Amidst dark times in lockdown, many aspiring entrepreneurs have hit a dead-end. Despite this, newly-opened Tooting fishmonger ‘Life of Fish’ has queues stretching round the block. Who’s behind this success story and how did he do it?
‘Life of Fish’ was founded in Tooting, six months after Coronavirus hit the UK, by David Palmer. David has worked full-time in the fish trade since 2004 after leaving school at 14. He’s learned his trade the hard way - first working for a wholesale fish company, which entailed hard manual labour and early starts – hardly a normal teenager’s life. This then led him to Fin and Flounder, a fishmonger in East London, his first step into retail, where he honed his skills in management and customer service. More recently David moved to Selfridges, where he supplied fish to ‘a more lavish customer type’ and broadened his business experience.
So how do you successfully open a small business at all, let alone in the midst of a global pandemic? Perhaps it comes down to seeing an opportunity and acting on it. David describes his shop as ‘born out of lockdown’. He admits to having waited for years for ‘something’ to happen that would enable him to break away from working for a big company – the interior of his shop had been ‘in his head for 10 years’. Coronavirus turned out to be just that ‘something’.
While slightly reluctant to take the leap, as ‘fishmongers generally struggle’, David discovered the people of Tooting’s love for fish! He opened a small pop up stall in Tooting in April this year, shortly after leaving Selfridges. The success of this initial venture led him to set up a fish home delivery service in the middle of initial COVID food buying panic. ‘Life of Fish’ then came to be – born from the local community’s support and love for his fish.
Starting a business certainly isn’t light work - David’s working day begins at 4am and often stretches to 14 hours – it’s not for the faint-hearted. When not working, David relaxes by going on walks with his dachshund and drinking lots of coffee.
One thing that sometimes worries customers is overfishing, and whether it is ethical to support a fishing industry that in some cases is said to be causing irreparable damage to fish stocks. All of David’s produce is from sustainable sources, with his wild sea bass being line caught in the UK. Nevertheless he describes sustainable fishing as a ‘complex’ issue. For example in his former job at Selfridges, frozen lobster tails from Australia were bought over fresh lobsters sourced in the UK as they were considered more sustainable.
And how does David feel about the queue of customers that forms outside his shop come rain or shine, often stretching to 15 people? In a word - ‘petrified’ – he still can’t quite believe his success, or the fact that he is now fulfilling his long-held wish of getting people to eat more fish.
Having tasted success, David has ‘millions of ideas’ for the future, ranging from street food to cooked fish. His advice to aspiring entrepreneurs who have determination and an idea they truly think is going to work? It’s best to just ‘do it’.
Life of Fish, 84 Moyser Road, London SW16 6SQ
