Big changes reshape Empire
From staff reports
Tina (Taghon) Dunphey and husband Mark bought Tiffany’s Café in downtown Empire on Sept. 23. Mark teaches at Leelanau St. Mary in Lake Leelanau where their two sons attend school, so Tina will watch over the shop. They plan to be open through the winter on Fridays and Saturdays from 9-6 and Sundays from 11-2 (depending on how busy they remain). Tiffany’s will continue to offer soups and sandwiches for lunch, as well as cookies and muffins. “We are getting a new oven, so there will be more baking to come,” Tina reports. Tiffany’s also has an espresso bar, and Tina says, “Our lattes and coffees are really popular.” And, of course, they will continue to be the perfect place to get ice cream after a day at Empire Beach!
Next to Tiffany’s, the former Deering’s Grocery Store is being torn down. Tina’s understanding is that The Friendly Tavern has bought the property and plans to bury a new septic/drain field for the popular tavern, and then to create a green space there in the center of Empire. The Glen Arbor Sun has been unable to get details from Frank Lerchen, the owner of the Friendly, but the old market is being dismantled quickly. One of the workmen on the job, Gordon, says they need to reinforce the old wall between the two businesses because it was always just one building. He guesses that The Friendly will have some kind of outdoor serving area there as well when the green space is ready, but time will tell. Whatever the result, downtown Empire is getting a facelift. [Read about the closing of Deering’s Market in 2018 and how the lack of municipal wastewater in Empire may impede new businesses.]
The Storm Hill Homeowners Association, located between Empire beach to the north and Empire Bluff to the south, received a long-awaited permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on October 29 to build a 740-foot steel seawall along six properties and place 935 cubic yards of boulder “riprap” along the beach. The Association, which received prior approval from a stage agency, hopes the seawall will protect the bluff from Lake Michigan storms and high water. Lake levels this fall are quickly receding from their record-breaking level this summer.
Next to Grocers Daughter Chocolate on M-22, Bay Area Recycling for Charities (BARC) is deconstructing and salvaging the former Anchor Hardware store. BARC recently added building deconstruction to its recycling and zero-waste event services.
