The History of Lord's Lobster
By Connor DeMerchant - 20 August 2026
One of the longest running businesses currently operating in the City Market is Lord’s Lobster, which first opened here in the fall of 1967, taking over a fish stall operated for many years by Greenlaws.[1] Original owners Harold P. Lord (1920-2003) and his wife Pearl (Wilcox) Lord (1911-2013) had previously operated their business on Chesley Drive. Around the same time that they took over the stall in the Market, the Lords also moved their main seafood operation to Spruce Lake, just outside of the city.[2] When they moved to the market the Lords were already well-known for the quality of their seafood and for their hospitality.[3] Indeed, their business was quite extensive, also running the canteen at the Reversing Falls Bridge, starting in 1964.[4]
In 1973, management of the Lord’s Lobster stall in the City Market was taken up by Isaac Brown, who also managed the Coffee Corner restaurant nearby.[5] The Lords sold their market stall (although they continued to operate their larger seafood business until 1980) to Marven Hunter (1936-2014) and his wife Jean Hunter in 1975 and the name was retained.
Marven and Jean Hunter had no previous experience in the fish business when they took over Lord’s Lobster. The couple had previously operated an independent convenience store. Although they were newcomers to the trade, they quickly learned the business, with Marven taking on the purchasing side of the operation while Jean handled the bookkeeping. In an interview published in 1991 after they had been in business for 15 years, the Hunters credited their success to hard work, good quality, and personal service.
Under the Hunters’ ownership, Lord’s Lobster continued to grow. They expanded the stall’s floor space, rented out an upstairs office, and introduced a take-out service featuring fresh fish and home-cut French fries. The take-out quickly became popular with Market customers, and the Hunters reported that they had tripled the business’s sales volume. Despite these changes, they remained conscious of the business’s history, continuing to operate under the Lord’s name and to serve the customers who had come to know the stall over the years.
By the early 1990s, the Hunters’ greatest concern was not the fish business itself but the changing circumstances around the City Market. They worried that declining parking and increasing traffic congestion were making it more difficult for customers to make the quick visits on which Market businesses depended. Nevertheless, they remained optimistic about the future of Lord’s Lobster, with Marven noting that he and Jean greatly enjoyed being in the Market and describing it as a place where they enjoyed seeing their customers. In the earl 1990s the Hunters employed a staff of thirteen, including three of their children. [6]
After several decades of ownership Marven and Jean Hunter sold Lord’s Lobster in 2000 and moved to western Canada. The next owner of the stall was Dave Luckett. Although the Lord’s Lobster sign was retained, the business was later sold and rebranded as North Market Seafood. It operates as a subsidiary of Cooke Seafood Inc.
[1] “Notice.” The Evening Times-Globe. 14 September 1967, Pg. 3.
[2] “Common Council Meeting Today.” The Telegraph Journal. 31 July 1967, Pg. 16.
[3] “Man on the Street.” The Evening Times-Globe. 13 November 1963, Pg. 19.
[4] “Have You Heard the News?” The Evening Times-Globe. 16 May 1964, Pg. 2.
[5] “Now Under New Management.” The Evening Times-Globe. 20 September 1973, Pg. 11.
[6] “Fish Business Reeks of Success.” The Evening Times Globe.17 January 1991, Pg. 20.
Photos: (above) 1967 Newspaper announcement of Lord's Lobster business expansion to the City Market; (below) Don Hunter shows Janet Thomas a selection of cooked and live lobster, January 1981; and Marven and Jean Hunter at Lord's Lobster in the City Market, January 1991. (All photos from The Telegraph Journal)
