In the early hours of the morning, Stacey Greene unlocks the doors to Park Bait, a green wood-paneled shack at Montrose Point. She files past long, shallow tanks filled with minnows and crawfish, making sure they are properly stocked for the day ahead. Opening at 4 a.m., she flicks on the lights and prepares for the shift ahead.

All day, anglers from across the city drop in to buy their fishing bait at the shop that claims to be the oldest of its kind in Chicago..

Greene, the owner of Park Bait, grew up in the shop. Her father, Willie Greene, bought the business in 1958. The shop itself was established in 1935 after Montrose Point was built. At the time, the shop was half the size, and Willie caught all the bait he sold by hand.

The walls are lined with packs of hooks, lures and rods. The array of colors and holographic shine breathe life into the wooded retailer.

Whether it be a customer whose family has shopped at Park Bait for years stopping back in, or a new face who might have a connection through a parent, Greene always connects with her clients through the stories they share.

“We’ve had dedicated guys come in here that’ll say ‘My dad brought me here,’ or ‘My grandpa brought me here,” Greene said. “I just had a little girl in here yesterday who I’ve been dealing with her and her dad since she was about 7.”

That customer turned 20 last month and had just brought her fiancé to the shop. Those are the generational relationships that motivate Greene to keep coming back each morning.

While the customer base has remained loyal. Greene said she has been forced to adapt to change in Lake Michigan. As some species grow more dominant, others become rarer. Invasive species such as alewife made their way into the lake years ago, so fish and game officials have stocked it with species like salmon to try to control the populations. Because of this, Greene’s customers’ needs are ever-changing.

“Mother Nature takes care of herself,” Greene said. “We get in the way a lot. But, you know, we’ve learned to adapt and change with the fish.”

Every day brings Greene a new surprise — like the time a customer offhandedly claimed that Park Bait is the oldest continuously running retailer on Chicago Park District property. As far as she knows it’s also the oldest tackle shop in the city.

Greene’s husband, Brian Fenlon, has worked alongside her at the shop for 24 years. While much of the work has remained the same, he said that the internet has changed how he and his customers purchase tackle.

“A lot of people watch YouTube videos, so they see somebody do something different, and then they’ll call us,” Fenlon said.

With much broader access to niche information, they can’t answer every question. So he looks to online search engines for a little assistance.

“Everybody does something different in every lake,” Fenlon said.

For local fishers on the city’s North Side, Park Bait is a staple business on the lakefront. On their website, they provide daily up-to-date fishing reports for those looking to get out on the water. Some say the shop is the only one in the vicinity that sells minnows, worms and crawfish (though not live) daily.

“I go there like once every few weeks,” said Blake Jafari, a Lakeview resident who fishes at Montrose Pier. “There really isn’t anywhere else to go.”

The future of Park Bait isn’t completely clear to Greene. She hasn’t decided whether to keep the business in the family and pass it on to her son or if she will seek a new owner once she decides to retire.

“I’m getting old,” said Greene. “I don’t know how much longer I can go. I’m still optimistic that I can get, hopefully, quite a few more years.”

She noted that Park Bait is 90 years old this year — .“But I’d like to take the shop to 100. That’d be kind of cool.”