WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — A Facebook video with more than 5,000 views was the traction Leslie and Josh Sharpe didn't expect they'd get.
"We just want to let everybody know that it is tough right now for our business," owner Josh Sharpe shared on their Saltwater Outpost account.
The Sharpes opened their fresh seafood and meat market in July 2021. Josh told 13WMAZ it was great in the beginning, but a rollercoaster for sales after a while. With the pandemic still looming and an increase in inflation costs, things got fishy for the Saltwater Outpost business.
"Everything starts going up a little more, a little more, and you know, we try to keep it and go by the pricing structure.
Sharpe says their fish supply comes from places like Hawaii and New Zealand. He explained that when cost go up, so do their prices, and that can become a struggle to keep the doors open for their small business and others.
"It's not us trying to make more profit, we want to be able to provide for our family."
With two boys at home, they fish and meat market was a dream for the Sharpes. Leslie told 13WMAZ they opened the market after no longer having an interest in their careers. This led them to opening a new door, but after a year in business, a dreaded decision had to be made.
"Saturday will be our last day open," owner Leslie Sharpe said in their Facebook video.
However, the Warner Robins community didn't allow their last day to be soon and support came washing in.
"Not just southern hospitality, but the sense of community and how people just love and support each other," Leslie Sharpe said.
The Sharpes told 13WMAZ a day after they shared their emotional plea, new and old customers came for their variety of meats and seafood, and securing them a lifeline to hook onto and keep going.
Now, the Sharpes say they don't have to close their doors and will be "ready for business next week."