Sandpoint's Flying Fish Co. ends an era
<p>Craig Gildersleeve, who started by selling fresh fish out of coolers in 1979, stands beside the Flying Fish Co. location that has been put on the market after 35 years of running the business in Sandpoint. (Photo by DAVID GUNTER)</p>
SANDPOINT — The area’s best-known outlet for fresh seafood is about to celebrate a milestone moment, as the Flying Fish Co. turns 35 years old. The local business has seen it all, selling its product at various times in everything from a small market space to ice-packed coolers in the back of a truck.
No matter the location, customers always knew one thing — owner Craig Gildersleeve was the man to see for fresh fish.
Longtime residents will recall a few spots that Flying Fish Co. called home. The first popped up in 1979, when Gildersleeve worked as a bartender in the St. Bernard’s Keg watering hole at Schweitzer. When management required him to shave his beard, the barkeep told them no. Within a couple weeks, he was given his walking papers.
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