Tina Toomer

There is something gritty and romantic about coastal
life-like the fetid smell of rotting fish to complement
a breathtaking sunrise over the water. Tina Toomer
knows all about the hardships and rewards, splendors
and horrors of a sea-based existence. She and her husband Larry
operate the Bluffton Oyster Company, arguably the most iconic
place in Bluffton, and certainly a hometown favorite for buying all
sorts of fresh local seafood. But for the Toomers, it's not just about
running a business-it's about a passion for the river.

Tina grew up in North Carolina and started working at age 15 in
the hospitality industry. She moved to Hilton Head in 1982, and in
'89 a shrimper friend introduced her to Larry. She was immediately
captivated by the freedom of his lifestyle. They started dating and,
since he often had to go out shrimping for days at a time, he hired
her as striker so they wouldn't have to feel the agony of separation
known only to naÔve young lovers. Tina got her first taste of life at
sea; she cooked, cleaned, worked the nets and doors on the back
deck, headed shrimp, and cleaned fish. To this day she remembers
the peaceful feeling of getting up at four in the morning, putting on
a pot of coffee and pulling the anchor up in the silent pitch black.
The two of them ran an 80 ft. shrimp boat off Hilton Head by
themselves for two years before having their first daughter.

"We've always worked towards the same goals," said Tina of her
twenty year marriage and business partnership with her husband.
"First it was for each other, then our family, and now the river.
That's our big passion right now."

Eleven years ago they bought the Oyster Company business, the
oldest continuously operating oyster shucking facility in the state.
Thanks in no small part to Tina's experience in hospitality, they
have been able to expand into a successful seafood market and
catering operation. Along the way, they have provided employment
for a number of local oystermen, not to mention the oyster shucking
ladies, members of a disappearing generation who have come to be
like family for the Toomers.

"Willie Mae, Ernestine, Hattie.I think Larry and I are very
blessed to have these women," said Tina. "What they do is an art
and they don't have to be here. They care about us, but we also
have the utmost respect for them."

The responsibility Tina feels towards her colleagues in the oyster
industry extends to the river itself. She and Larry are regular fixtures at
all the community meetings, and they have good working relationships
with entities like DHEC and Friends of the River. The Toomers are
without a doubt two of the most important environmental advocates
this community has, and the task they face is simply one more uphill
battle in a job already fraught with challenge.

"There is never 100% security in what we do," Tina said. "There
are a lot of things that can work against us: the tide, the weather,
fuel costs, development. It's a difficult way to make a living but I
feel so blessed to be able to do what I do, and I wouldn't trade it for
anything in the world."