Bags to Riches: The Man Behind Avalon Seafood’s & Bud’s Fresh Market’s Continued Success
Carl Jablonski
Like many area visitors, Carl Jablonski became enamored with Seven Mile Beach.
Unlike many, he was able to invest in it. Twice.
The owner of Avalon Seafood and Bud’s Fresh Market in Stone Harbor preserves and enhances two noted establishments. Avalon Seafood, which Jablonski purchased eight years ago, celebrates its 40th anniversary as the island’s first seafood takeout store. It is a signature landmark on 29th and Ocean Drive. Bud’s, at 83rd Street and Third Avenue in Stone Harbor, dates back to 1930. Jablonski bought it seven years ago.
These moves immersed the Trenton native in local tradition. After “retiring” as president of nearly 300 Acme Markets in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and Florida, he found a compelling reason to buy these seasonal establishments.
“What got my attention right away with Avalon Seafood was the amount of food and how they get the orders in and out so quickly,” says Jablonski, who jokingly labels the two stores “Acme South” because many former employees joined him here. He credits them almost entirely with the success of operations, yet he is not an absentee owner. Jablonski answers the phone, chats with customers, and sets a personal-service standard for the group.
Jablonski also cites Avalon Seafood’s “location, location, location” along with a strong history, for its prominence. Previous owners Russ Walters, and then Missy and Dan Merritt, established its roots.
“From the kitchen to the pickup station, there's about a 20-minute window where it all gets done,” he says. “I was impressed with how seamless the whole process was. The other thing is that the store carried a nice variety and everything they had was the highest quality. Most people don’t understand exactly how high that quality was.”
Avalon Seafood tries to blend supermarket selections with an upscale aura. That might include the specialty niche of a particular fish not available in the classic supermarket. Patrons will purchase goods, cook them, serve them and transfer their reviews to him. Instant analysis, instant feedback. That’s the heartbeat of a local business.
“Our customer base is mainly people who own their second homes here,” Jablonski says. “We see them year in, year out. What we have, we know they like. The biggest comment you get is ‘Boy, that combo last night was outstanding’ or ‘That fried scallop was delicious.’ They always let you know. That’s why I love it. You spend time at the counter up front, talking with the people, laughing and having a good time. We try to make sure their shopping is second to none.”
Jablonski says every vendor must have consistent quality, a prerequisite echoed by culinary icons like Emeril Lagasse. The famed entrepreneur and television star (“BAM”) kept vendors on their toes by showing up, unannounced, to personally inspect items for sale.
Jablonski hasn’t hit the celebrity realm, but did author an inspirational professional journey. His would be bags to riches.
“I started as a bagger at Acme, but felt I wanted to be the president of it one day,” Jablonski recalls. “I worked harder than a lot of other people would work. What you learn on the way up is how to treat that dairy department as a store, how to understand variety and rotation, what’s on sale, what you could buy at a lower price, how you can enhance the profits of that individual store.”
Jablonski has the luxury of altering that dynamic now. If he gets a sale price, he’ll likely pass the savings along to patrons. Customers who enter the facility are remembered by name.
Avalon Seafood offers “a variety of extraordinary and fresh products,” Jablonski says. Among them are Mexican brown shrimp, Chilean sea bass and salmon, as well as fresh flounder, tuna, halibut, grouper, live lobster and Maryland blue crabs. Specialty fish orders such as stone crab claws or larger lobsters are also available. The Avalon Produce Market features homemade salads, dips, salsas and desserts.
Bud’s was the brainchild of Mario “Bud” Zuccato, a Navy veteran from Stone Harbor who fought aboard a destroyer in World War II. He ran the store with his wife Harriet. Both passed away in 2009 and their torch has been passed.
Bud’s Fresh Market specializes in fruits and vegetables, deli meats and cheeses. It also has a noted big breakfast sandwich, cheesesteak on Philadelphia rolls.
“We buy our own beef, there are no frozen steaks,” Jablonski says. “We buy our meats fresh.”
Bud’s has tables in front of the store.
“You can have a coffee, read the newspaper, have a donut and pastry,” he says. “We set it up there for people to enjoy themselves.”
Bud’s also handles everything from mushrooms to seasonal fruits to a wide selection of fresh herbs, he says. The facility carries organic fruits and vegetables, along with a deli featuring Boar's Head meats and cheeses.
One of 7-Mile Island's unofficial sales pitches is to come for a week, stay for a lifetime. That “fishing line”, which hardly needs bait, reeled in the new age of two local establishments.
