05/05/2024
Every time we stay at No5 The Bay, Talland we buy fresh fish from Pengelly's Fish Shop. The investments made since the change of Ownership have been fantastic and I recommend you stop buy when your next in Looe
šŗ NEW OWNERS šŗ
Now I have your attention, I would love 2 minutes of your time š
Over the last 18 months, I have had so many conversations with customers that have no idea who owned the shop, prior to Angela & Jacquie selling in 2018, so Iām once again going to introduce myself, and Iād appreciate you all sharing it far and wide š
My name is Sam Chapman, I am now 30 years old, and together with my wife Laura, we own Pengellyās Fishmongerās, after we took over in August 2022.
Some of you may recognise me from Nippers Shellfish, which is where it all started for me.
I have been working in the Fishing Industry for 12 years now, and no, I never thought I would end up here! I started on the quay at 18, washing dirty boxes, which wasnāt a pleasant job at times, but I loved it. Soon after I was offered the chance to work for my uncles brother Richard, who owned a Fish Merchants supplying other fish shops, restaurants and delis, Richard took me under his wing and showed me everything there was to know in the trade, and within 12 months I found myself being handed the reins while Richard was on holiday.
Richard also owned Nippers Shellfish, a wholesale producer of Crab Meat, in 2018 I was offered the chance to purchase the business, which I grabbed with both hands. We quickly expanded the business and were picking 10-12 TONS of Cornish Crab per week, by hand! We sold the finest Crab Meat, as well as some of Cornwalls most stunning Fish, which we are so lucky to have on our doorstep.
LOCKDOWNā¦ This completely changed my business, we went from supplying 50 restaurants, to overnight being left with none! With nowhere to turn we started selling āMystery Fish Boxesā which we delivered to peoples homes, we sold thousands of these, and we never looked back. We were lucky enough to be featured in the BBC2 show Cornwall: This Fishing Life, which gave everyone a perfect insight into the real life Fishing Industry. My love for retail began here!
Living up to the Pengellysās name was always going to be a huge challenge, the shop went though 2 sets of owners before reaching us, which unfortunately had its own challenges.
We are a local family with a huge connection to the fishing industry, my 2 cousins and uncle are Fisherman in Looe, while another 2 cousins and uncle are Net Riggers in Looe, making the trawls for the boats. If you go back far enough, weāre even related to the Pengellyās! Looe & its Fishing Heritage are extremely important to me, which is why I could not possibly have turned down the opportunity to purchase such a business as Pengellyās.
In the 18 months we have owned the shop, we have expanded the online side of the business, giving our customers the chance to have fish delivered within just 24 hours of being caught, Nationwide! We have TRIPLED the size of the shop, expanding into the room it all started in for meā¦ The box washing room! We have added outdoor seating for up to 30 people, and our newest addition to the business is The Lobster Shack, supplying ready to eat Seafood Dishes to takeaway or sit on the benches.
Customers Old & New weād love you to come down and see what weāre up to, Fish has become an expensive commodity, and the days of a 10p Mackerel are gone, but we always have something on offer, and Fish to suit every budget. One thing we can promise is the same Quality Day Boat Fish which you all came to expect from Angela & Jacquie š¤©
We are 1 of only 2 fish businesses left on the quay which are not owned by large companies, which something we are proud to say.
SHOP LOCAL šš
Thanks for reading and sorry if I bored you š¤£
