Anderson’s Seafood
They were some of the nicest people in the world. The Anderson family, and they brought fresh seafood to Charlottesville.
I remember way back, when Mr. and Mrs. Anderson and occasionally a few of their children would set up a tent on a Friday afternoon beside what was Hardy’s at the intersection of Rt. 29 and Rio Road. I often stopped by to poke around in one of his several big coolers. No refrigeration, just fresh seafood on ice in 120-quart coolers. The Andersons would personally drive to the shore and choose the best seafood from their wholesalers, then and scurry back to Charlottesville to share their treasures. They almost always had fresh shrimp and often they had huge flounder filets from that morning’s catch. They brought in oysters, scallops, crabs, whiting and rockfish – whatever was available, and the prices were most fair.
I remember one Friday when it was raining sideways that I stopped by to pick up some crabmeat and the Andersons were drenched to the bone.
Not long after that, they opened a small store in Albemarle Square above what is now the Aldi’s parking lot. They were able to expand their offerings and even serve some prepared seafood dishes. It was excellent and I was a regular customer. Even the children knew me by name. Mr. Anderson offered his personal recommendations and that’s usually what I bought. I remember on one occasion that he had some marlin steaks in his coolers, and they were delicious.
The managers of Albemarle Square (not the brightest bulbs in the three-pack) decided to evict the Anderson’s because they envisioned a MacDonald’s in that space, but MacDonald’s had other plans. The Andersons then moved to a storefront in the Meadowcreek Shopping Center where they basically had a small grocery store. When the elder Anderson’s finally stepped away from the business, it was never the same and eventually they closed their doors.
One of the Anderson sons still brings in seafood in coolers and sets up near the Boar’s Head. But it’s not like the old days. You would be hard pressed to find a fresh flounder filet.
But for about 20 years, Charlottesville had a marvelous seafood supplier. Anderson’s Seafood
