Photos and text by Melaney Mottsey
Palmetto Seafood Company is a community hub in the Waverly neighborhood area of Columbia, S.C. The fresh seafood store at 2200 Gervais Street is easily recognizable with its blue exterior. The store offers a variety of to-go dinners of fried fish, French fries and hush puppies along with a showcase of fresh fish packed in ice. Addie J. Moultrie has owned the store since 1997 and gets help from a several employees including her oldest son, Lucius Moultrie, who helps prepare the fried fish dinners.
Employees all have important tasks as customers pour in. Alice Walker is the front counter employee and says that working at Palmetto Seafood has been such a wonderful work experience because of the character of owner, Addie J. Moultrie.
Moultrie helps out with customers when the shop gets busy, typically during lunch and the dinner hour, making sure each customer gets helped. Anthony Harrison, 22, works in the fish showcase, cooks and does prep work. Vicky Baskett, who has been working at the shop for 11 years, serves as a supervisor and is responsible for prepping and frying many of the seafood takeout dinners. As she works filling the many to-go orders, Baskett jokes with other employees to keep smiles and laugher going on inside the store. Frank McDaniel, back team leader, is responsible for cutting fish due to customer request and getting market orders together.
With customers always coming in, Palmetto Seafood rarely has a quiet moment. Employees are constantly helping customers, preparing fish for the showcase or taking a seafood to-go order. There is no shortage of community support in this shop – from the time the store opens to closing at dusk, takeout orders constantly pour in and fresh fish are purchased. The selection of fish and seafood range from frog legs to striped bass, and throughout the day a variety of seafood is purchased.
Support from the Waverly community along with other areas of Columbia has helped Palmetto Seafood thrive, and employee dedication to satisfy the need of every customer is what keeps customers coming back day after day.
Melaney Mottsey
I’m a senior visual communications major. I have been learning in photography since high school starting with a dark room class. From there, I focused on conceptual or fine art style images that involved learning photoshop tools. I like creating portraits and getting the control on how to tell a story based on being the photographer. I have taken Intro to Photo and Adv. Photo classes through the journalism school so far. I’ve learned some more from being involved with The Daily Gamecock and a short term grant learning under photojournalists from Nat Geo Expeditions. I enjoy experimenting with all subject matters.