Burhop's Seafood burst onto the Chicagoland scene in 1926 when Albert E. Burhop opened a wholesale seafood establishment at 545 N. State St. in downtown Chicago. Regarded as the premier wholesaler in the city for years, Burhop's ensured that fresh fish was available to the general public by offering a retail fish shop on its premises. Albert's son, Vern Burhop, took over the business in the 1940s and continued to expand the wholesale business to include Chicago, Wisconsin and Indiana.