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Ormond bait shop operator enjoys long hours 'having fun' - Daytona Beach News-Journal

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Ormond bait shop operator enjoys long hours 'having fun' - Daytona Beach News-Journal
Mar 26th 2012, 04:12

Ike Leary, manager of Granada Pier Bait & Tackle, shows off a rod and reel in his shop recently. (N-J | David Tucker)

ORMOND BEACH -- If you want to know if Isaac "Ike" Leary is having fun, head to Granada Pier Bait & Tackle and see if he's still behind the counter offering fishing wisdom to customers or tending to his blue crabs and live bait.

"My motto is, if I'm not having fun any longer then I am not going to do it," he said.

That's how Leary, 62, ended up as the proprietor of the tiny bait shop next to the Granada Bridge. After working as a plumber for most of his life, the Ormond native decided to change career paths at age 50.

"The day I turned 50, I parked my truck, took out all my tools, shook my bosses hand and said: 'It's been real.' "

Leary spent a short stint running his son's former bait shop, Happy Fisherman, before he took over the Granada Pier bait shop in 1999, which is owned by the city of Ormond Beach. He's been running the day-to-day operations ever since. And he doesn't just stop there; Leary has been known to clean up the surrounding park or refill the soap dispensers in the public restrooms when needed.

The shop may be too small to hold more than a dozen customers at a time but it serves as a staple for the community, and for that reason Leary has made sure the doors are kept open as much as possible. The shop's hours are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. It's a business tactic Leary enacted when he took over the lease.

"It's why we've been able to make it here for so long," he said. "If someone drives by and sees that the doors are closed, it's likely that they will go somewhere else next time."

To prove the point, Leary has posted bumper stickers from two local bait shops -- Highbridge Bait and Tackle and Ocean's Bait and Tackle -- that have come and gone. With a black marker he's crossed out the signage and scrawled "R.I.P." on the stickers.

By expanding the hours of the shop, Leary has established a customer base of Ormond residents and beyond. People who travel during vacation often make annual stops to the shop to load up on bait, fishing supplies and snacks, Leary said.

As customers stream in on a recent afternoon, Leary is quick to chat them up and offer advice about tide changes, the best fishing lures or the weather. No matter who walks in the door, he treats them all the same.

"I don't treat anybody different," he said. "I don't care how much money you got or what color you are, you are my customer."

When Leary opens the doors each morning, he is joined by a group of men who buy coffee and sit outside the shop chatting. The men call themselves, "the liar's club" because of their reputation for boasting tall tales. On some mornings, Leary brings them doughnuts.

"It's a group of men who drink coffee and lie like hell," he joked.

While he enjoys working the long hours at the shop, he always makes time to get in his own fishing and hunting. Last week, Leary woke up at 4 a.m. go to turkey hunting in Bunnell before coming to work. He also likes to go night fishing whenever he gets the chance. Although he has a snook tattooed on the back of his calf, his favorite catch for dinner is flounder.

"I use a corn mill batter and fry them up," he said.

Leary's love for the bait shop was tested last year when the city considered re-bidding the shop's lease to new tenants. At the time, the city's policy to re-bid longstanding contracts didn't make exceptions. "It came up all of a sudden," he said. "I had to fight for my life here."

The thought of not seeing Leary behind the bait shop's counter struck a nerve with the community. Nearly 60 people attended a City Commission meeting last November to protest the re-bidding.

"I was amazed and humbled when I saw that many people come to my side," he said.

As it turned out, commission members didn't need much convincing. They decided to renew Leary's contract without debate. Under the new lease, which went into effect last month, he will run the shop for another five years.

"He is one of the most hardworking men that I know," said Zone 2 City Commissioner Troy Kent. "He provides an invaluable service to Ormond. He is more than just a small business owner. He is a tour guide, a tourist information map, and a custodian."

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