Bay Wear celebrates three generations and 25 years By Sue Mabee Jameson Sun contributor The rule was that your chin had to reach above the counter before you could start working. When I was a child, my dad and his brother, Richard, had 13 “Jumpin Jeans” stores north of Detroit. In 1975, when I was […]
Kathleen Bittner wears a garland of amber around her collar like a regal monarch, and her light eyes peer out happily behind delicate black frames as she welcomes customers into her store. She’s the benevolent queen of her domain, the Polish Art Center, and knows her kingdom well. Point to an object, and she’ll tell you the folk history, from which part of Poland it originates, and how it works. As Bittner watches her customers poke around the food section of her store, she doesn’t hesitate to call merrily, “Try one! They’re on my counter! You can try one, they’re delicious. It’s apricot marmalade. It’s really, really good.”
In 2016 there are 14 art galleries in Glen Arbor and Empire, as well as innumerable creative people practicing their craft in the privacy of a home studio. It was not always this way. The locality’s first art gallery was established in 1985, and up until that point, the Glen Arbor/Empire art scene might have been more accurately characterized as an art vignette. But with the arrival of Glen Lake Artists Gallery (GLA Gallery), the foundation was laid for today’s perception of the Greater Glen Lake Area as a place that attracts art and craft makers.
Samaritans’ Closet, a plain brown house over the bridge in the village of Lake Leelanau, is becoming a destination thrift shop. On this particular day the chartreuse leaves of the willows and poplars are just beginning to show. The red twig dogwood is redder than usual and the maples are a dusky ruby and pink. Cardinals call, “Teacher, teacher,” in the marsh along the narrows.
After serving as Glen Arbor’s chief executive for 16 years, township supervisor John Soderholm is stepping down for several reasons. “Sometime it gets so you need new blood in the system,” he said. For Soderholm himself, it’s a case of “service fulfilled. We accomplished a lot and there are some new challenges.” Plus, Soderholm feels he is at a point in life where time is getting short. He prefers now to focus on his personal life.
Suspend reality for a moment, and think of the Glen Arbor Art Association (GAAA) as a plant. Then, think of the GAAA’s building as a container in which art, culture and creativity in the Glen Arbor region have been nurtured since 2002, the year that building behind the Lake Street Studios was completed.
MyNorthMedia has produced a snazzy new video for Leelanau Vacation Rentals’ homepage that advertises the Glen Arbor area as offering “something for everyone”. There’s outdoor recreation for all ages, shopping, dining, drinking and lounging on the beach.
Are you a business or employer in the greater Glen Arbor area who needs workers this tourism season? If so, please send your job description, desired qualifications, pay and contact information to editorial@GlenArborSun.com and we’ll post it here. • The Manor on Glen Lake is looking for a manager, cooks, dishwashers and servers, full- or part-time, […]
From staff reports In the literal spirit of Christmas, Megan and Peter Schous, who own the Empire Lakeshore Inn and Tiffany’s cafe, will offer free accommodations to weary travelers on Friday, December 25. “This is the time of year where we finally have time to take a step back and reflect on all of our […]
Thanksgiving Weekend in the Glen Lake area provides holiday community events full of fun, shopping and recreation for the whole family. Make the trip and visit the naturally beautiful Glen Arbor. Tree Lighting and Christmas caroling will get you in the spirit and give you something wintry to do the last weekend of November. A great opportunity to buy from your local artisans, shop for yourself and shop for the holidays.