Small Business Saturday: How a Conway Restaurant Is Serving Up Community, One Plate at a Time

This Small Business Saturday, we’re celebrating the passion and purpose that inspired Gail Mishoe’s leap of faith—trading insurance policies for flounder sandwiches. That leap became The Fish House & Market, a beloved family-run Conway restaurant serving up local flavor in every sense.  

Small Business Saturday 2025, held the Saturday after Thanksgiving, spotlights locally owned businesses—highlighting their role in strengthening communities, keeping dollars local, and offering unique products and experiences. 

From the desk of an insurance agency to the counter of a bustling fish market, Gail Mishoe has always been driven by a desire to serve people. For nearly 30 years, she worked to protect families, but her heart has always belonged in the kitchen.

“I love to cook, I love to bake, I just love to serve people,” Gail said. Now she’s fulfilling that lifelong dream at The Fish House & Market of Conway, SC, which she opened with her husband, John—her high school sweetheart and partner since the age of 15. Together they’ve created more than just a restaurant in Conway; they’ve built a gathering place where good food and Southern hospitality come first.

AN EARLY LOVE OF FOOD

As a young child, Gail’s love for good food was impossible to miss. Family members teased her for always sneaking tastes of batter straight from the bowl.

“They were like, ‘You’re going to lose a finger,’ because I wouldn’t keep my fingers out of the mixing bowl,” she laughed.

Her passion grew—from tasting to creating. As a teenager, all she wanted for Christmas was a KitchenAid stand mixer.

“My mom didn’t even know what that was,” Gail said. “She just had a small hand-held mixer with two beaters. I’m sure she had to spend every dollar she had on it. I mean, that was the only thing I got that year.”

Gail wanted to go to culinary school, but her parents insisted on four years at Costal Carolina College in Conway, a satellite of the University of South Carolina. Both her parents had great jobs, but neither attended college. They promised if she completed college and got her business administration degree, they would discuss the possibility of culinary school.

“I reckon they knew me well because after four years of college, I could have cared less about going to school anymore.”

FROM POLICIES TO DELICACIES: TURNING PASSION INTO BUSINESS

After a short stint at a local grocery store as a clerk, Gail joined State Farm and then built her career at People’s Underwriters where she worked for 25 years, often selling SageSure products to protect her clients.

“It was a great job, but my passion has always been baking,” Gail said. In fact, everyone at family gatherings knows one thing for sure—Gail’s bringing dessert. “It’s just what I do.”

After years of dreaming of a kitchen all her own, Gail finally saw her moment. In 2023, she, John, and another partner purchased the building that would become The Fish House & Market. It was originally a milk distribution plant, then an ice cream delivery center before becoming an ice distribution factory. With over 2,000 square feet of freezer space, it was perfect for a fish market.

While John envisioned the perfect fish counter, Gail dreamed of the tasty dishes she could create.

Initially, the couple made a 10-year plan to convert the old icehouse into their dream fish market, but then in 2023 two of the local fish markets in Conway shut down.

“At that point, it was like, if we’re going to open up a fish market, we need to get on the ball,” Gail said.

Knowing she wanted to retire from insurance and pursue her life passion, Gail fast-tracked a five-year succession plan into just two years—freeing her to focus solely on The Fish House & Market.

ELBOW GREASE, DETERMINATION, AND A DREAM REALIZED

They did it all: painted the exterior, epoxied the floors, learned to run a three-phase power system, read city manuals, and refinished coolers. With help from family, Gail and John rolled up their sleeves and tackled every task to get ready for opening day.

Finally, on July 17, 2025, after five years of paint, sweat, and tears, The Fish House & Market welcomed their first customers.

“The response has been phenomenal,” Gail said. “People are just walking up and saying, ‘You got us hooked,’ and ‘This is the best piece of fish I’ve ever had.’ We had no idea the response would have come like it did.”

Before opening, the city required Gail to provide an estimated number of people they would serve. Without really knowing what to expect, she reported that they hoped to serve 30 people a day. The response has been overwhelming.

“The first weekend we opened, we served 200 a day,” she said.

GOOD FOOD, GOOD PEOPLE

Beyond the fresh fish options, The Fish House & Market offers lunch and take-and-bake options Wednesday through Saturday. From homemade casseroles and mac and cheese to fresh-fried pork rinds, croutons, cheesecakes, and tangy Key Lime pies—everything is crafted in-house with care.

And the town has already spoken—the beloved Ole Conway, a simple yet irresistibly tasty flounder sandwich, has become a local favorite.

Gail’s vision of creating a welcoming space where people linger, connect, and enjoy good food has exceeded her expectations.

“When people are in line here, they start seeing the people that they know and then they just start talking,” she said. “And before you know it, you can’t even get their attention to tell them their food’s ready.”

THE MAMA GAIL WAY

At first glance, insurance and fish markets might seem worlds apart, but for Gail, it’s always been about the people. And it starts with her team.

She treats her staff like family, earning the affectionate nickname, Mama Gail.

Though the market is closed on Tuesdays, it’s anything but quiet. The staff preps to make sure everything is ready for the week ahead.

A hard-working team is a hungry one. When they work together on Tuesdays, they also eat together. Instead of preparing their own meal, they patronize another Conway favorite, bringing in good food from a fellow restaurant.

“Conway is a lot of little family-owned businesses and that’s what we can do to help keep each other going,” Gail said. “It speaks volumes to me when somebody comes in and they’re from another food establishment, but they come to eat with me. So, I’m hoping that speaks volumes to these people as well.”

HIGH SCHOOL SWEETHEARTS TURNED BUSINESS PARTNERS

Married 31 years and together for more than four decades, working together is a whole new adventure for Gail and John.

“I’d say we’re probably handling a little better than we expected because we each have our own function,” Gail said. John handles the fish counter; Gail oversees the market. “We are pretty good at dividing and conquering.”

With two sons, the couple hopes to grow The Fish House & Market into a family legacy that the next generation can take over when Gail is ready for her second retirement—but that isn’t happening anytime soon. She couldn’t be happier in her new career.

In the meantime, she continues crafting mouth-watering meals from quality food and reputable sources to nourish the Conway community—a true extension of her care for the people she serves.

FROM PROTECTING HOMES TO FEEDING HEARTS

“When I was in insurance, I was protecting people’s assets and now I’m protecting their health,” Gail said. “If I feed them something that’s unhealthy, not good quality, that’s even worse. So that is why we are doing everything we possibly can to serve a quality product.”

When it came time to protect her growing operation with small business insurance, she turned to a company she trusted from her days as an agent: SageSure.

“I appreciated the partnership that y’all had with our agency and I know where y’all come from.” Gail said. “You value your employees, and I know some insurance companies are not like that.”

Gail proves that reinvention is always possible—and that the skills you master in one industry can serve you surprisingly well in another. Whether she’s getting to know her customers by name, taking care of her staff, or in the kitchen whipping up the next menu item for the people of Conway, Gail’s mission hasn’t changed—it’s about serving others with purpose and heart.