Business Feature

Missing the Manitous

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A visit to the Manitou Islands requires focus and strategy to navigate abundant poison ivy, black flies, mosquitos, and ticks. Although many fall in love at first sight with this pair of remote islands in northern Lake Michigan, part of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, some may wonder what the draw is, as they disembark onto either of these windswept, buggy, and vegetation-dense islands, writes Abby Chatfield. With the Manitou Islands all but closed to visitors this year (unless you have a private boat)—as the National Lakeshore rebuilds the docks, we are reflecting on the Manitous with an ongoing series about experiences we’ve had on the islands.

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Affordable bunkhouses debut at Indigo Bluffs

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As the month of June came to a close, four new family bunkhouses were added to Indigo Bluffs RV Park & Resort in Empire. With a queen bed and four bunks, the new 320 square foot accommodations sleep six, a number that campground owner Gary Becker described as “magic” in hospitality. “The three generation vacation,” he said. “Grandparents, parents, children. Figure two plus two plus two.”  Beyond providing an enjoyable place to stay, the campground is concerned with “preserving and defending the opportunity for families to come here,” said Becker. Which is precisely why, at the height of the tourist season in July, the bunkhouses are under $130 a night.

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French Valley Vineyard announces partnership with Leelanau Conservancy to benefit Sugar Loaf

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French Valley Vineyard, part of the Harmony Estate Wineries of Leelanau portfolio, announced the release of two new wines: Sugar Loaf Red and Sugar Loaf White. Created in partnership with the Leelanau Conservancy, the wines support the long-term stewardship of Sugar Loaf, the iconic Leelanau County landmark recently protected from development for generations to come. French Valley Vineyard invites the community to celebrate the launch with a release party on Friday, July 31, from 7-9 pm at French Valley.

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Foothills Café and Motel seeks the ‘right buyer’ to carry on its legacy

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You know the overused adage, “All good things must come to an end”?  Though admittedly cliché, it’s with that very sentiment Shari Bernstein, the owner of The Foothills Café and Motel in Maple City, concludes her 16-year journey at the property she calls “magic.”  “There’s an old oak tree, an old maple tree,” Bernstein smiled. “It feels… It’s got a vibe.” But, alas, “We are all ready for our next chapters, filled with new opportunities, growth and experiences, where we can slow the pace and be present,” Bernstein wrote last fall in a Facebook post. “That’s why we are selling.” She and her family listed the “double whammy” that is the motel and cafe in December. And because winter is famously quiet in these parts, Bernstein “didn’t expect interest until people started coming up for the season.” So far this summer, there’s been “a lot of interest.”

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Of Stars and Flowers: Alyssa Smith’s Meditations on the Earthly and the Infinite

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When writer Katie Dunn stepped into Alyssa Smith’s Traverse City studio in for a preview of her upcoming exhibition, “Of Stars and Flowers” at V Gallery in Omena, she entered a space that felt both serene and animated. Perched high above the world outside, the studio carried the steady cadence of creation: paintings leaning against walls, ceramic pieces resting nearby, and carefully arranged collections of plants, dried flowers, and gathered objects. The windows were flung open, allowing birdsong to drift through the room—something Smith spoke of with affection, describing the sounds of nature as a constant presence and source of inspiration from her elevated vantage point.

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Sleeping Bear Surf updates look, holds same dedication to the water

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When Sleeping Bear Surf opened its doors in Empire in 2004, it was billed as the state’s first surf shop. Today it still stakes its claim as the state’s only full-service surf shop, serving as a hub for Great Lakes surfing and general water merriment, with sales, rentals and classes. And with a 20-plus year history, manager Ella Skrocki decided it was time for a reset. “As I choose the state of evolution, it felt like I needed some new energy,” she says.

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Cherry Republic founder Bob Sutherland writes memoir “Here All Along”

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In 1989, Bob Sutherland started Cherry Republic selling T-shirts out of the trunk of his beat-up old Toyota Tercel. He’d park the car under the streetlight at Art’s Tavern and spend summer evenings chatting up tourists at the bar then taking them out to the bungeed-down trunk. They’d hand him $15 for a T-shirt, resplendent with Kristin Hurlin’s original cherry tree and the now-iconic phrase, “Life, Liberty, Beaches & Pie.” In his new book “Here All Along,” which publishes this month and is available at the store, Sutherland shares deeply personal stories of loss, wayfinding, wildness, adventure, and hard sticky work that built Cherry Republic.

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Leelanau County boasts fine, fun golf

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Avid golfers are in luck when it comes to Leelanau County. With five courses to choose from, offering a variety of scenery and different degrees of difficulty, there is no lack of doglegs, water hazards and treacherous greens to deal with. If that makes it sound challenging, well, welcome to golf. It is at once the most exasperating and the most addictive sport. Any round will typically include a shot that makes you cringe. Maybe it’s that putt that fell off at the last minute, or that drive that somehow hooked to the left even though you thought you hit it perfectly. On the other hand, there was that chip shot that backed up perfectly, leaving a gimme for a birdie. Or that long putt that snaked around the cup before dropping in. And you find yourself hooked once again. So read on for brief descriptions of Leelanau’s links. Then get out there and have some fun.

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World Cup fever grips Leelanau; global soccer offers antidote to imperialism

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Mike Sheldon, owner of River Club Glen Arbor, flew to Los Angeles to watch the U.S. national team play Turkey on June 25. Gary Jonas, co-owner of Farm Club and The Little Fleet in Traverse City, hit Dallas together with his father and his son on June 27 to witness Argentina’s date with Jordan. Greg Graetz and his son scored tickets to a friendly match between the United States and Germany at Chicago’s Soldier Field, just prior to this summer’s World Cup. Venues including The Little Fleet and River Club are packed with enthusiastic crowds gathered to watch the world’s greatest sporting event, co-hosted this summer by the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Crowds hush and gaze at the television as footballers send creative passes and move in unison up the field. Hundreds of voices crescendo into a roar as the ball cannons toward the goal.

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New proprietors enliven historic Omena store

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Sitting on a curve of M22 looking onto an idyllic bay, the Omena Bay Country Store has been a landmark in the village of Omena since 1889. This April it reopened under new ownership by Regina and Joe Phillips, a Louisville, Kentucky couple whose family now calls the store home. The Phillips first visited Michigan 8 years ago, when encouraged to take a vacation and explore the beauty of the Great Lakes State by a friend and coworker originally from Saginaw. “We just fell in love,” Regina says, “and anytime we’d get a chance we would come up. We felt immediately at home here and each time we visited it became harder and harder to leave.”

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