(Originally published in TOURISM)
“I’m just a shopkeeper in a building that’s been blessed to be standing for 130-odd years,” says Dave Forestall, owner of Slocum & Ferris at Saint John's City Market. A self-proclaimed history buff, Forestall was born and raised in Saint John, but it was not until he returned from ten years away from his hometown that he came to truly appreciate the inventory of heritage buildings in the maritime city. So when Slocum & Ferris (in its same location in the Saint John City Market since 1895) went up for sale, it seemed natural for he and his wife to purchase it.
Forestall describes the market experience as “the anti‑mall” where his goal is as much to engage the customer in friendly conversation as it is to make the sale. He recounts the story of one lady whose family had just moved to Saint John from Los Angeles and confessed she was absolutely hooked on Saint John because it was the first place she’s ever lived where – from the minute she walked into the building – four or five vendors were greeting her son by his first name. “The tenants in the market try to connect with the customers," says Forestall, “whether they’re visitors or locals; we feel that’s what our job is.”
“I’m just a shopkeeper in a building that’s been blessed to be standing for 130-odd years,” says Dave Forestall, owner of Slocum & Ferris at Saint John's City Market. A self-proclaimed history buff, Forestall was born and raised in Saint John, but it was not until he returned from ten years away from his hometown that he came to truly appreciate the inventory of heritage buildings in the maritime city. So when Slocum & Ferris (in its same location in the Saint John City Market since 1895) went up for sale, it seemed natural for he and his wife to purchase it.
Forestall describes the market experience as “the anti‑mall” where his goal is as much to engage the customer in friendly conversation as it is to make the sale. He recounts the story of one lady whose family had just moved to Saint John from Los Angeles and confessed she was absolutely hooked on Saint John because it was the first place she’s ever lived where – from the minute she walked into the building – four or five vendors were greeting her son by his first name. “The tenants in the market try to connect with the customers," says Forestall, “whether they’re visitors or locals; we feel that’s what our job is.”
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