Popular downriver seafood retail store to shutter at the end of March, wholesale remains

After decades in business offering a variety of lake fish and seafood, a beloved downriver retailer is closing.

Weyand's Seafoods retail store on Biddle Avenue on the north end of Wyandotte will close permanently on March 30, according to a post on Facebook.

The decision to close is due to the high costs of doing business, according to the Facebook post. Specifically noted was the rising costs in the king crab market.

David Blume, Weyand’s owner since 2002, told the Free Press that the retail store just “became too difficult.”

“The outlook for key markets such as king crab, are rising and show no sign of easing anytime soon,” the post read.

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Within an hour of the post, more than 160 people commented stating they were heartbroken and sad to hear about the closing. Many commented that Weyand’s offered the best and seafood at good prices.

“Omg. Wow. Thank you for years and years of the best king crab in the world!” Julia Mink posted. “So sad. New Year’s Eve will never be as delicious without it!”

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Weyand’s wholesale business across the street, which specializes in a variety of lake fish and other seafood, will remain open. The wholesale side of Weyand’s, Blume said, serves many metro Detroit restaurants including Trenton’s Sibley Gardens,  Detroit’s Selden Standard, the Bill Robert’s Restaurant group, and Rocky’s of Northville, and other wholesalers and distributors.

Blume said his vendors in Boston are reporting that the king crab market is continuing to rise. Wholesale pricing is upward of $30 per pound.

“That’s a big driver for us,” Blume said referring to king crab.

At issue with king crab, Blume said he is told, is warming waters.

“Crab need frigid water, if they don’t have it, they move or die,” he said. “It’s (king crab) a key item for us, especially at the holidays.”

On the retail end, Blume said, it was trending to be a special occasion business.

“Weekly seafood purchases are needed, and that has been a challenge,” he said.

King crab wasn’t the only seafood Weyand’s retail store offered. The store sells fresh perch and walleye from prime Canadian sources and prides itself on selling American-caught wild shrimp.

For years, Weyand’s store on Biddle did all sorts of dinners on Fridays and sold Blume’s popular and specially made clam chowder. The chowder is heavy on the clams as Blume used one gallon of clams for every four gallons of soup. On Fridays, he said, the clam chowder would sell out.

Jack Weyand founded Weyand’s Fisheries in 1930 as a retail market and wholesale business specializing in lake fish, according to Weyand’s website. The retail store at 471 Biddle Avenue on the riverside of the street is the original location.

At one time, several of Weyand’s retail locations operated in metro Detroit before Blume's ownership that sold dinners to go in metro Detroit.

At the Wyandotte location, four employees are potentially impacted by the closure.

“We have enjoyed being such a treasured source for seafood. We will be happy to serve your needs for the next four weeks and hope that you come see us before the curtain closes,” the Facebook post read.

Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: [email protected]. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter. Subscribe to the Free Press.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Wyandotte's beloved Weyand's Seafood retail store will close