A year ago you would have had to make several stops to gather all these goodies, but these days you can get it all — and more — at Free Range Fish & Lobster.
Thanks to a recent renovation, the once cramped, dark, galley-style retail space has been transformed into a bright, airy and welcoming marketplace where, says co-owner Joe Ray, “people can come in and get a meal all wrapped up” without having to make additional stops on the way home.
The concept is a good one. With fuel prices so high, one-stop shopping makes sense and according to Ray (no relation, by the way), Free Range Fish & Lobster passes other savings onto the consumer as well.
Started 10 years ago by Ray, 36, Geoff Denley, 26, and Geoff’s father, Bill, who though retired is still involved, Free Range F & L was originally a wholesaler, buying seafood fresh off the boats, and then cutting, packaging and shipping it to other locations. But four years ago, the space at the front of the building at 450 Commercial St. became available, and Ray had the idea to open a store where they could “wholesale in a retail format.”
Known to locals as “The Home of the Haddock” because of its $3.99/lb haddock specials, Ray insists that Free Range’s seafood prices are the lowest around. “We buy from boats that come right into our back wharf, local fishermen, the Portland Fish Exchange, the Gloucester Fish Exchange, and we even have scallop boats that go out just for us.” They supply local restaurants and distributors — DiMillo’s purchases about 100 pounds of seafood from Free Range each day and PFG North-Center gets about 1,000 pounds — and because they do such a large business with no middle man, they’re able to keep prices down, “putting savings right into the pockets of customers.”
“We processed eight million pounds of seafood last year, and we’ll do 10 million this year,” Ray says. And with the new retail space in full swing, he expects the business to keep on growing.
All of the sauces, rubs and condiments available on the shelves at Free Range “make it so people who don’t know how to cook fish won’t be afraid to try something new,” Ray says. They also offer a wide selection of recipe cards that customers can help themselves to for free.
Of course, if you’re really nervous about preparing your own fish, you can always just pick up some salmon cakes to throw on the grill. Prepared fresh daily on site, these treats combine salmon with dill, garlic, red peppers and spices — all you have to do is cook them. I grilled a couple yesterday and served them with sour cream, collards and rice, and they were — to quote Rachel Ray (also no relation) — “delish.”
Even if you’re not a seafood fan, chances are Free Range Fish & Lobster has something for you. Local and imported produce, natural free range beef — even saltwater taffy and ... dog biscuits? Yep, dog biscuits.
“We sell about 300 of those a week,” Ray laughs.
Homemade by Sue Denley (Bill’s wife, Geoff’s mom), the dog biscuits started as a quaint offering — they’re shaped like fish, lobsters, lighthouses and such — but quickly became a big seller. “We bought Sue a mixing bowl and she went to town with it,” Ray says.
In the summer, he and Denley plan to offer local crafts in the market as well (anyone looking for a buoy birdhouse?), so if you haven’t visited Free Range Fish & Lobster lately, you might want to stop in because these days there’s a lot more to see.
— Belinda Ray