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It's Curious City, where we take your questions about Chicago and the region, and investigate.

Report. Explore. And investigate. Report.

Explore.

From WBEZ.

What's up, Chicago?

It's Erin Allen.

When I think of a family business, it's the small shops I grew up around that come to mind the most.

The barbershop my mama worked at that was run by a barber and his nephew, or the father-daughter catering company that sold baked goods during the holidays, or the three stylish sisters who ran a cobbler shop around a corner.

But actually, some of the biggest enterprises in our culture are, or were at some point family businesses, Walmart, Ford Motor Company, Comcast,

big or small, we love to think about starting something, making it successful, and keeping

that success in the family. I mean, look at how popular shows like Empire and Succession

are, with all their nuance and drama.

This week, we got a question on the topic from Jonathan Schlesinger.

He's the Chicago Urban Fishing Program Coordinator for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

Jonathan wanted to know, what is the oldest family business in Chicago?

And he sent reporter Robert Lorizel on a bit of a fishing expedition looking for the answer.

This is the sort of question where it can be hard to find one definitive answer.

...