The story of Seafood City
They say that everybody has a story . . . our business can say the same! To find out how Seafood City got its start, read on!
Once upon a time in Japan . . .
It all started a long time ago, in a place far, far, away . . . We're not kidding! Our company started back in the 1960s in Japan. That was when a young man from the southern island of Kyushu stepped off the plane in Vancouver with the dreams of owning his own business.
It wasn't long before that dream was a reality. But success didn't come to Dad overnight. Truth be told, the first business Dad owned was a TV repair shop. If business had been good, you'd be reading the story of "Television City" right now. Fortunately for seafood lovers, business was only so-so.
So Dad decided to try something new. You see, coming from Japan, Dad knew a thing or two about fresh seafood. But quite frankly, the way seafood was sold over here in Vancouver at the time didn't impress him. Why not open a seafood store in Vancouver that emphasized traditional Japanese ways of serving seafood: a focus on absolute quality and freshness.
Seafood City is born
And so Seafood City was born. Except it wasn't called Seafood City to start with. Rather, it went by the name of "Hamaso." Loosely translated, that means "Hamatake's Seafood Store." Mom and Dad quickly built up a loyal clientele. The store gained a reputation among Japanese-Canadians in the city for being the closest thing to a real Japanese seafood store on this side of the Pacific.
The move to Granville Island
Things were going well when one day Dad found out about the re-development of Granville Island. Now, back then, Granville Island was a lot different than it is today - it was basically a old industrial site without much of anything on it. But Dad saw the potential. So he agreed to join in as one of the storekeepers for the future public market.
Needless to say, it was a smart move. By switching our location to Granville Island, Dad was able to boost the store's profile, and build up a brand new customer base.
Brian takes over
After some twenty years serving customers, Mom and Dad made the decision to hand over the family business to Brian. Slowly but surely, Brian moved up the ranks of the company until he was ready to take the reigns full-time in 2000. Finally, Mom and Dad had a chance to sit back and relax a little!
Since then, Brian has worked hard to carry on Mom and Dad's committment to absolute quality and uncompromising customer service. Using the skills he learned from his parents, he intends to carry on the business for at least another 20 years!