Tucked inside the historic Hollin Hall Shopping Center sits The Cut Butchery, a modern neighborhood butcher shop, built around exceptional products, personal service, and a deep sense of community. Behind its beautiful Italian-imported display cases is founder Alex Kilroy, whose path to opening this Alexandria staple began far from the butcher counter.
Originally from Rochester, New York, Alex moved to Northern Virginia after graduating from Nazareth College and began a career in corporate consulting. Around 2012, he met his wife, Megan, a Waynewood native, and the two eventually purchased and renovated her grandparents' home in the neighborhood. After welcoming their first daughter, they found another home just a mile away, making an unexpectedly quick move while Megan was eight months pregnant. "Our 10-year plan was expedited into about 10 days," Alex says with a laugh.
Life was moving quickly, and becoming a father shifted Alex's perspective on his career. Burned out by constant travel and looking for something more fulfilling, he wanted to build something tangible that would benefit his community. He was ready for a change.
The idea of a butchery came to him on the morning of his birthday just a few years ago. "I felt like the neighborhood needed something like this and I woke up on my birthday with this feeling of, 'Oh, I can do this' and it spiralled from there," he recalls.
Alex Kilroy
Shoot Location: The Cut Butchery
Photography: Renée C. Gage
Drawing on his consulting background, Alex spent weeks researching everything from neighborhood demographics and construction costs to farmers and suppliers and decided this was really going to happen. But one thing was nonnegotiable: quality. "If I was going to do this, it had to be high quality. It had to be ethically sourced. It had to be farm raised," he says.
Knowing he needed an expert team to bring the vision to life, Alex connected with Wendell Allsbrook, an experienced butcher with 25+ years of experience who has helped open and operate 3 butcher shops in the DMV region. The two spent over 40 weeks meeting over coffee, building a partnership around their shared commitment to exceptional products and quality customer service. Not just Wendell, but the shop has some truly talented and tenured professionals whose commitment to high-quality products and service is apparent when you visit the shop.
The Cut officially opened on Valentine's Day 2025, and the community response has been one of Alex's biggest moments. "You don't really know until you open the doors if people are going to care, if people are going to come in," he says. "The feedback from the customers has been amazing."
For a butcher shop, The Cut feels anything but traditional. Visitors are immediately struck by the thoughtfully designed space, complete with black-and-white checkered flooring, stunning display cases, and an atmosphere that feels more like a European market than a neighborhood meat counter.
The showstopper is a sweeping, 50-foot hand-painted mural by Torpedo Factory artist Patrick Kerwin. The black-and-white landscape subtly transitions through all four seasons and even features illustrations of Alex's two children tucked into a flower patch.
Keeping his commitment to community at the center of the project, Alex made a conscious effort to work with local businesses when constructing the space, including Stadler Design, construction firm Tech 24, and Unwined to help curate the shop's wine selection.
And there's much more to discover than premium cuts of meat. The Cut also carries fresh seafood, cheeses, produce, wine, gifts, and specialty holiday items including Thanksgiving turkeys, making it easy to pull together an entire meal in one stop.
But perhaps what makes the experience most special is the personal interaction. Rather than simply picking up a package from a grocery store shelf, customers can talk with the team about what they're cooking, how many people they're feeding, and which cuts might work best.
“I don't think a lot of people grew up with or understand what an old school butcher shop is, or what we can do. It's not like the grocery store.There's a lot of customer interaction and just talking to people. What did you cook last night? What type of equipment are you comfortable cooking with? Are you looking to try something new or a challenge? What do you like? How many people are you feeding? We can help with all of that.”
When asked about the business's success, Alex is quick to redirect the credit to his team. "I really do not deserve credit," he says. "I've been so lucky to have amazing people who want to work here, who see the vision—that's really why it's been successful."
For a former consultant who set out looking for something more meaningful, The Cut Butchery has become exactly that: a place where quality matters, conversations happen across the counter, and local businesses work together to make their neighborhood a little more special and feel a lot more like home.
ABOUT ALEX
Your neighborhood: Wellington
Your hometown: Rochester, NY
What would surprise people about you? I was inducted into my college's athletic hall of fame
Guilty pleasure: Cookies, all of them
Latest binge-watch: Love is Blind
Bucket list travel destination: Sri Lanka
What would your walkout song be? Vivrant Thing, Q-Tip
Favorite motto/quote: No one cares, work harder
STYLE
Define your style in three words or less: Comfortable, Casual, Monochromatic
The go-to piece in your wardrobe: Black T-shirt
Go-to accessory (watch, sunglasses, cufflinks, etc.): Watch, a wedding present from my wife
Suits or Sweats: Was suits, now sweats
WELLNESS
Go-to way to de-stress: Mowing the lawn
Favorite way to stay active: Morning workouts at a buddy's garage gym
Wellness goal: Lower my blood pressure
Want to try: Meditation
HOME
Favorite room in your home: Kitchen
Last item you bought for your home: Power washer
Clutter-free or well-lived in? Clutter-free as you can be with kids
Next planned purchase: Snow Blower
ALEXANDRIA
What do you love about Alexandria Stylebook? Getting to know local people of Alexandria
Favorite spot in Alexandria: Up and down King Street
Your go-to shop: Hollin Hall Variety Store with my kids
Best food spot: My kitchen with a steak from The Cut Butchery
Favorite local organization: Breast Cancer Collective
Annual Alexandria event you most look forward to: Waynewood BBQ
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