WILMINGTON — At the northern end of the Brooklyn Arts District, Fathom and Farm is finishing construction and getting ready to open. Owner Pete Mairs said the store will focus on seafood, as well as specialties from Western North Carolina that aren’t readily available in Wilmington.
The particular pairing grew out of Mairs’ 35 years in the wholesale seafood business. As the owner of the Barbary Fish Co., Mairs has been making trips inland for a long time.
“I’ve seen this amazing food culture develop in Asheville. We’ve been delivering fish to this great, James Beard restaurant,” Mairs said. “And while we were up there, we saw a lot of great products we don’t have down here.”
Mairs was particularly keen on farms raising Duroc hogs, including Hickory Nut Gap Farm.
“It’s the kind that haven’t been bred to be white meat,” Mairs said. “Along with heritage breeds, its just a whole different kind of pork.”
In addition to high-end pork, Mairs said he is also excited to bring Carolina Bison, elk and venison to the Wilmington area.
On the seafood side, Mairs said he would have abundant local seafood, as well as lobster and tuna.
“The dog that wags the tail is the seafood,” Mairs said. “We’re gonna have fresh seafood coming through here constantly, getting prepared for local restaurants here in Wilmington, and down on Bald Head.”
Mairs said that Fathom and Farm will be the new hub for his wholesale production operation for Barbary, which will keep fresh seafood moving through the store. He said he hopes that will be an added attraction for “walk-in” customers.
“We’ll have a display area of course, but if you don’t like what you see or you want more, we’ll be able to pull from a wider range of things. We can grab you a whole loin of tuna and say, ‘here, how does this look?’ and cut you off a piece right from there,” Mairs said.
On Monday afternoon, as construction workers were finishing the ceiling, Mairs was meeting with the calligrapher for the store’s sign.
“From the blue water to the blue ridge, that’s our slogan. Well, from the blue water to the blue ridge — and back, because we’re bringing all the good stuff back from the mountains,” Mairs said.
Mairs said his only remaining tasks are installing equipment and painting the wall with liquid chalkboard for daily prices and specials. He hopes to open within the next two weeks.
Fathom and Farm is located at 1124 N. Fourth St.
On the map: Fathom and Farm
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