Maverick Foods to change hands as the Smock Brothers head off to new adventures

Prince Rupert's popular shopping stop Maverick Foods has been sold 

It may be located on the eastern side of Prince Rupert at the corner of Frederick and 11th Avenue East, but the loyal customer base for Maverick Mart comes from all corners of the city; much of that because Rick Taylor and Helder Marques known for years as the Smock Brothers having provided for one of the gold standards in Prince Rupert customer service for over thirty five years.

This weekend those customers were the first to hear word of a change coming to the popular stop for supplies in the city, with Mr. Taylor and Mr. Marques announcing the sale of their business, marking the end of an era for the local market and the community.

The Maverick Mart Social Media feed over the weekend, relaying their notes of thanks, farewells and best wishes for the new owners all in one.

The store which flourished in an era of supermarkets. Big Box road trips to Terrace and online shopping managed to find its niche in the community, mostly by way of their customer service and their desire to bring  a wide variety of specialty goods in for their customers. 

It was THE destination in town for hard to find Italian items, local and regional produce, meats,  cheeses and other popular items from the farms and services of the Northwest.

The east side market making for a community square on many occasions, with their annual Seafood Sale over the Christmas holidays a popular event that brought customers in from the city and beyond.

The business mirrored the community working through the good times and the tough ones,  expanding to Port Edward at one point, before selling that location to local investors from the Gimaxmak'ay Nisga'a Society. 

The main store on 11th Avenue East had been on the market for a fair bit of time prior to the sale announcement, so the final closing of a deal is not a surprise for sure, but still one that seems suddenly quite final, marking a shift once again for the ebb and flow of commerce in the community.

The new owners take on their new venture with a high bar to reach when it comes to being involved in the day to day travels of a customer base.

As part of their farewell, the now former owners offered up a retrospective of how it was and how it is today ... that as they take their leave from the business that built up from their first door opening 35 years ago.

While the previous owners now take to their road ahead, what's to come for the store can be followed through the social media feed for Maverick Foods.

More notes on the city's commercial sector can be explored from our archive page.