Fizzy Waters and Crabby Ol’ Bill’s Announce Closure

The iconic boat, washed ashore in Canal Park, Crabby Ol’ Bills, has announced it is closed for business, along with its sister shop in Downtown Duluth, Fizzy Waters.

In an announcement on their Facebook page, they announced, “Fizzy Waters & Crabby Ol’ Bill’s are closed for business. We would like to thank everyone for all of their support through out our 5 years in business.”

Crabby Ol’ Bill’s was known for their steaming hot mini donuts and their array of seafood to enjoy on the shores of Lake Superior. Owners Steve and Susan Smith bought the establishment in 2011 from previous owner Tom Zimmer. At the beginning of the summer of 2016 season, they set out to raise money to repair the ship, which has taken a beating from being so close to Lake Superior. Plans were to replace bumpers and rotted wood; install rain gutters to prevent further damage; and giving the boat a nice fresh coat of paint. They setup a GoFundMe page to raise $12,000 with the help of the community for these repairs, the page has since been removed from the website.

Just a few short years after purchasing the shack, they popped into the craft soda market in 2013, and opened up Fizzy Waters in a temporary location in Canal Park, right off the main drag of Canal Park Drive. Rows of shelves housed specialty sodas and vintage hard-to-find candies, and in the summer of 2016, they moved locations to Downtown Duluth after out growing the Canal Park location.

“A business (because you are there all the time) really becomes your place in the community. We have enjoyed being in that place and just rain into one bridge we could not navigate. If given the choice, we would be there open to close, just like always,” the announcement on their Facebook stated.

Full statement from Facebook:

We are sad to announce that Fizzy Waters & Crabby Ol’ Bill’s are closed for business. We would like to thank everyone for all of their support through out our 5 years in business. We have met some amazing people and had some great opportunities during this time. We would also like to thank the awesome employees that we have had over the years for their hard work and dedication. We were a small family-run business that started from a small business loan. We will miss you all.
Perhaps our nature to trust and to work hard and to attempt to be people of value has not always proven successful from a monetary standpoint. Perhaps it isn’t always popular to be the new kids on the block, but it seemed that many of you saw something different and fun in our little stores.