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The District Fishwife

A locally-owned sustainable seafood market, opening at Union Market in Northeast DC in February 2014.

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The District Fishwife

The District Fishwife

The District Fishwife

The District Fishwife

The District Fishwife

A locally-owned sustainable seafood market, opening at Union Market in Northeast DC in February 2014.

A locally-owned sustainable seafood market, opening at Union Market in Northeast DC in February 2014.

A locally-owned sustainable seafood market, opening at Union Market in Northeast DC in February 2014.

A locally-owned sustainable seafood market, opening at Union Market in Northeast DC in February 2014.

Ben Friedman
Ben Friedman
Ben Friedman
Ben Friedman
1 Campaign |
Washington, United States
$20,130 USD 109 backers
100% of $20,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal

fishwife / ˈfɪʃˌwaɪf /

1. a coarse-mannered woman who is prone to shouting.
2. archaic a woman who sells fish.

Who is the Fishwife?

The District Fishwife is Northeast DC's first sustainable seafood market, opening at Union Market in NE DC at the end of January 2014.  We will offer fresh and sustainably caught and raised seafood and prepared seafood for take-away, notably our own take on the classic Fish and Chips. Fiona Lewis is The Fishwife, and will be running the day-to-day operations of the shop. She brings a passion for seafood and the health of the world's oceans, and a desire to educate customers to make more sustainable and healthy choices when they bring home seafood.


Rosie the Fishwife T-shirt design.

Fiona grew up in Melbourne, Australia near the ocean. She spent her childhood fishing with her grandfather in Port Phillip Bay and watching her Dad breed and release endangered fish to rebuild local populations. Fiona studied marine biology during university and quickly understood the extent to which the world's oceans were being stressed by over-fishing, pollution, and illegal fishing practices. She has 25 years of international experience in hospitality, retail sales, and education, and has worked in the hospitality industry since she was 18. She's been searching for the chance to bring together her two passions in life, and this shop is the culmination of that dream.

We're about 80 percent complete with our construction and are pushing hard to be open later this month, but we need some help to get us through the last 20 percent.

Update Jan 31st. Cooking equipment is IN! Doesn't it look pretty?

We Need Your Help

We've put everything we've got into this shop and we're asking for your help now to get us to the finish line. Most of the equipment--cold room, display case, kitchen appliances, hood, etc.--is already purchased, and the build-out is almost complete, but we still need to have our equipment installed, put the finishing touches on the shop, and have enough operating capitol to get this happening.

We are also committed to offering the best quality sustainable seafood available from Day One.In order to make sure we have the best fish we can find, we've brought on a local seafood expert as our fish buyer, Vernon Lingonfelter. Vernon knows good fish when he sees it, and we need to make sure he can pay for it on the spot.

So this is where you come in. We need about $20,000 to pay for these finishing touches and for working capital so Vernon can buy that top-quality sustainable fish when he sees it.

We've put together some fun perks to thank our funders, including shout-outs, magnets, beanies and caps, t-shirts, lunch for two, a one-on-one fish cutting class with Vernon, and a Feast of the Seven Fishes.


The fishwife definition t-shirt

The Impact

By helping us reach our fundraising goal, you will be contributing to the success of a local small business that will have a global impact. The health of our oceans is of critical concern, and promoting sustainable seafood is one of the best ways to raise awareness and bring about change "from trawler to table". By offering a product that is both healthy and sustainable, we hope to do our small part to change consumer habits and perspectives on sustainable seafood.

Vernon checking out some farmed Tilapia 

Other Ways You Can Help

We know times have been tough for the last few years and understand if you can't contribute. But that doesn't mean you can’t help. We'd love your help in spreading the word about our campaign and our shop. Please share our video and Indiegogo page on Facebook, Twitter, and anywhere else you think might be an effective way to spread the word. Indiegogo even makes it easy for you to use the share tools here.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading, and we hope to see you soon!

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Choose your Perk

The Fishwife Shout-out

$5 USD
Even the smallest contribution counts! For this perk you get a thank you shout-out on our Twitter feed and Facebook page.
6 claimed

The Fishwife Magnet

$10 USD
A business card-sized magnet with our logo and contact details. Stick it on your fridge, your car, or that hunk of metal sitting in your front yard. Plus shout-outs on our Twitter feed and Facebook page!
Estimated Shipping
February 2014
4 claimed

The Fishwife Beanie

$25 USD
A black beanie with the District Fishwife Flag, for brisk winter days, or standing in the cold room for eight hours straight. Plus a magnet and shout-outs on our Twitter feed and Facebook page!
Estimated Shipping
February 2014
23 claimed

The Fishwife Cap

$35 USD
A black baseball cap with the District Fishwife Flag, for keeping the sun out of your eyes, especially during those long summer days on the boat. Plus a magnet and shout-outs on our Twitter feed and Facebook page!
Estimated Shipping
February 2014
13 claimed

The Fishwife T-shirt

$50 USD
Our basic uniform T-shirt. The District Fishwife text on the left chest, Fishwife definition on the back. You'll be an unofficial member of our team! Plus a magnet and shout-outs on our Twitter feed and Facebook page!
Estimated Shipping
February 2014
10 claimed

The Opening Party [New Date!]

$50 USD
Get an invite for one to our 'We're Open' celebration on Friday the 28th of February from 7pm - 9pm. Meet our team (I'll do my best to convince Vernon to come!), try some delicious food from our menu, and have a beer on us.
Estimated Shipping
February 2014
4 out of 18 of claimed

The Fishwife Rosie T-shirt

$100 USD
We Can Do It! A specially designed Rosie the Fishwife T-shirt. Plus your choice of beanie or cap, a magnet, and shout-outs on our Twitter feed and Facebook page!!
13 claimed

Lunch is on us!

$150 USD
Lunch for two at the District Fishwife. Plus a T-shirt of your choice, a beanie or cap, a magnet, and shout-outs on our Twitter feed and Facebook page!
10 out of 50 of claimed

The Fishwife Tour + Lunch!

$200 USD
Come visit us behind the scenes at Union Market. Take a peek into our cold room and get a firsthand view of our cutting room where the magic happens. You'll also enjoy lunch and drinks for two on us, and take home a t-shirt of your choice, a beanie or cap, a magnet, and receive shout-outs on our Twitter feed and Facebook page!!
5 out of 25 of claimed

Private Fish Cutting Class

$500 USD
Spend 90 minutes in our cutting room with our resident expert Vernon as he shows you how to select, clean, and fillet three kinds of fish of your choice (species based on availability). You'll take home the fillets, your filleting knife, and a glove, as well as your choice of t-shirt, beanie/cap, a magnet, and receive shout-outs on our Twitter feed and Facebook page!!
7 out of 10 of claimed

Feast of the Seven Fishes

$1,000 USD
Our buyer Vernon will hand-select, from wholesale, seven different fishes for your holiday meal for up to six people. We'll butcher them as requested, suggest recipes and preparation techniques to make an extremely delicious feast! While we can't promise anything (it's all about what's fresh), we'll do our best to accommodate requests. You'll also receive your choice of six t-shirts, six beanies/caps, six magnets, and shout-outs on our Twitter feed and Facebook page!
0 out of 5 of claimed
sold out

The Opening Party

$50 USD
2 out of 2 of claimed
Up Caret