A much-loved fishmonger has said an emotional farewell after decades of trading in his current home.
Jenkins & Son, which has been operating on Deal High Street for more than 80 years, left its site next to Dial A Pizza to move to a larger site nearby.
It will launch a fishmonger and street food bar in the former JC Rooks & Son unit – two years after the popular butchers fell into administration.
The department has been empty since the family-owned chain collapsed in 2022, causing the loss of 150 jobs.
Builders have been making repairs and renovations to the shop over the past nine months so the fishmongers could open their doors on Tuesday.
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In a post yesterday that has received huge support on Facebook, Jenkins & Son said: “So it’s our last and final day of trading from 118 High Street, Deal.
“It was an emotional day for everyone as this shop has been the backbone of the Jenkins family, friends and colleagues for too many years.
“But the doors are about to open on our new venture, where we have the room to expand and grow our business.
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our lovely, dedicated customers for supporting our local family business over the years. Without you we wouldn’t be in this position.
“We hope you will continue to come to us for your fresh fish and home cooked meals at our new address 77-81 High Street, Deal.
“We open our doors on Tuesday and can’t wait to see you there.”
The ground floor of the former JC Rooks & Son unit is divided into two parts. One half will be a traditional fishmonger and poulterer, while the other half will be a street food bar and grill with 24 seats.
It means customers can have fresh seafood dishes prepared before their eyes by chef Peter Keyes.
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Marketing co-ordinator Sacha Taylor told KentOnline last month: “We have outgrown this store because we now do home-cooked food, made by our chef, that people can take away.
“We were bursting at the seams, so when the Rooks unit came up a few years ago we put in an offer for it.
“It took a while to buy it because it was quite complicated, but we have now taken that 1,000 m² building into use to live there as a fishmonger and poulterer, as we are now, but in addition we have a kitchen grill area created, a bar and a seating area for street food.
“We have applied for an alcohol license and if it is granted, we will hopefully be able to sell alcohol on the shop floor.
“That’s a new venture for us and we’re quadrupling in size. The idea is to give people new ideas on how to use fish in everyday cooking.
“The concept will ultimately be that people can pick up a piece of fish from the fishmonger, walk up to the chef and have him cook it the way he or she wants.”
It took Jenkins & Son 14 months to purchase the building, and builders and electricians are currently on site to prepare the new store for opening.
“Ultimately we will also move upstairs because there is room for a restaurant and a fish bar with a roof terrace,” she explains.
“The top floor won’t be available for another year or two, it depends on how everything goes. We are also looking for pop-up and sushi events.
“We have always done that, but we have had to use other people’s locations. Now we can make them in our own shop.
“Eventually we want to give cooking classes, so we have a lot of ideas for the future.”
It is not yet clear who will take over the current Jenkins & Son unit when it closes, but it will be leased to a new company.
JC Rook & Sons was one of Kent’s oldest and largest butchers with eleven stores across the county.
It has been around for more than 55 years after opening its first butcher’s shop in Dover in 1965. But after the pandemic, the company declared bankruptcy.