Chapter 221 - 143: The Swaggering Brother Sea King

Chapter 221: Chapter 143: The Swaggering Brother Sea King

After lunch and a short break, Gu Nan locked up the shop, and he and Yi Chen went hand in hand to look for a new storefront.

The seafood shops in the Yangjiang International Seafood Market mostly specialized in mid- to high-end seafood.

This was Gu Nan’s first stop. He had once considered opening a shop here, but unfortunately, the storefronts were all very large, and the cost was too high.

The market where his current shop was located was called the Yangjiang Fishery Seafood Market. The name was only slightly different, but the class was a world apart.

As they walked inside, Yi Chen immediately noticed that the ground was much cleaner and the entire seafood market was larger—so large that even medium-sized trucks could drive right in.

Gu Nan glanced at a few shops and saw that the storefronts here were indeed much larger, at least a hundred square meters.

The larger ones were even two hundred square meters, looking just like small aquariums. ’I wonder if they’re actually making money or losing it, setting things up so elaborately,’ he thought.

"Ah Nan, the rent here must be really expensive, right?" Yi Chen grew hesitant after looking around. She felt that opening a seafood shop here seemed a bit unnecessary.

It was definitely expensive. Gu Nan had inquired here before; the annual rent for a hundred-square-meter storefront was around 200,000, and larger ones cost even more.

Location also played a part. A shop owner with an established client base didn’t need to worry about a prime spot, but those with fewer customers had to rely on the market’s foot traffic.

"Our current shop is big enough for now, but once the fishing season starts, it’ll get a little cramped."

"My plan is to use that location to sell local seafood and imported seafood priced under a hundred."

"You have no idea what it’s like once the fishing season opens. There’s so much local seafood that the shop gets completely packed."

"This new location will be for high-end imports. The main business will be deliveries to restaurants and hotels."

The Fishery Seafood Market was close to the fishing pier, which made selling local seafood more convenient.

The International Seafood Market was close to customs and specialized in imported goods.

Just walking past the entrances, they noticed that almost every shop was selling Emperor Crabs.

Lobsters, abalones, and all sorts of imported oysters—you could find it all here.

But even though these shops mostly dealt in high-end seafood, the foot traffic was by no means less than at the other market.

The coastal regions were economically developed, and there were certainly a lot of wealthy people.

Never mind the super-rich; the number of families with annual incomes in the hundreds of thousands, or even over a million, was massive. Even at this hour, there were still quite a few people buying seafood.

"Ah Nan, how big of a shop are you looking to rent?" Yi Chen had also spotted a few shuttered storefronts that were clearly unrented.

"A hundred and fifty square meters would be enough. Two hundred feels like overkill. A hundred would be too cramped once you put a large tank in the middle, and we still need to set up a small kitchen and a walk-in freezer!"

Gu Nan had given this a lot of thought. He had already planned everything out, even running through the renovations in his head.

So his purpose today was to identify all the shops around one hundred and fifty square meters and then call the landlords or the market manager to inquire about renting.

They inquired about a total of six shops. The smallest was one hundred and fifty square meters, the largest was one hundred and seventy-five, and the rents ranged from 260,000 to 400,000.

Even though Yi Chen was mentally prepared, she couldn’t help but shake her head and sigh at the rental prices. No wonder the owner of the neighboring abalone shop had moved to the other seafood market not long after opening here; he could save over a hundred thousand a year on rent alone.

Just like haggling for a car, Gu Nan negotiated the price. He complained it was too expensive and asked for a lower price, and if they refused, he’d just wait them out.

He wasn’t in a hurry; he could wait ten days, half a month, even a full month. But if the landlords couldn’t rent out the space, they’d be the ones losing money.

A storefront with such high rent wasn’t going to be easy to lease.

Still, out of all the options, Gu Nan preferred the one-hundred-and-seventy-five-square-meter shop. It looked quite new inside, as if the previous tenant had renovated it, and it hadn’t been occupied for long. It wasn’t like the others, which had a lingering odor even after being cleaned.

The International Seafood Market had been open for seventeen years, so the shops had some age on them. Without a proper renovation, they were bound to have an odor.

The rent for this shop wasn’t the most expensive either, at just 350,000. Plus, he could save money on renovations, so it was actually a great value.

Just as they were leaving the seafood market, Gu Nan’s phone rang.

He glanced at the screen and saw it was a call from Jiang Tengming. ’That guy seems to get along well with An Jun,’ he thought. ’They’re both LSPs.’

Although Jiang Tengming was a seafood vlogger, he didn’t actually come to the shop to buy seafood very often. He’d only stopped by twice in the first half of the month, so Gu Nan was surprised to get a call from him today.

"Hello?"

"Ah Nan, it’s Tengming. Are you closed today?"

"Oh, I had to step out for a bit. I’m about to head back now. Did you want to buy some fish?"

"Yeah. I’ll wait for you. I brought a friend with me today, you know."

"Okay, I’ll be right back."

With business knocking, he really did have to hurry back.

When the two of them got back to the shop, they saw three people standing at the entrance.

One was Jiang Tengming. Of the other two, one was holding up a video camera and filming.

Gu Nan raised an eyebrow. ’Another big-shot vlogger?’

He had learned a thing or two since opening the shop; anyone who came with a dedicated cameraman usually had a substantial number of fans.

Someone like Jiang Tengming, on the other hand, couldn’t yet afford to hire a cameraman or an editor.

When Jiang Tengming saw Gu Nan return, he hurried forward to introduce the friend he was collaborating with.

"There he is, there he is! Ah Nan, let me introduce you. This is the Sea King of the seafood vlogging world. He’s already tackled hundreds of different marine creatures."