have come to enjoy when shopping at the Odon Locker.”