FOR RABBIT, LUNCH OR PINBALL, MEET ME AT THE MEAT SHOP.

Byline: Jack Moran The Register-Guard

Many customers shop at Bright Oak Meats because they enjoy the wide selection of quality local beef.

Others favor the rabbit, an offering advertised on the store's sign at the corner of Seventh and Main streets in downtown Springfield.

Dozens of high school students from the nearby Gateways Learning Center and the Academy of Arts and Academics stop by every day at lunch time to grab a soda and a sandwich.

And at least one patron visits regularly for a chance to dump quarters into the classic "Twilight Zone" pinball machine near the back of the store.

"I have one guy who comes in almost every night a little before closing," manager Denise Pohrman said. "He plays for a while and always leaves a credit on there. He says that maybe someone else will use it and get hooked themselves."

Evidently, the attraction of Bright Oak depends on who you talk to. But regardless of the reason, Pohrman said several hundred people drop by the store each day.

"I think a lot of them come in for the personal experience that you don't get at a chain store," said Pohrman, who is quick with a smile and usually ready to share a joke or light-hearted moment with her employees and customers.

"We have regulars from as far away as Florence and Oakridge," she said.

Bright Oak, which has several grocery aisles in addition to its expansive and popular meat department, has become a Springfield fixture.

Pohrman's parents, Dave and Darla Harris, moved their store to Springfield from the Coburg area nearly 30 years ago. They relocated the business from Mill Street into the heart of downtown in 2005.

"For a lot of years, my dad would cut meat all day, and my mom would run the shop," said Pohrman, who began full-time work at the store in 1989, when she was a senior in high school.

Nowadays, Pohrman operates the retail side of the family business. Dave Harris manages Mohawk Valley Meats, a slaughterhouse on Marcola Road where most of the store's meat comes from. His wife of 37 years handles the books and works to ensure that the operation is complying with federal industry regulations.

"We all stay pretty busy," Darla Harris said. "Our customers are working people, and that's what we are."

Activity at Bright Oak has blossomed since the store moved to 660 Main St. The building, which the Harrises co-own with another family, formerly housed a toy-and-hobby shop.

"Moving downtown has been great for business," Pohrman said, adding that the customer base now includes commuters and others who drive along Main Street and discover that the shop is a convenient place to pick up a few steaks and a bag of groceries.

"It's easy-in and easy-out," Pohrman said.

It's also one of the few places in town where rabbit meat is advertised and sold. Pohrman said the product is quite popular with her customers.

"We sell so much rabbit here," she said, explaining that the secret to cooking the dish is to "prepare it like boneless, skinless chicken, so you don't dry it out."

There's no question that Bright Oak occupies a niche in Springfield. That's the main reason Pohrman expects its run of success to continue for many years.

"We are the last (locally owned and operated) meat shop in Springfield," she said. "We have a small, homey business that's comfortable for people. And our prices are competitive or better than what you'll see at any chain store."