How 2 Ex-Firemen Turned Their LI Gas Station Into A Fishing Shop: We Had To 'Switch Gears'

ST. JAMES, NY — Former FDNY firemen Keith Palumbo and Mark Aglietti opened MK North Country Gas Bait and Tackle in St. James in 2013. But their gas station did not become a Town of Smithtown fishermen's destination until the pandemic sparked the need to pivot — and reimagine.

For seven years, running the 545 North Country Road gas station was relatively smooth sailing. Then, the coronavirus pandemic hit. Palumbo and Aglietti, retired from the FDNY for five years by the time the shutdowns paralyzed small businesses, were struggling to pay the station's overhead and bills.

"There was nobody driving," Palumbo told Patch. "The roads were dead, everybody was scared. We said, 'We have to switch gears. We have to find a niche that we can capitalize on with our location.'"

With gas sales nearly non-existent, the duo needed to find a completely different source of income for their store. The retired firemen had always thought of selling bait and tackle at the shop, given the close proximity of Smithtown Bay and Stony Brook Harbor.

But a nearby longtime store, Swaine Bait & Tackle, had the local market covered, and Palumbo, 54, and Aglietti, 50, did not want to steal any business. When the store shuttered, however, the two realized they had a chance — and a need — to start selling fishing supplies to navigate unprecedented pandemic seas.

The two realized they did not know much about fishing, so they hired Joe Bencivenga, an avid fisherman, to oversee the bait and tackle portion of the business. Bencivenga fishes almost every day, has a kayak on his truck, and is an "unbelievable fisherman," according to Palumbo.

"He made our store what it is today as far as what we carry, what we should have," Palumbo said. "It’s a world of difference from two dumb firemen who really don’t know anything about fishing."

The shop sells lures, poppers, hooks, sinkers, nets, live bait, frozen bait, and worms.

Bencivenga, 40, said he started fishing in 1986 — at the age of 3.

He started working at MK North Country Gas Bait and Tackle two years ago after he saw an Instagram ad from the business declaring they were looking to hire someone with fishing knowledge.

Bencivenga writes fishing reports and posts them each day for the other employees whose shifts are after his. He made a list of fishing spots in the area, what can be caught in the spots, what bait to use, and what kinds of fish to target. People can ask for one of the reports.

He feels the shop "definitely" fills a niche for local anglers.

"Outside of our shop, if you live in that area and you want bait and tackle, you either have to go to Cow Harbor in Northport, or there’s another bait shop in Carle Place — that's the next one, I believe," he said.

During fishing season — April through early December — roughly 30 to 40 percent of the store's gross income is generated from fishing supplies, Palumbo said. The bait and tackle products drive people to their shop, which has boosted the gas end of the business, too, he added

MK North Country Gas Bait and Tackle aimed to help local businesses and hospital staff during the coronavirus — even though Palumbo and Aglietti themselves were struggling. The duo asked for donations and would choose different local eateries where they would buy lunch or dinner for the staff of St. Catherine's Hospital in Smithtown.

"It was a win-win," Palumbo said. "A local business would get some business and our hospital workers would get a well-deserved meal. We switched establishments to spread the wealth and they were very accommodating in giving a discount, as well."

The two also helped Capt. Rob Cornicelli, a U.S. military veteran who ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022, purchase a handicap ramp for an injured veteran.

The two firefighters even saved a life once — during their first month in business.

Dave Kaufman, then an employee of Scientific Exterminating Services, entered MK North Country Gas in 2013 to sign a receipt. Palumbo recalled Kaufman telling him and Aglietti that his boss was telling him to go to the doctor, as Kaufman had pains going down his arm and in his neck.

As Palumbo agreed with Kaufman's boss, Kaufman grabbed his chest and fell backward, "smashing his head and falling like a ton of bricks," Palumbo said.

"[Aglietti] and I looked at each other. At first I thought he was joking, and then we realized that Dave just had a heart attack and was in cardiac arrest," Palumbo said.

The two moved Kaufman to a flat surface and performed CPR. He was rushed to Stony Brook University Hospital, where he recovered.

Kaufman later stopped in all the time and still messages the duo 10 years after the rescue, to thank them.

Kaufman is now 61 years old and moved to South Carolina in October.

"These guys saved my life, man, are you kidding me?" Kaufman said. "Mark and Keith are great guys. Without CPR, I’m not here today. Those guys had just purchased part of the gas station a few months earlier. But how lucky is that? There they were: my saviors."

Kaufman, before moving, would get gas at the shop "all the time," he said. He encouraged people to support MK North Country Gas Bait and Tackle because the store provides the "utmost service."

"You’re always treated with respect," Kaufman said. "They’re always kind and courteous. I’ve never gone in there and not had a laugh. We’ve always had some good laughs."

MK North Country Gas Bait and Tackle is a full-service gas station that sells ethanol-free gas, which is suitable for small engines and boats. The shop employs local kids and offers a tuition reimbursement to employees. The shop has helped to put two of those students through school, all the way to their master's degrees, said Palumbo.

This spring, as young gas attendants prepare for college, the shop is planning a competition to award someone a college scholarship for $1,000.

"We love our community of St. James," Palumbo said.