He said they include Costco, Fred Meyer, Albertsons and Mega Foods. But Mydlar has prospered, expanding with a Puyallup shop last year.
"If you just work your end of it and not worry about the competition, everybody gets a piece of the pie," he said.
Mydlar's shop is a throwback to an era when customers made special trips to the butcher rather than buy meat in the supermarket.
"There used to be six to 10 butchers just in downtown Olympia," Mydlar said.
Western Meat Co. has operated at 4101 Capitol Blvd. S.E. for 50 years.
The Mydlar family bought it from another owner 30 years ago.
Mydlar is grooming his 36-year-old son Dennis, known as Junior around the shop, to take over the company.
Asked his title and job responsibilities, the younger Mydlar thought for a moment, then said, "I am the everything."
Mydlar said he made his son earn promotions, starting him off cleaning tubs 20 years ago.
Over the years, the Mydlars have shifted from wholesaling to retailing.
They said their business is split between the approximately 100 restaurants to which they sell and walk-in customers who come from as far away as Aberdeen and Puyallup.
Linda McClellan, who said that she has been shopping at Western Meat for 20 years, got off Interstate 5 recently on her way home to Vancouver from Leavenworth.
"We love the piroshkis they have here," she said. "We do it all the time." Piroshkis are Russian meat pastries.
Karen McManus of Olympia walked in behind McClellan. She said she regularly shops at Western Meat because the cuts are fresh and lean.
The Mydlars primarily cut and sell beef, pork and chicken. But there also are rare offerings such as elk jerky and bison burgers available year-round.
They also sell German, Italian and Polish sausages and barbecue sauces.
Among the company's longer-standing commercial accounts is the nearby Tumwater Valley Bar & Grill.
Tumwater Valley owner Erica Palkovitz said Western's prices are higher than she has to pay, but the meat is worth the price.
"The quality is higher, and I've gotten to know all the guys there over the years," said Palkovitz, who said she has been a customer for 25 years.
"We like to buy local, too," she said.
