The new spot is planned to offer both fresh and tinned seafood. (Courtesy David Whitby)
After a few years away from the seafood industry, David Whitby is casting out yet again, this time in western Henrico.
The former owner of Yellow Umbrella Provisions is preparing to open Shoreline Seafood Market at 10614 Patterson Ave.
The new spot is taking over a 2,500-square-foot space in the Canterbury Shopping Center that had formerly been occupied by Hickory & Oak. In addition to a deli-style counter with fresh seafood displayed for sale, Shoreline is also planning to have limited lunch and dinner menus for dining in.
In the 1980s Whitby’s father, George, started Yellow Umbrella as a fishmonger and specialty market about five miles east on Patterson Avenue in the Near West End. David took the business over in the 2000s and ran it until 2020, when he sold Yellow Umbrella to brothers Thomas and Tucker Brown.
Since the sale three years ago, Whitby said he’s taken some family time and worked on some real estate projects, but that he always had it in the back of his head to get back into the seafood industry.
After a non-compete clause from the Yellow Umbrella sale expired in June, Whitby got to work on Shoreline.
“It was a good time to sell (Yellow Umbrella),” Whitby said, noting that he’d sold, “with the idea of getting back and starting something smaller and trying to build that back up again.”
Shoreline’s plan is to offer fresh fish that’s sourced from up and down the East Coast, and as far as Hawaii, New Zealand and Japan.
“We’re going to have all the traditional fin fish and shellfish in the case,” Whitby said. “We’re trying to branch out from that too, I’d like to add on to what we did before.”
Also available will be a wide selection of tinned fish, a grocery item that’s been enjoying a boom in popularity in recent years.
“(Tinned fish) used to be a European thing. In the states people thought of canned sardines and things like that, and it wasn’t appetizing,” Whitby said. “There’s a lot of really high-quality tinned seafood out there. That’s not going to be the main thing we’re doing, but we’re going to have a nice selection there.”
While specifics of Shoreline’s lunch menu aren’t yet finalized, Whitby said he’s planning to have it be limited to a handful of seafood-centric dishes, and the dinner menu will rotate each week.
“We’re having a bar built that’ll accommodate eight to 10 people, so that’ll be our dining area,” Whitby said.
Josh Loeb, formerly of Midlothian Chef’s Kitchen, is leading Shoreline’s kitchen, and Matthew Snow is helping Whitby run the market side of the business.
Whitby said he’s hoping to have Shoreline open sometime in the spring. It’ll join WayGone Brewery, which opened next door earlier this fall.
The Brown brothers, Yellow Umbrella’s current owners, are also working on opening Ballast, a new market concept in the former Blue Bee Cider complex in Scott’s Addition.
The new spot is planned to offer both fresh and tinned seafood. (Courtesy David Whitby)
After a few years away from the seafood industry, David Whitby is casting out yet again, this time in western Henrico.
The former owner of Yellow Umbrella Provisions is preparing to open Shoreline Seafood Market at 10614 Patterson Ave.
The new spot is taking over a 2,500-square-foot space in the Canterbury Shopping Center that had formerly been occupied by Hickory & Oak. In addition to a deli-style counter with fresh seafood displayed for sale, Shoreline is also planning to have limited lunch and dinner menus for dining in.
In the 1980s Whitby’s father, George, started Yellow Umbrella as a fishmonger and specialty market about five miles east on Patterson Avenue in the Near West End. David took the business over in the 2000s and ran it until 2020, when he sold Yellow Umbrella to brothers Thomas and Tucker Brown.
Since the sale three years ago, Whitby said he’s taken some family time and worked on some real estate projects, but that he always had it in the back of his head to get back into the seafood industry.
After a non-compete clause from the Yellow Umbrella sale expired in June, Whitby got to work on Shoreline.
“It was a good time to sell (Yellow Umbrella),” Whitby said, noting that he’d sold, “with the idea of getting back and starting something smaller and trying to build that back up again.”
Shoreline’s plan is to offer fresh fish that’s sourced from up and down the East Coast, and as far as Hawaii, New Zealand and Japan.
“We’re going to have all the traditional fin fish and shellfish in the case,” Whitby said. “We’re trying to branch out from that too, I’d like to add on to what we did before.”
Also available will be a wide selection of tinned fish, a grocery item that’s been enjoying a boom in popularity in recent years.
“(Tinned fish) used to be a European thing. In the states people thought of canned sardines and things like that, and it wasn’t appetizing,” Whitby said. “There’s a lot of really high-quality tinned seafood out there. That’s not going to be the main thing we’re doing, but we’re going to have a nice selection there.”
While specifics of Shoreline’s lunch menu aren’t yet finalized, Whitby said he’s planning to have it be limited to a handful of seafood-centric dishes, and the dinner menu will rotate each week.
“We’re having a bar built that’ll accommodate eight to 10 people, so that’ll be our dining area,” Whitby said.
Josh Loeb, formerly of Midlothian Chef’s Kitchen, is leading Shoreline’s kitchen, and Matthew Snow is helping Whitby run the market side of the business.
Whitby said he’s hoping to have Shoreline open sometime in the spring. It’ll join WayGone Brewery, which opened next door earlier this fall.
The Brown brothers, Yellow Umbrella’s current owners, are also working on opening Ballast, a new market concept in the former Blue Bee Cider complex in Scott’s Addition.
Congrats to David. Great to see him step back in the seafood/specialty food market. I remember watching the YO go from the yellow umbrella by his dad’s truck to the business he sold. Richmond is blessed with great specialty food and seafood markets.