We were lucky to catch up with Jason Janson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jason, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today; risk taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.
The biggest risk I have taken was changing my career path from historical restoration of 25 years and starting a new career in a new city in a completely different industry in the middle of the pandemic.
I took this risk because I was ready for something new and was, looking to start a new chapter in my life. I had twin girls when I was a senior in high school and immediately had to find a job that could help me provide for my family. After raising my girls and physically exhausted from working in construction for such a long period of time, I knew it was time for me to find an outlet in something that I was passionate about, which is food, seafood especially. I knew I needed a change, and I was ready to start my next chapter. It was important to me to do something unique that allowed me to express my creativity and share my passion with others.
I had the idea to start a mobile market specializing in fresh seafood to bring the highest quality product to the upstate of South Carolina. I found there was a need when visiting family for holidays and over the years was always bringing fresh seafood with me. As I decided I wanted to get out of the restoration business, I came up with the idea while waiting on my seafood source in Charleston. As I shared my idea with others, it seemed so foreign to them, and people weren’t quite sure what to think. I continued to develop out my idea and began soliciting advice from some the men and women that run the boats and fish houses from my coastal area. I learned from them and fostered new relationships with others in their positions so I could establish a large network of resources. While the concept was unusal to many, it is normal in coastal markets and I couldn’t stop thinking about how to build out the business and start it in Greenville, SC. I was lucky enough to learn from some of the best and soak up every bit of information from technique, to sourcing down to seasonal availability of products. As time passed, I knew I would need to execute on the idea and use the knowledge I gained to take a leap of faith on myself. And so I did. I opened in May 2021 as a pop-up offering one product and the market continues to evolve. There is still risk being such a new company, but the reward of bringing quality product and being a part of the community has been well worth it.
Jason, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Yes, of course. I was born and raised on the coast of Charleston, South Carolina. My wife, Cecilia, is from Greenville, SC and we wanted to move closer to the mountains after the girls graduated. Greenville was a great landing spot for us with family and proximity to the mountains and lakes. As we made the decision to make this big move, I also wanted to start my next chapter to my career story and start a new business. I wanted to bring the seafood from the coast to share with the upstate community which is why I started the mobile seafood market.
My previous story about the risk I took shares why I got into the business. But, to add to that, I knew how much our coastal waters offer in the way of seafood and I found that it was only appropriate to find a way to bring it to the upstate as fresh as possible. Most seafood sold away from the coast is often frozen multiple times over and I made it my mission to serve the Upstate with fresh local, regional, and sustainably sourced seafood of the highest quality. I personally source all seafood selections to ensure we are bringing the freshest of seafood directly from the source to my customers.
I am most proud of how much the public appreciates how much we do so much so that local chefs me to bring them shrimp directly from the docks to their door. We are honored to serve the community and humbled when we see the Broadwater name on menus at some of our favorite restaurants.
We set up once a week for customers to come shop the weeks selection, we post our location on our website and social media platforms. We are excited to expand and promise that we will continue to build so we can meet the needs and we appreciate all of the support! We have the best customers and they are my favorite part of this business.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I spent a good bit of my time when I first moved to Greenville focused on meeting new people, finding cool local spots for restaurants, coffee shops, retail stores and even local farms. I wanted to find others that are passionate about food as much as I am and pushed myself to explore every day. As I met people, I learned about them, shared about me, and fostered connections that led to friendships.
My seafood market is unique to the upstate, the brand I have created is different and people have really connected on the fact I wanted to do things just a little differently.
The quality of the seafood certainly is a big factor of the business’s reputation. Customers can like me all day long, but if I don’t have quality seafood as I promise, they don’t have to shop with me.
Seafood markets can often have a reputation of being “smelly” or being just some guy on the side of the road. That isn’t me. I have created an environment that is an experience where we share our passion for food together. We will talk about the seafood, share recipes and come up with ideas of new dishes to try.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
In starting a mobile market – a trailer is crucial. We could not find one! Especially during the pandemic, for some reason, trailers were difficult to come by and buying/building out a brand new one was costly long waiting periods. This was the biggest challenge;, we were fortunate to set up in a local butchery to begin getting our name out there and sharing our product. Once we finally found a trailer, a 40-year-old concession trailer, I had to put a lot of time of hard labor to get it to what it is today. My restoration experience certainly came in handy as I personally painted and restored the interior to make it what it is, and I continue to improve the mobile markets appearance with its recent upgrade of the new mural painted on the inside.
Starting a business without the physical market was certainly not ideal, but the willingness of a then-new friend to offer me a temporary spot allowed me the opportunity to get started. From there I stayed motivated to persevere in my search for my mobile market. I had to keep searching, I think I asked every person I met if they knew any idea of where to find one, and the kindness of another friend led me to a trailer needing a new home. It is due to the generosity of others and my resilience in pushing forward that allowed me to officially launch the mobile seafood market earlier this year.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.broadwatershrimp.com/
- Instagram: broadwatershrimp
- Facebook: broadwatershrimp
Image Credits
Jason black & white – Campfire Media Jason & Lady – Campfire Media Inside trailer black & white – Joe Chapura Hand in fish – Joe Chapura Trailer with shrimp dish and hot sauce – Jason Janson