HELPING PEOPLE FISH FOR LIFE
It’s hard to typecast Prinston Cameron and his eclectic business at 4906 W. Lisbon Ave. He is a bit of a Renaissance man and his business is one of a kind.
Cameron is a middle school wrestling coach, national jiu-jitsu and maui thai champion, entrepreneur, community volunteer and philosopher. He is also the owner of George’s Batteries and Bait Shop in the can’t-miss, smallish black-and-white corner building with the welcoming lot out front.
Cameron used to have an auto body and paint business. When it began to take away from his quality of life, he looked for a new opportunity.
“We all have the same amount of time,” he said. “It’s all about choices — what makes us happy, what makes us fulfilled. Everyone has their own free will to do what they choose.”
He began selling batteries for vehicles, which are always in demand and especially so during winter in Wisconsin. Then he started thinking about George’s, the former gas station at 49th and Lisbon once operated by George Fenninger. If he could open a store at the George’s location, he could provide folks with a wider variety of batteries and other products — at an independently owned shop in the center of the city.
“I thought it would be a prime location and great opportunity,” Cameron said. “It’s one of the busiest areas in Milwaukee so a legit idea would do good here. I thought, what else do people want? What will make the people happy?”
As he was debating the types of products that could round out the store, a business associate suggested fishing supplies.
“I thought that would be a great idea,” Cameron said. “Fishing is an escape from the daily routine and rat race. It’s a good way to reflect, to be by yourself and in nature. So I did my research and put it all together.”
The name was a given. George’s is a local landmark and people have good memories about the service station that was there. All that was left to settle on was the store’s product mix. Cameron needed to make sure the business would be viable year-round.
“People come in for batteries and for bait at different months of the year,” he said. “Batteries die in the cold. In the springtime and summertime fishing picks up. Rock salt and Christmas trees sales could help business thrive in the winter.”
Since Cameron opened the shop last summer it’s been coming along. Still, it is challenging to start up and sustain a small business.
“There are so many intangibles — licenses, permits, insurance, security, utilities — it’s a risk,” he said. “But when it gets busy you get a sense of, hey this is really working.”
Cameron isn’t too busy to take time out for youth and others in the community. He is a supporter of the Milwaukee Police Department’s community outreach program that teaches young people how to fish. He has partnered with the Milwaukee Police, Milwaukee Fire Department, Urban Ecology Center, Milwaukee County Parks and other businesses to help introduce kids and adults to fishing.
At George’s Summer Break Kickoff and grand opening in June, the community was treated to music, face painting, a firetruck, horseback rides, a chance to hang with Milwaukee firefighters and police officers, and free fishing poles. At Fishing for the Future in September, officers helped people learn how to fish at Washington Park.
At the events last year, George’s gave out free fishing poles. People can get help with Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources licenses and fishing regulation information at the shop.
“Fishing is a life essential, it’s very beneficial,” Cameron said. “Everyone should know how to put a hook and line together, it’s a life skill. Putting a pole in someone’s hands that they can keep makes it a bit more enticing. And everyone can use a little help.”
His grandad and uncles taught him to fish when he was child.
“At night it was so quiet,” he said. “You could see the stars and hear the trains going by. It’s hard to describe the feeling; I like to share that joy with people.”
Cameron was born and raised in Milwaukee but is happy to fish anywhere where the fishing is good. So far that has included rivers, lakes, streams and lagoons in Wisconsin, Texas, Tennessee, Minnesota and Iowa.
As soon as his business is more settled, he plans to do more fishing. At present, he’s working on scaling up George’s and promoting it — “letting people know who I am, where I’m at, what I’m doing.”
He understands that his customer base is diverse, and wants new and returning customers to know that George’s offers batteries for cars, trucks, boats, motorcycles and other vehicles; household batteries; bait and tackle including crickets, worms, minnows, night crawlers and more; plus fragrant, fresh-cut Christmas trees and rock salt.
“Convenience is the number one thing,” Cameron said. “It’s not a big business with a lot of long lines. I want people to know we are here to help.”
For more information about George’s Batteries and Bait Shop — and great pictures of worms, happy customers and kids fishing — visit Facebook. You can also call George’s at 414-763-4097.