LEMOLO — Mike Fox has been “bringing home the bacon” for five years but “home” has never seemed so close before.

That’s because Fox has never had a chance to bring the entire family to work — something he and his wife, Amy, have been able to do at their leisure since buying Lemolo Meats last month. Even so, “leisure,” in terms of time, is few and far between at the business.

“It’s been so busy since we took over,” Amy explained.

The Foxes began negotiating for Lemolo Meats in early 2001 and took over the long-running business Dec. 13.

The small business is the couple’s first and the two had no way of preparing for what happened to them in the latter part of December — they were jammed with customers.

“Over the Christmas holiday it was just crazy,” Amy said, noting that they quickly put their sons Mac, 9, Kegan, 12 and 16-year-old daughter Alyssa to work. The three kids did everything from taking meat orders to helping folks get food to their vehicles in the crowded Lemolo Shore Drive parking lot. Amy’s dad was even called into service and delivered several hams to a family on the peninsula.

“Like I said, it was crazy,” she remarked with a laugh.

“We’ve been extremely busy, but it’s slowed down since the beginning of January,” Mike agreed, smiling at the fact that it was Jan. 3. “We jumped in with both feet and had to start running. December was double what we’d thought it would be.”

The holidays were a pleasant surprise for the Foxes but even more so was the reception they received from the North Kitsap community.

Mike and Amy aren’t strangers to Kitsap County hospitality though, having lived here for 17 years, residing in Bainbridge Island, Poulsbo and Silverdale before moving to Port Orchard eight years ago.

Mike was cutting meat at the Poulsbo Village Albertson’s when he first learned about the business opportunity.

“I made a call and 10 months later we had a deal,” he explained.

The long wait gave the Foxes plenty of time to plan ahead for what they wanted to accomplish at the site.

“We’ll have fresh meats. They never had those, they were always frozen,” Mike explained. The new owners will also be adding new sausage and jerky products to the mix while keeping the old ones which made Lemolo Meats so popular.

“It’s all made fresh here on site,” Amy said of Lemolo Meats’ expanded sausages, which include potato, Polish and bratwurst. The couple is also seeking a smoked salmon permit.

“We want to turn it into an old-fashioned meat market again,” Mike said.

But the butcher shop will have a modern flair as well with items being offered over the Internet.

Even though the trip from Port Orchard to Poulsbo is somewhat lengthy, Mike described it as a “piece of cake.” Since he had been working at Albertson’s for the last two and a half years, the new commute adds just five minutes to his travel time.

The biggest bonus for the Foxes is the time they are able to spend in one another’s company.

“We’ve both had separate careers for a long time,” said Amy, a former victims’ advocate at the Kitsap Sexual Assault Center. “We’re very excited. It’s a lot of fun, especially having our kids around at work.”

“My boss is a lot nicer here,” Mike explained.

“That’s right, I’m the boss,” Amy chided before breaking into a laugh.

The Foxes said they have been too busy too plan a ribbon cutting, but as Amy said, “Everyday has been a grand opening.”