Park Bait Co., Chicago

In the 1930s, a boy named Willie Greene spent his days fishing in Montrose Harbor. Though he was young, Willie fit right in with the Harbor's old-timers, including 2 Pole Johnny, Coffee George, and Uncle Henry. In the late 1950s, Willie borrowed some money from Uncle Henry in order to take over the Harbor's small, walk-up bait shack, and Park Bait Co. was born. Today, his daughter Stacey runs the shop, which opens in mid-March and closes in late November. The shop stocks a full line of bait and tackle products, as well as rods, reels, bait buckets, and more.