Detroit history
The Lobster Pot: a Detroit story since 1952.
An east-side seafood market, a familiar Harper Avenue address, and a small piece of history preserved in a 1992 newspaper.
The Lobster Pot places the start of its story in 1952. Its own account describes decades of serving the Grosse Pointes and surrounding area from Detroit’s east side. Today, the market lists its address as 16901 Harper Avenue.[1]
A small advertisement, a recognizable address.
Open the November 19, 1992 edition of the Grosse Pointe News to page 16A and there it is: a Lobster Pot pre-holiday seafood advertisement. It offers king crab sections and snow crab legs, with the market’s lobster mascot beneath them.[2]
The advertisement gives 16901 Harper, two blocks west of Cadieux, and the phone number 882-7400. The address and the seven-digit local number match the market’s present-day contact information. It is a concrete glimpse of the business more than three decades ago.[2][1]
Seafood for the home kitchen.
That holiday advertisement speaks to a familiar reason to visit a fish market: bringing something home for a meal worth planning. Crab for a gathering, fish for dinner, or a favorite ingredient can make a small neighborhood shop part of a household’s routine.
The current menu spans Great Lakes fish, lobster, shellfish, frozen seafood, and accompaniments. The business also advertises wholesale service. Together, those offerings describe a market that supplies ingredients for home cooks and food businesses.[3][1]
The story continues on Harper.
The 1952 starting date comes from the business’s own history; the newspaper independently documents its Harper Avenue presence in 1992. Those two records provide a starting point for understanding The Lobster Pot’s place on Detroit’s east side.[1][2]
For a visit today, start with the current menu and the location page. The newspaper’s prices and hours belong to 1992—a little local history to enjoy before choosing what to cook next.
Sources & further reading
Researched from the market’s published information and the sources below. Historical advertisements do not show today’s prices or hours.