The Daily Catch at Seaview Crab Company

From humble beginnings at a roadside stand, Seaview Crab Company has grown into a major retailer for seafood in southeastern North Carolina.

Commercial fishing and crabbing are typically multigenerational endeavors in which one generation learns the ropes from the previous one. That traditional rite of passage changed in 2006 when three college friends embarked on a quest to change the face of seafood in southeastern North Carolina.

After graduating from college, brothers Joe and Sam Romano and Nathan King set out to reinvent the proverbial roadside lemonade stand. With a handful of crab pots, a commercial fishing license, a pickup truck and a hand-painted sign, the trio starting selling live blue crabs along the road. In 2009, after just three years following this formula, they were able to take over an existing fish market on Carolina Beach Road.

Fast forward a decade (and change), and the trio that started out with the humblest of beginnings has created an industry that reaches across the United States.

“It started out with just the three of us in 2006,” says Joe Romano, co-founder/owner of Seaview Crab Company. “Today, we have over 90 teammates, as we like to call them.”

“We’re a Little-Big Company,” he adds.

The business has blossomed to include two brick and mortar stores and five open air markets around the region.

“Our mantra is Moving Seafood Forward,” Romano says. “We want to bridge the gap between the past and what’s to come. We’re also about building relationships. This includes building our relationships with local fishermen and customers and bridging the gap between seafood markets in North Carolina.”

Seaview Crab Company started with the goal of providing live blue crabs. Now customers can select from an array of 20 to 40 species of whole fish on big weekends as well as other seafood including crabs.

“As we began to grow, we saw the potential here along the coast,” Romano says. “As fishmongers, we traveled to other seafood markets around the country and wanted to provide that same experience here.”

Romano says they want to provide customers with lots of choices.

“We are continuously working with and growing our network of suppliers and fishermen to provide our customers with the best selection of local seafood harvested right here along the North Carolina coast,” he says. “We also work with suppliers to provide us with fresh options not available here in our region.”

Romano says their teammates/employees are loyal, and some have been working with them since the early days.

“it’s equally important for us to build brand loyalty with our customers as well as employee loyalty,” Romano says.

Seaview Crab Company operates brick and mortar stores on Marstellar Street and Carolina Beach Road in Wilmington along with open air markets in Sanford, Cameron, Belville and two in Wilmington.

“In addition to being a full stop shop for all of your seafood needs, our Marstellar location also offers a lunch and dinner counter,” Romano says. “We offer hot sandwiches, crab cakes, soups, dips and more.”

Seaview Crab Company is also committed to the environment. They utilize compostable takeout containers, don’t provide plastic straws and only offer plastic cutlery when asked. They repurpose dried fish scales into guitar picks and they even sponsor beach cleanups.

“It’s our responsibility to protect this valuable resource for the generations that follow,” Romano says.

Want to go?

Seaview Crab Company Headquarters
1515 Marstellar Street, Wilmington
(910) 769.1554

For more information on additional market locations, hours and contact info, visit seaviewcrabcompany.com.