PHOTO VIA CLAYTON'S CRAB COMPANY FACEBOOK PAGE
Clayton’s Crab Company (Website), Brevard County’s largest seafood market, will close Sunday after 59 years in business. The Rockledge seafood market cited rising costs and economic conditions as reasons for the closure in a recent social media post.
“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the closing of our business,” the company said on Friday. “Our mission has always been to provide high-quality seafood to our community. Unfortunately, due to current economic conditions and the continued rise in the cost of goods, we are no longer able to do so in a way that meets our standards or serves our customers as we would like.”
Clayton Korecky Jr., a local fisherman, founded the company in 1967 as a wholesale seafood operation at 5775 U.S. Highway 1 [GMap] in Rockledge. The retail market opened in 1970 before Jan and Brian Walker purchased the business in 2013. Jan had worked alongside Korecky for about 30 years before the ownership transition. Brian joined the company in 2009.
The market became known for hand-picking its crab meat and offering a wide selection of fresh and frozen seafood, including blue crabs, shrimp, lobster, grouper, sushi-grade tuna, oysters, and house-made seasonings. It also served ready-to-eat items, including crab boils, garlic shrimp, and seafood pasta.
“Thank you for allowing us to be part of your lives and your tables for so many years,” the company said. “We will always cherish the memories, friendships, and relationships we’ve built along the way.”
Sunday, May 24, was the market’s last day of operations.
