When we bought our cottage in Devon in 1993 Fore Street in Salcombe was really rather different. One by one as the leases came up or the freeholders have realised the opportunuty the shops have converted to either nautical fashion brands or lifestyle boutiques.
Fore Street outfitters have had more then their fair share of success on the UK high street. Crew Clothing, Quba Sails and Jack Wills started as Fore Street retailers and have been built into national brands. But their impact on the tiny main street in Salcombe has been enormous. Even the estate agents are being outbid. Jack Wills now occupies three shops...
About 10 years ago I remember the local hairdresser telling me that she could make more money selling sandwiches between April and October than she could perming and setting the local barnets all year round. Thus the hairdresser's shop became the 'Salcombe Yawl' sandwich shop and she winters in Spain. The local supermarket - the largest retail space on Fore Street - is now Fat Face. An early retail lease casualty in the mid nineties was the local fishmonger - This is now Ocean Spirit.
All was not lost however since in 1997 'Big Dave' opened Catch of the Day in Fore Street Kingsbridge. We've been shopping there ever since.
Big Dave is passionate about fish. For years he was a crab fisherman based at Hope Cove. Some of my earliest memories of Hope are of buying crab straight off the boat. South Devon brown crab is currently a completely sustainable resource - merited green 'fish to eat' by the MSC as a result of the Devon Inshore Potting Agreement. Dave hung up his sea boots and opened Catch of the Day just as the Plymouth Trawler Agents Association were transforming Plymouth fish market.
South Devon has always been renowned for its 'day-caught' fish -with fish being caught, landed and sold within a 24 hour period. Dave buys on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mostly from Plymouth and occasionally from Looe. The shop stocks what's fresh and available and charges fair prices for the fish. The fish is always in superb condition. He will also buy to order if I want a big fish or a particular fish. Over the years he's bought me exceptional Turbot and enormous Monkfish and Hake. And he always stocks Samphire in season. What more can one want from a fishmonger?
Dave also smokes fish and is the originator of the 'Salcombe Smokie' - smoked local Mackerel with a delicious and delicate flavour - as well as Salmon, Trout, Haddock, Halibut and Cod's Roe. A tell-tale stream of whitish smoke from the specialist chimney at the side of the shop shows Dave has his smokery smouldering. Various smoked products are available by mail order all over the country and feature on the menus of the best of the local restaurants...
Idyllic! I sense you thinking...but all is not well. It takes Dave 70 hours a week to buy, transport, prep, set out, sell and smoke his wares and maintain his shop and smokery. His wife works all the shop hours as well. Approaching the age where he wants to work less hours the business has been on the market for two years. Alas there are no takers. Nobody, it seems, wants to be a fishmonger today. Meanwhile Morrisons have opened up a wet fish counter serving less fresh and similarly priced fish - but in a location with a car park. Dave bought a twelve year lease on the shop in 1997 and it's up. They plan to walk away from the business leaving the town without a dedicated fishmonger. Kingsbridge is not Salcombe and there is no competition for leases on the high street - evidenced by the proliferation of charity shops from one end of town to the other.
Meanwhile Dave still has a few fishy ambitions and plans a to sell fish in Salcombe in the future. A van outside Charlie Yeoward's boatyard on Thursday, Friday and Saturday with a lesser stock is the future according to Dave in this telling tale of fish and British high streets.
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