Russ Gibbons wants to bring back the feel of a neighborhood fish market.
His new storefront, Uncle Russ’ Dockside Seafood Market, opened Tuesday at 5242 Olde Towne Road.
The store is new, but Gibbons is well-seasoned in the fishing and food industry.
After starting in an American Culinary Foundation apprenticeship program, he spent 27 years in the restaurant business, working his way from dish washer to owner. Gibbons saw the other side of the operation as a wholesaler, and started his own company for wholesale seafood three years ago.
MJM Seafood Trading Company – named by the initials of Gibbons’ children – offers a direct voyage from sea to kitchen for products. In addition to buying fish from local docks and fishermen and distributing to restaurants throughout the Hampton Roads Peninsula, Gibbons started to sell at a farmers market in Norfolk. A Williamsburg resident himself, other locals spotted his MJM truck and asked if he sold directly to consumers.
Hearing the need sparked the idea of a storefront, one that Gibbons fell for it hook, line and sinker.
Uncle Russ’ Dockside Seafood Market has been in the works since the summer and offers the fresh, local products he sells to restaurants, but for average chefs who want to cook for their families. MJM Seafood Trading Company will live on, but Gibbons will be able to base more of his operations out of the storefront.
Because he already has access to the products, Gibbons said he can offer products people cannot usually find at regular grocery stores with a wide variety of fresh — never frozen — items.
“My rockfish came from the fisherman who caught it on the dock yesterday,” he said.
Uncle Russ’ will carry salmon, tuna, bass, oysters, clams, mussels and other fish, and mollusks and crustaceans depending on season. Gibbons does not plan to have a large inventory because he wants to ensure freshness.
The store is equipped with an 8-by-10 walk-in refrigerator, but only a small chest freezer for out-of-season products.
Gibbons also has a line of original recipe seasonings for sale at the store. He plans to offer a “stuffing of the day” to fill oysters or clams, as well as shish kabobs and other ready-to-cook options. Uncle Russ’ will also have steam pots to take home for clam bakes and cooking functions.
In future design waves at the store, Gibbons envisions two tanks to house live lobster and swimming fish, and a residential-style kitchen space to showcase his seasoning line and crab cakes, which are next on the docket.
Gibbons does not limit himself to fish products. He also hopes to net costumers with merchandising, including shirts and sweatshirts that read “Support Your Local Hooker: Eat Fresh Seafood.” Some are pink to support breast cancer awareness; Gibbons has already donated $500 back to the nonprofit Beyond Boobs.
The family-owned business will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Gibbons is waiting to see how business fares before hiring part-time employees, and his children are currently helping to cover the store hours.
“They’re actually general managers,” Gibbons joked. “I just work for a living.”
To learn more about Uncle Russ’ Dockside Seafood Market, visit their website. Follow updates about the store on the site’s blog, voiced by Zeus the lobster.
