A&C Live Bait Inc., 314 E. Center St. Milwaukee, WI is one of Milwaukee’s black family owned and operated businesses. A business that was founded by A.C. White and his wife Carrie White in 1970, the original name was A&C Sport Shop. After becoming incorporated in 1982 there was a changing of its name to A&C Live Bait, Inc., which it remain now 42 years later. Mr. and Mrs. White are the proud parents of 12 children. After having migrated to Milwaukee from Mississippi,
Mr. A.C. White sought out several business ventures, which unfortunately were unsuccessful, before finally founding A&C Sport Shop as a place where residents of Milwaukee could go to purchase fishing supplies as well as set needed information about fishing. The A&C Live Bait, Inc. is open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sun.-Thur. and 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fri-Sat. When asked how does their family business help and contribute to the community, son Tommy White gives the old and popular adage with meaning and sincerity in saying: “Give a man a fish and you can feed him for a day. Teach him to fish and he can feed himself for a life time. We teamed up with an organization called E.B. Gardner
Fishing Clinic, and we have fishing clinics throughout the summer. We have our biggest clinic on June 1st which is a free fishing weekend in June in Wisconsin. We teach people, many young people. You see young people will be the future of us. In order for this sport and recreation to carry on our young folks must be aware how to fish. We teach classes throughout the summer at Washington Park. We work in partnership with the county, the DNR, also with the Urban Ecology
Center who allows us to use their facilities. We can buy fishing classes for young people in the community as well as throughout Milwaukee County. We give instructions on how to bait a hook, tie a knot we also teach water safety as well as how to take a fish off the line, casting your reel or rod, all those things it takes to be a fishing person. We work with the young people but their parents have to be present. They cannot bring them and drop them off. They must participate also….We are here as a business to serve our community.”
