Becky McIntyre launched Wrangell Seaside as a pop-up food stand between the Churchill Building and the WCA Carving Shed, serving fresh spot prawns with an eye toward turning the venture into a full-scale restaurant.

“I honestly just wanted to be able to introduce people to locally sourced seafood,” she said.

Her supply comes directly through family ties. McIntyre purchases inventory from her husband, Paul McIntyre, owner of Sea Hunt Seafoods. While he processes, packages and ships much of his product to markets in Arizona, the pop-up keeps a portion of the catch on home ground.

Passengers traveling on cruise ships have provided a steady flow of business for her pop-up throughout the summer season. She opened her stand in June.

“The tourists from the cruise ships have been great,” she said. “So many of them are quick to come here because they are looking specifically for locally sourced seafood.”

She said her hours are typically determined by the cruise ship schedule, as their passengers are her target customers.

Customer suggestions also helped reshape the menu as the summer progressed. On Aug. 17, McIntyre introduced a seafood medley featuring three varieties of salmon: coho, king and sockeye.

“It basically happened because I ran out of prawns and was down to the three kinds of salmon, and some customers said it would be nice to be able to try all three types,” she said. “It seemed to go over really well.”

Operating the stand brings logistical hurdles, however. Because the menu depends on what Sea Hunt Seafoods harvests from week to week, offerings can fluctuate.

“It can be a little bit tricky,” she said. “And then needing to be able to anticipate what the customers might want — like with the medley — it can be a lot to keep cooked and ready while trying to serve everyone.”

McIntyre also balances the food venture alongside her work shifts at the Stikine Inn and River’s Mouth Resale.

“I try to schedule as many weekends as possible,” she said. “I can’t really afford to miss any days of work from my other jobs. I make it a priority to not miss any work.”

Despite the demanding schedule, McIntyre noted strong community encouragement alongside the tourist trade.

“I have received so much support from locals with the pop-up,” she said. “I had some people come down before closing (Aug. 17) and order their supper because they didn’t feel like cooking and they wanted to support what I’m doing.”

Looking ahead, McIntyre plans to expand her offerings to include smoked fish and packaged frozen seafood. For now, the pop-up will continue operating through September to coincide with the conclusion of the cruise ship season.