advice on opening seafood store...

[rmwag]

hello all...not sure where to place this...was in Food and Cooking but soemone suggested I try hear...

I have an opportunity to open a seafood market on Long Island and am looking for any advice...it will be a small 12 foot display in an existing deli...looking for staples I should def have and any advice from soemone with experiance in this as I have none...also looking to turn it into a take out during the summer since it is near a beach and right on the water...any advice or ideas would be great as this will be a first for me...would also be willing to pay a small consulting fee for hands-on assistance...thanks...

[lentil]

I know this won't be much help at all, but I used to run a take out/rest attached to a fish market. The whole fish market thing seemed to be so much work, but it's probably that I didn't really understand all the details.

If you're going to be able to cook off and use it, you'll probably be able to cut down on your waste, but fish doesn't have a long shelf life. The guys had to wash it all in salt water every morning (except for the dark fish as it bleached the color), and every morning there'd be a load of fish I'd have to do something with. Salmon mousse, seafood pies, etc. Not so much because the fish was "bad", but because it wouldn't look good in the case. I hope you have access to a good ice machine, because I remember they'd haul hundreds of pounds every morning to fill 2 -12ft and one 5ft case!

If you don't find any answers here, let me know, and I'll put you in touch with the guy I worked for. He ran the fish market for 25 years and will, no doubt, have some helpful information for you.