Steve Palmisano dug up an old dollar bill, then flipped it to reveal May 21, 1952, when his father, Hank, founded what became Henry’s Sports and Bait.
Tom, the middle of Hank’s sons, opened a notebook and pulled out pictures showing Henry’s progress Wednesday in the upstairs office.
Henry’s, a Bridgeport fixture at 3130 S. Canal, will close later this year, ending its run as a fishing and outdoor powerhouse in Chicago.
It’s a classic Chicago hustle story.
Hank was an Air Force equipment specialist in World War II. On the GI Bill, he learned clock repair, then opened a small shop at 2452 S. Wentworth and worked nights for the Burlington Railroad. On the back, he also painted a chalkboard with card merchandise on hooks, strips and containers.
“Next thing, he put in an underground well and we had minnow tanks,” Tom said.
It became a shopping mall. The relatives entered. Hank’s father, the immigrant Ignatius, was a skilled net worker and repaired nets and made nets.
“‘One-Tree Phil’ will park his Model A by the lake with a sign on the roof of -Henry’s,” Tom said.
Bait detectors were used to check every bait container in front of a customer at Henry’s, where the motto was, “All bait must be opened & verified by our staff.”
In brilliant marketing, Hank made sure – every box that crawled was opened and shown to the customer. That continues to this day. The crew doesn’t count the minnows, but take and count the dozen.
Then Henry moved to 2222 S. Silverton Way, which is the current connection between South Park (King Drive) and Cermak. It was a compromise agreement during the 1933-34 World’s Fair.
The second Henry’s location on South Silverton Way included several other stores in the vicinity.
When RR Donnelley bought the block, Henry had to move, going to 420 W. 31st in 1968, then an empty railroad. The marine store became part of the business, adding it separately in 1976.
The fear was that the move from the lake would cost them business. But, as Steve noted, “All the pieces of the puzzle were coming out in 1968.”
Coho have now been introduced into Lake Michigan. The decorations and the fish were strong.
Buddy, a former employee of Henry’s, with one of the old cohos from 1968 at Henry’s third location.
Business quadrupled. Henry’s is located outside of Dan Ryan’s off-street location and is open from 4am to 10pm on Sundays.
Around 1974, what became Henry’s last home, a condemned building in need of heavy brick work on Canal South 31st, was purchased.
In May 1978, a seven-page ad in Midwest Outdoors announced Henry’s new home.
Henry took a large part in the Pepsi salmon race, including a boat, motor and trailer. Henry held open houses in the spring and fall for local experts to speak at seminars – perch seminars with Frank “Pan Man” DeFrancisco, Frank Brzycki, Ron Bridges, Ken Schneider and Chuck Thompson. Food – fried pollock, french fries, fried turkey, Italian sausage, jambalaya – increased the draw and advertised chefs.
Henry’s Sports and Bait, at its last location at 3130 S. Canal, is known for its open house fare, including items such as deep-fried turkey, jambalaya and Italian sausage.
Henry’s sometimes dabbled in other sports (skates, golf, etc.), but fishing was constant. Although some bait goes to pet food and worms to city computers.
All seven of Hank’s grandfathers worked at the store: counting minnows, packing worms, working the counter. They all went on to achieve success in other fields.
Henry’s, where hundreds started their careers, proved a fertile path to other careers. Tom and Steve fired marine biologists, lawyers, doctors, EMTs, EPA officials, business owners, etc.
“Two guys who used to have their own seafood stores,” Tom said.
I know two people who became police officers in Chicago.
One, Brandon Troupe, texted: “I remember working the Rosemont show in ’05-06. That was a cool time. Being in the warehouse one night and literally loading all of Henry’s stuff into a truck. of a box. Steve and Tom weren’t great owners, but they got down and dirty with the loading process, too! . . . I’m glad Steve gave me a shot at that age.”
Rich Pinkowski started Henry’s at St. John’s High School. Joseph in 1983. He became a union carpenter, now a nationwide labor inspector. For several years, he was the tournament director of the Illinois B.A.S.S. Nation.
He interviewed the eldest son, Henry, who died suddenly at the age of 54 in 2006.
“He asked what my fishing gear was,” Pinkowski said. “I said, ‘8-pound line and a No. 10 Eagle hook and two split shots.’ He said, ‘Draw the minnows and see how close you get to 12.’ That was my first job interview.
“I wore night crawlers on my back, but mostly I worked at a desk. . . . The biggest thing people were crazy about was Catalpa worms. When they came in, they would line up.
“I was a fish boss. It was the perfect job for me. I got to fish and talk to people.”
Henry’s is one of several long-standing restaurants in the Chicago area. Park Bait began as a family business in 1958 in Montrose Harbor. By 1935, Barry’s Bait was there.
C.J. Smith Resort in Antioch is the oldest family owned bait shop, dating back to Smith’s landing in 1929. Triangle Sports and Marine in Antioch has been around since 1948. Waukegan’s salmon stop just celebrated its 50th in April.
Tom and Steve talk about the rough days when Chicago had dozens of stores. Seining minnows in the Illinois River was a bare business, then Hank made a brilliant move to rent a place near Marseilles, freezing the other shops.
Every Thursday night, they would carve crayfish at golf courses or ponds around Orland Park, Palos Park or Kankakee County without a permit. For this undercover operation, they had 25 dollars to hit. Drivers would jump in the dark, with a small flashlight, and quickly fill 5-gallon buckets before moving on.
In a pinch, she’s picked a crawler from McKinley Park or the lawn.
Five current Illinois record fish were weighed at Henry’s: skipjack herring (Travis Strickland, 2 pounds, 10.4 ounces, May 11, 2022, Illinois River), giant carp (Jarrett Knize, 72-9, November 8, 2021, Humboldt Park lagoon ), smallmouth bass (Joe Capilupo, 7-3, Oct. 14, 2019, Chicago lakefront), tiger muskie (Michael Behmetuik, 31-3, Aug. 6, 2004, Lake Will) and brown trout (Deva Vranek, 36) -11.5, June 22, 1997, east of Chicago).
Joe Capilupo holds his Illinois record for smallmouth bass at Henry’s Sports and Bait, where they are kept alive in minnow tanks until they can be certified and released back into Lake Michigan. It is one of five Illinois records currently tied for Henry’s.
“I’m proud of what we’ve done, but it’s time to go fishing, go hunting,” Steve said.
“If someone wants to take the ball and open the road, I’ll support it,” Tom said. “I don’t want to travel to the suburbs to find bait.”
It’s time for someone to build their own stories.
Henry’s Sports and Bait floor was full as he neared the end of his run as a fishing powerhouse in Chicago.
