In 1969, Betty and Nick Bushell from Perth Amboy, NJ purchased Mike's Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park, NJ. Mike's was a "Mom and Pop" type fishing store that was patronized by local and transit fishermen alike. The purchase was completed and the name was changed to Betty and Nick's, thereby explaining the origin of the name. A problem soon arose that would change the lives of many people for 25 years to come.

At the time, Nick was one of the state's top striped bass fishermen. The newly acquired business was getting in the way of his angling. Something had to give, so Nick decided to offer his new venture to his son and daughter-in law, John and Beth. The changeover occurred in 1970 and so began the new era.

My name is John and my wife is Beth. When we took over Betty and Nick's, we were very young and our son was in diapers. The store was 1/3 the size you see today with just a little ten stool counter. Times were tough, but Beth and I had a lot of energy and new ideas. Our dream was to create a successful business while making new friends and a good life for ourselves and our son. Working 14 hour days was common, but the rewards were great. Our philosophy was, and always will be, "The customer's needs must always be met." The one thing we were interested in was taking the time to teach the children who visited Seaside Park about fishing and conservation. After all, these are the future fishermen and women of tomorrow.

The restaurant has become very popular and a mainstay in the lives of some of our hard working locals. Beth has been working very hard at building up the kitchen business by pleasing fishermen both young and old with delicacies like Carroll Shelby's Texas Chili and her heartwarming breakfast specials like "deuces are Wild." opening as early as four AM., she catered to the fishermen and locals so that they could get their coffee and breakfast under their belts before facing the day and the elements.

With the cost of operations rising steadily every year, a decision was made in 1983 to enlarge the store. We wanted to do this without losing the personality of the place. We have separated ourselves from the big chain store by offering personalized service to every customer. The expansion was completed a year later and is what you see now. The large capacity gave us the potential to carry a larger selection of the latest in fishing equipment. By buying low, we are able to compete with the larger stores and catalogs while still keeping a one-on-one environment with our customers. This type of dedication has disappeared from the industry nowadays.

In 1995, we celebrated our 25th anniversary in business. The newest arrival to the Betty and Nick's family is John Jr. We are hoping that he will provide a fresh insight on the future of what has become a science and not just a sport/hobby. With the introduction of the "Fast Fishing Fax", Mail order catalog, weekly lunch special faxes, and now here on the Internet, we are confident that we can provide our customers with the best service and personal attention around. Thank You for the first 25 years and to another 25 more successful than the first.

John Bushell, Sr.

Copyright © 1996, Betty and Nick's Bait and Tackle
Revised: April, 2001