After nearly 130 years in the St. John City Market, Slocum & Ferris will close Saturday with no plans to reopen.
Owner Corey Dugas has purchased the iconic eatery. It’s known for its rustic home-cooked food, traditional wooden signs, and local products. Palo Mine Bardulse, saltwater toffee, and maple syrup — 2021 with Joanna Killen.
“I have given my all to this business,” said Dugas, who has been the sole owner since September 2022.
People aren’t coming uptown like they used to before the pandemic, he says. “There’s no foot traffic. You don’t see people anymore, except during cruise ship season.”
“But I’m not coming back.”
This was an unfortunate outcome of his early dreams for business.
“I’ve been coming here since I was a kid, I love the food, I love the owners, and I bought it thinking I’d be the next owner for the next 30 years.”
since 1895
Slocum & Ferris is one of the longest-running businesses at Canada’s oldest farmers market, a national historic site owned by the City of Saint John. It was founded in 1895 by Loyalist George W. Slocum and John D. Ferris. They left Queens County to become produce merchants in the city.
By the mid-1900s, the business had evolved into small grocery stores selling canned goods, spices, and “fine foods” to supplement the fishmongers, butchers, and greengrocers that dominated the market at the time. The food stall has also started selling dark purple dried seaweed called dulse. Grand Manan is world famous.
In 1989, the business was purchased by longtime owners Dave and Sherry Forestel, who operated it for 32 years until 2021.
It’s dulse, but troubled industry It has remained a popular Slocum & Ferris item in recent years and forms the basis of Forestel. The famous DLT, or dulse, lettuce and tomato sandwich.
Mike Sampel started working at Slocum & Ferris a quarter-century ago, in the summer of 1999, making sandwiches, tossing dulse, cooking bacon, and lugging boxes up and down the steep back stairs. I did.
He said it was difficult to end his 25-year career in restaurants.
“When you’re there 40 hours a week, five days a week, every month, you get used to the place. The building grips you.”
Sampel, who along with colleague Blair Brophy will be laid off on Saturday, said he hopes his next job won’t be too far away.
“Market players tend to stay in the market,” he said. “So there might be some options for me here.”
The lunch counter is closed, but at least the Slocum name lives on at another local New Brunswick location.
GW Slocum’s grandson, Reg Slocum, still operates Slocum Farm Fresh Produce in Arcadia, selling lettuce, corn and other fresh produce on Route 105 in Waterboro.
“We were happy to keep the name on the market,” Slocum said.
Future changes — But it’s not fast enough for some people
Other well-known market stores have closed in recent years, including established eateries such as Sisters Italian Foods and Sagrati Sandwich Counter.
“It’s been really, really tough out here,” said Gil Nadeau, who runs Uncorked Tours at the base of the market. “There are all kinds of issues that come up when you’re dealing with urban real estate.”
But “there are some really big benefits as well, and that is that it’s a beautiful historic space that holds a lot of importance in the hearts of many St. John’s people.”
last summer, New strategic plan for the market Council approval included 65 initiatives to revitalize the market, including increasing seating capacity, removing the center aisle and providing space for pop-up vendors.
“These changes are coming, but it takes time to change the direction of something this big,” Nadeau said.
It’s not progressing quickly enough to help business owners like Mr. Dugas. Although he declined to say exactly how much rent he pays, he said, “Rent is high, just like everything is expensive right now,” and if the city wants small businesses to thrive. He said it was worth considering.
He suggests considering “different approaches: base versus sales percentages, different rental methods.”
City Market Manager Andrew McDonald could not be reached for comment Friday.
Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. will be Slocum & Ferris’ last day of business.
“I want to see everyone come out,” Dugas said. “So I can say thank you and you can say goodbye.”
