Little did Denise Gilbride know that a childhood gift would eventually lead her to owning her own business on Hampton Harbor: Linda’s Lobsters.
“When I was six, my uncle gave me a tackle box, and I’ve loved fishing and the ocean ever since,” Gilbride said. “A friend I went to high school with had a boat, and I’d go out with him and help him catch lobsters. I really enjoyed it.”
That love of the sea — and the friendship — never faded. The Lowell, Massachusetts, native kept spending weekends on the water, even as she grew up, got a day job, married, raised two children and, about eight years ago, finally moved to her beloved Hampton Beach.
“Then my friend decided to sell his business and offered it to me first,” she said. “I said, ‘Absolutely!’ I bought it in December (2025).”
The business includes a 20‑foot lobster boat, the Linda‑Lou, along with the lobster pound in Unit F at 1 Ocean Blvd on Hampton Harbor. Gilbride is taking on the new venture while keeping her day job as an office manager for a company in Newburyport, Massachusetts.
“It’s been challenging,” she said. “But the future’s looking bright.”
She’s already spruced up the pound, upgrading equipment with help from her 32‑year‑old daughter and 30‑year‑old son — and with plenty of support and encouragement from her employer, she said.
Gilbride sells the lobsters she catches, along with shellfish — steamers, mussels, scallops and shrimp — that she sources from outside suppliers. As with most shellfish sold locally, prices fluctuate daily based on the market, she said, but she hopes to stay competitive with other area vendors.
The red‑and‑white Linda‑Lou is currently at the Hampton Marina awaiting some finishing work, she said. Once it’s ship‑shape, Gilbride plans to take it out on Tuesdays and again on weekends after the pound closes to replenish her stock.
A business named for the best friend she ever had
The reason Denise Gilbride named her new business “Linda’s Lobsters” comes with its own personal story.
“Linda was the name of my dog,” she said of the much‑loved companion who died a few months after Gilbride bought the business. “Linda not only was the best friend — she was just the best.”
Linda, a Texas rescue dog Gilbride adopted in 2021 from Cape Ann Animal Aid in Gloucester, filled the void left by her boxer, Addison, who died in 2020.
“I so missed having that companion that could come to work with me and spend my off time walking trails and the beach,” Gilbride said. “I was fortunate that I could take my dog to work.”
Linda was a 5½‑year‑old mixed breed — “a perfect match,” Gilbride said — when they met at the shelter, though her original name, Patches, didn’t quite fit.
“Linda was not a Patches; she was all Linda,” Gilbride said. “Linda is my middle name, as well as my godmother’s.”
Shy and cautious at first, Linda quickly blossomed, becoming a familiar favorite around Hampton Beach. Before long, she was a friendly greeter and a regular presence in the beach parking lots.
“Linda was honestly the best friend ever,” Gilbride said. “I named the pound after her (because) it was absolutely most fitting. Everyone loved Linda. She loved her beach, and she also makes the cutest company logo.”
Establishing her company in December, registering it as Linda’s Lobsters LLC, “Sounded perfect,” Gilbride said.
By the end of March, however, Linda was just not acting like herself, Gilbride said, and the vet diagnosed her with pancreatitis. Further testing showed the extent of Linda’s illness was quite grave, and she died soon after.
At Linda’s Lobsters, dogs get to have a free lobster treat in her honor.
“I give free all-natural homemade lobster-shaped cookies to Linda’s canine friends when their parents get their lobsters,” she said. “So, Linda lives on through the pound with her cutest ever face and her memory.”
When to visit — and how to get your lobsters
Linda’s Lobsters is open from 4 to 7 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information on Linda’s Lobsters, visit its website at lindaslobsternh.com, or call 603-760-8556 for daily info and to place special orders.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald. Reporting by Angeljean Chiaramida, news@seacoastonline.com.
