Photo by George Mahe
Bob’s Seafood (8660 Olive), the venerable wholesale and retail seafood operation in business for 44 years, is closing its doors after June 4. The property is being absorbed by the $20 million-plus Markets at Olive development, currently under construction along Olive Boulevard, east of I-170.
Photo by George Mahe
In March, SLM spoke with Barb Mepham, who owns the building with her husband, Bob. At the time, an exact closing date had not been announced. “We’ll hang on as long as we can,” said Bob, who was hoping to sell the business to an interested buyer who would continue service for its many loyal retail, wholesale, and restaurant customers.
Considering that many of the metro’s best restaurants are longtime customers and many local seafood lovers visit several times per week, it’s amazing that so little has ever been written about a place that qualifies as a St. Louis institution.
According to Lost Tables, in the late 1970s, Bob and Barb Mepham bought a seafood business, Market in the Loop, oddly enough, from another Bob and Barb (Bob Suberi and Barbara Walters), who would later open Bobby's Creole restaurant.
Mepham followed in Suberi's footsteps, making a weekly trip to the Gulf and returning with a trawler full of fresh options, selling it to retail and wholesale customers at Bob's Seafood "Market in the Loop." Devotees recall the Saturday morning ritual of taking a number and selecting from half a dozen varieties of iced, fresh fish loaded into massive white coolers. In 1998, after 20 years of weekly treks to the Gulf, Mepham had the seafood shipped in from around the world. In 2005, he and his wife bought the building at 8660 Olive, which they say perfectly suited their needs and allowed the business to grow.
During restaurateur Steve Gontram's years owning Harvest, for instance, he recalls appreciating Bob’s attention to quality and service. "A good portion of our menu utilized fresh, seasonal seafood, and Bob’s was always quick to deliver the high standard that we demanded,” says Gontram.
There are longtime supporters beyond St. Louis as well. As Bob notes, “We have out-of-town customers who load up coolers with fish.”
Bill Cawthon, executive chef at Herbie's, has been buying from Bob's "forever," he says. "It's critical for a chef to develop a close relationship with his fish purveyor, and the people at Bob's know the value in that. They're great people—I hate to see them go."
Among the comments on this Instagram page, chef Bill Cardwell offered this: "This closing is a real loss for St. Louis. I’ve been buying fresh fish and shellfish from Bob & Barb since 1987. Not only are they a very honest and hard-working team, they have given a lot of support to many charity events with donations of fresh fish."
And this, from a member of the Maminta family: "Our parents are immigrants from the Philippines. There was no fresh seafood in St. Louis. They met Bob selling shrimp from his truck in Ballwin/Ellisville back in the day. They then had him come to our home, park in the driveway and had all their Filipino friends buy seafood from him. They made him part of our family. He would come and bring us bags of fresh oysters. Yes, that was over 40 years ago. St. Louis will miss this amazing American dream success. Thank you Bob and Barb for being so great to our family. You brought joy to our parents. Much love always from the Maminta family."
Yesterday, when a customer asked where she should go for fresh fish now, Barb suggested Starrs (1135 S. Big Bend). "They’re building that part of their business and doing great things.” Starrs fishmonger John Nash says, "There’s definitely been an uptick in business thanks to the Mephams. They’ve definitely been sending people our way.”
Over the past few months, Starrs has continued to ramp up its weekly offerings, receiving shipments several times each week, with some arriving directly from coastal suppliers. Today and tomorrow, for instance, Starrs will receive more than 18 fresh varieties. (Starrs’ newsletter shares weekly offerings.) Among the options: wild Hawaiian opah, wild Alaskan Halibut, wild Columbia River King Salmon, Faroe Island salmon, Petrale Sole from Oregon, wild caught walleye, fresh trout, wild Atlantic cod, sushi grade tuna, two sizes of large Gulf shrimp (including U12), and fresh wild Chilean sea bass. (Note: Since Starrs is closed on Sundays, the fresh fish offerings are usually depleted by Saturday afternoon.)
In addition, local wholesaler Fabulous Fish began making same-day home deliveries to the public during the pandemic (for a nominal $8 charge) and has continued the program.
Regarding the June 4 closing date, Barb reminds customers to buy sooner than later. “We’ll be ramping down inventory,” she says, “so please don’t wait to pay a final visit.”
Asked what she was planning to do after Bob's Seafood closes, she replies, "Spend more time with family, take walks, take a nap... I plan to take a lot of naps."
This article has been updated from its original version.
