Mr. Wallis said there were a number of factors that entered into his decision to close the Maple Avenue business. He said sales had been dwindling for years, a conditioned that was worsened by government fishing regulations which drove up the cost of locally-caught seafood.
BARRINGTON — April 26, 2012 — Customers of Wallis Seafood were greeted with some sad news earlier this week as Tom Wallis, the longtime owner of the local store, decided to close up shop.
“I officially closed the store Saturday night,” Mr. Wallis said. “I made the decision Saturday morning.
“Obviously there is a lot of sadness that goes with this. … It was my whole life. I was there the day my parents opened. Basically this has been it for me.”
Wallis Seafood celebrated its 50th anniversary on Feb. 22, but even in the midst of the happy occasion, Mr. Wallis knew the business was struggling. “I’d like to make it to 51,” he said during an interview prior to the anniversary celebration. “I see unchartered waters. I don’t know.”
Wallis Seafood opened on Bay Spring Avenue in 1962.
“The problem is that the government makes way too much money on the tariffs on imported fish,” Mr. Wallis said. “Tilapia, catfish, swai … they raise them in swamp water…”
Meanwhile, a friend had told Mr. Wallis about a job opening in the seafood department at a Whole Foods store in Providence. The position was full-time and management there needed to know if Mr. Wallis was interested.
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