As Brooklyn celebrates Small Business Saturday, one Sheepshead Bay mainstay is marking a milestone few neighborhood shops reach. Bernie’s Bait and Tackle — an anchor of Emmons Avenue’s working waterfront — turns 70 this year, celebrating seven decades of serving generations of local anglers, boat captains and families looking to connect with the shoreline.
“The store has been here 70 years,” Mike Giordano, co-owner of Bernie’s Bait and Tackle, told Brooklyn Paper. The shop was first opened in 1955 by founder Bernie Schwartz — “hence the name Bernie’s,” Giordano said.
Nearly 30 years later, in 1983, it was purchased by Ralph and Jimmy Giordano. Today, ownership has transitioned again within the family, with Michael and Vincent Giordano running the shop.
“So it’s basically been in two families for the entirety of its existence,” he said.
That continuity is part of what has shaped Bernie’s into a rare type of neighborhood business — one rooted in deep local knowledge, long-term relationships and a genuine commitment to anyone who steps through the door.
Bernie’s carries a full line of fishing essentials, from rods and reels to freshwater and saltwater tackle, and prides itself on customization. Its signature line, Weekend at Bernie’s, has become a top seller beyond its borders. Giordano said, “We ship them all over the country” through the shop’s e-commerce site.
Community involvement is another core part of the operation. Bernie’s regularly donates supplies to fishing clubs, boat groups, school raffles and youth trips.
“We try to do anything for kids,” Giordano said. “Any boats that will do anything with schools, we’ll happily donate.”
The shop operates with a staff of 13, including employees who have been with Bernie’s for decades.
“Some guys have been working here for as much as 40 years,” Giordano said. “I take a lot of pride in the fact that we have been here so long. We do everything that we can to improve with the times, but we still have that old school feel.”
The mix of history and expertise, he said, is what sets Bernie’s apart — especially in a retail landscape increasingly defined by big-box sporting goods stores and online giants.
“There’s not a thing that the larger stores could do better than us. There’s just not,” Giordano said. “We do support small businesses and hope that everyone would also support them when they have the opportunity.”
“We appreciate every single person that comes in here and sincerely believe that we do that every single day,” he continued.
