Ridgefield seafood market co-owner turns hobby into profit
With a name like Pacific Northwest Best Fish Co., it's clear that co-owner Kelly Beckwith has set a high bar for a business based in a region that prides itself on knowing its way around a fishing pole.
"I think just about everyone living in the Pacific Northwest has thrown a line in the water," Beckwith said. "But my guys and I really know fish."
Beckwith says his entire family has always fished for sport, but he never considered it a job until his uncle and president, Dan Evans, suggested his clan start the Ridgefield business in 2000.
Since then they have stocked their store with almost all the seafood the region's rivers, streams and coastal waters have to offer, from Chinook Salmon, Rainbow Trout to White Sturgeon, according to Beckwith. Products range from $8 to $23 a pound, which are smoked on site by one of Beckwith's 10 employees and ready for customers to prepare for their dinner tables.
Surplus products are sold to local grocers including six Portland-area New Season's Markets, Sheridan Fruit Company and OleBob's Seafood Market in Ilwaco, Wash.
"A big thing that sets us apart from other retailers is we don't put our product in warehouses," Beckwith said. "Fish that were swimming yesterday can be yours today."
In addition to the catches from local commercial fisherman, Beckwith also imports fresh fish from the East Coast, Alaska and even the Gulf of Mexico, beleaguered by the effects of a months-old oil spill, which as of press time, had at least been temporarily contained.
"Some people feel bad about the prawn because of the oil disaster, but I'm confident the [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] is keeping the product safe," he said.
Though the oil spill in the Gulf continues to flood the ecosystem, the FDA has stated that outgoing shipments are being tested, with Beckwith claiming his Gulf White Prawn shipments only come from reputable suppliers. The fish retailer also updates patrons on Gulf fishing advisories on its website .
"While I think the media coverage is overblown, our hearts go out to our fellow fisherman being affected in the Gulf," Beckwith said.
For customers who don't want to fish or cook – the business also has a traditional restaurant side to their N.E. 10th Avenue Ridgefield location. Specials include halibut fish-and-chips, calamari steak sandwich and a mahi-mahi taco. Prices at the restaurant average about $10.
The 800-square-foot, cabin-style building includes outdoor seating and can house up to 50 patrons. Local wines are available from Ridgefield suppliers Bethany Vineyards and Three Brothers Winery, as well as Rusty Grape Vineyard in Battle Ground.
And while the selection of products continues to grow, Beckwith says they have also felt the pinch of the economy.
"We are doing O.K., but we've been hit," Beckwith said. "Of course, if I get too stressed, I can always go fishing."
