Lanette Lou Brady Bobinger was a native of Gulfport, Mississippi who worked in the Seafood Industry for over forty-seven years. Serving the fishing community of the Gulf Coast, she is remembered for her business known as Brady’s Bait House in the Gulfport Harbor. Brady was born in 1951, her family owned a bait business in the harbor. In 1969, at the age of eighteen, she started working alongside her father. After her mother passed away, her father turned the business over to his daughter. At the time, the shop was located near the launching ramp in the harbor and was not destroyed by Hurricane Camille in August of that same year. Despite surviving the onslaught of the storm, repairs had to be made to the building itself, and the shrimp tanks had to be replaced.
For over forty years, the bait shop continued to serve fishermen from Biloxi and Gulfport alike. This prosperity lasted up to the point of 2005, when Hurricane Katrina forever changed both the Gulf Coast and Brady’s business. The majority of buildings and businesses in the Gulfport Harbor were completely decimated in the storm, Brady was unable to rebuild at the original location. Regardless of this loss, this did not deter Brady from pursuing other venues. She leased property at the old Misco Marine site and reopened her business. She returned to providing bait to local fishermen which included shrimp, minnows, and mullet. The camp also functioned in furnishing ice, tackle, drinks, and fishing license.
In an industry dominated by male tradesmen and business owners, Brady stepped forward to prove that a female business owner could stand the test of time. Indeed, many other individuals were unable to build back after both Camille and Katrina respectively. In the case of Brady, she allowed neither of these cataclysmic storms to prevent her from succeeding in an industry she loved.
Comments