Fisherman Þór Magnússon and his wife Guðlaug Björnsdóttir thought it was strange that it wasn’t possible to buy fresh fish in their town, even though they live along the edge of the Tálknafjörður fjord in the Westfjords. So, bb.is reports, they decided to take a novel approach and open a self-service fish stand where customers can purchase fresh fish and prepared fish dishes no matter what time of day it is.
This is the third summer in a row that the couple have operated the stand, which sells fish that Þór catches himself. “This came into being because travelers and other people were often asking about fish and such. And it seemed silly that it wasn’t possible to get fish in a fishing village,” he explained. “And so I was sitting in front of a vegetable stand in Borgarfjörður once and it occurred to me—to sell fish in the same way.”
In addition to Þór’s fresh catch, customers can buy dried fish, homemade fish balls, and fish sauce that Guðlaug makes herself. The couple closely monitors the stand’s offerings and brings over new items as needed. Customers can either put their money into a cash box on site, or even transfer payment to the couple electronically. Neither has ever worried that people aren’t paying for items, and are proud of the fact that their customers come from all over the world, as they can tell from a map they’ve hung on the wall for people to stick a pin in when they stop by.
Watch a video interview with the couple (in Icelandic) and see the shop on RÚV here.
