Field Trip anyone?

Springers launch new business in Empire

By Mae Stier

Sun contributor

A new gift shop opened in Empire last month. Field Trip, offering home goods and apparel, is located on M-22 on the north end of Empire, across the street from Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate. The store carries products from local artisans as well as artisans from around the world. What the items have in common is that they are modern, fun, and unique pieces to add a pop of color and joy to any space.

The owners, Trey and Lauren Springer, are a young couple in their early-30s who moved to the area unexpectedly at the beginning of the pandemic. The Springers were living in Chicago at the beginning of 2020 but decided to sublet their apartment for six months while they lived and traveled in Argentina. In March 2020, however, the pandemic forced them to end their travels early and return to the United States. Without their home in Chicago, they took refuge at Lauren’s family’s rental cottage in Glen Arbor.

Lauren’s mother and stepfather have lived on Glen Lake since 2015, and Lauren grew up spending summers in the area. She’s worked at various businesses in the area—Cottonseed in Glen Arbor, Betsie Bay Furniture in Frankfort—and together with Trey, they dreamt that one day they could move here full time. Their jobs kept them in Chicago until the beginning of 2020, when their travel plans inspired a shift. Trey could continue working at his job remotely while they traveled, and Lauren left her job before the trip, as they did not offer a remote position at the time.

After a few months of living in the family’s rental cottage, the Springers realized they would not return to Chicago anytime soon. They found and fell in love with a farmhouse in Leland, and while they did not end up purchasing it, the process helped them realize they were serious about staying in Leelanau County, something they had not planned on initially.

“Lauren and I are pretty comfortable with making unconventional decisions,” Trey says, referring to their decisions to take a break from jobs to travel to Argentina, as well as their decision to stay in Leelanau County. “We’ve always kind of liked adventures like that. This was just a different flavor of adventure.” They continued looking and ended up purchasing a home in the Village at M-22 neighborhood, a new development in Empire, and moved into the house in February 2021.

Once they moved into the house, they continued dreaming about what their life in northern Michigan would look like. Trey was working remotely for a company whose entire staff was spread across the country, but they began thinking about starting a business together. Lauren says they had talked “for years about doing something together” and decided to take the leap.

When the former Diane’s Hair Salon on M-22 in Empire went for sale in May 2021, they threw their hat in the ring to make it the home for their dream business. The building was previously owned by Diane Aylsworth, whose family has long been residents of Empire, and the Springers like the idea of carrying forth a family legacy in that building. “My parents always wanted to have a family business, too, so together with them, we purchased (the building),” Lauren says.

Trey and Lauren were aware it was a competitive market, as well as a volatile time to start a new business, but they were eager to plant their roots firmly in their new town. Purchasing the former hair salon felt like the perfect next step, as it’s within walking distance of their house and located on the M-22 corridor. So they made an offer and “decided to go all in” on their new life in Empire.

Field Trip opened in late October after more than a year of renovations slowed by supply chain backups. In the meantime, the duo kept busy searching for vendors, stocking the shop, and adding a new family member to their crew. In May of 2022, the Springers’ son was born, adding a whole new layer to the meaning of family business.

While navigating life with a newborn, coupled with trying to start a business, the couple realized childcare options are limited in Leelanau County. Most daycare options are a drive from Empire, and none have immediate availability, while nannies are expensive and difficult to find. Glen Lake Schools offers a great preschool program, but children are only eligible to join once they are three, meaning that the Springers still have two and a half years of childcare to sort out until that becomes an option.

They are grateful to have had help from family since their son’s birth, but as the shop opens and they look toward next spring and summer’s busy season, they need a different option. “It’s probably the most difficult thing about being up here,” Trey says, “and it is the thing that will at times cause us to (ask), ‘can we stay up here?’”

The couple has noticed they are not the only ones in this predicament and have met other young families struggling with the same obstacles. Trey says, “The challenge will be getting people to stay here as they go back to the office. There is one element of making sure that people can still work up here, but then for the people who want to work here, we need to have the things that allow families to do that; things like childcare.” The Springers are heartened to see how many younger people live in the area now, and they hope that the increase in families throughout Leelanau leads to solutions to those problems.

While navigating family life with limited childcare is complex, the couple is still overwhelmingly grateful to call Leelanau County home. They love the proximity to the National Park and Lake Michigan, as well as the small town community they have found in Empire. The sense of community they have witnessed and experienced in northern Michigan is unique, even at times surreal. Trey commented that “the buzz around town for the Asparagus Festival was something you would read in a children’s book,” and they have been encouraged by neighbors who have stopped by the shop simply to say “congratulations” upon hearing they had opened.

The community they have found in Empire is what they had talked about wanting while living in Chicago, and they look forward to continuing to establish their roots here.

Field Trip is located at 11537 S Leelanau Hwy in Empire, and the current hours are Thursday–Saturday from 11am–5pm, with Sunday hours from 10am–2pm. They plan to extend hours in the spring and summer months. Stop in to say hello, and also to shop their collection of curated gifts, home goods, and more.