Foothills Café and Motel seeks the ‘right buyer’ to carry on its legacy
Photo: Shari Bernstein and her dad, Richard.
By Cameryn Cass
Sun contributor
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.”
“Neat folks have come to look at it with energy to do something different,” she said.
However, since it’s a “mainstay in the community,” she isn’t in a rush to sell. Instead, she’s focused on finding “the right buyers.”
“You’re kind of buying into a lifestyle,” she explained. “I created a platform, a foundation. I don’t want to see a developer come in and put up condos; I want it to be somebody’s passion project.”
Because for a time, The Foothills was something of a passion project in her own family.
They renovated “everything” inside the rooms. When they got there nearly two decades ago, Bernstein remembered how “even the mattresses were from 1960.”
They’ve since refreshed the bedding, and upgraded other things without sacrificing its character, like by salvaging the original bathroom tiles.
Renovations came to a halt when her mom died and Bernstein took over operations about two and half years ago.
“My energy is limited,” she said. “If I’m not here, I’m in Toledo counseling, teaching a driver intervention course or seeing my dad.”
Shari’s father Richard is 92 years old now, and she intends “to spend as much time with him as I can while he’s on this planet.”
What’s more, Bernstein’s career has long focused on counseling, namely for those struggling with substance abuse.
“I firmly believe addicts are the empaths of the planet,” she said. “I’ve never met an addict I don’t like.”
“Sober,” she added.
It’s no wonder, then, that Bernstein spearheaded the NARCAN “Harm Reduction MI” newspaper box outside the café four years ago. NARCAN, or Naloxone, is an opioid antagonist which is used to reverse or reduce the effects of opioids. The medication can stop overdoses and save lives.
“People say it doesn’t happen in Leelanau County, but it does,” she said. “People come; it empties.”
She also helped start an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting at The Foothills on Mondays at 5:30 p.m., and “a Pay It Forward kind of thing.”
“You could buy someone else’s meal, or donate money to fund the food bank,” she said.
There was music out back, which Bernstein dubbed the “Foothills Deck Sessions.”
“We spent many summers supporting local music,” she said. “I hope that kind of stuff continues.”
Though the cafe is closed now and has been since January, the motel is open and booked up for the season.
“We hope that they [the new owners] will fuel this beautiful property and all of its living creatures, with the love, energy, and spirit that [the previous owners] set out to manifest and maintain here,” she wrote. “We truly thank you.”
Bernstein said that once The Foothills sells, she will “plug into the community wherever I end up,” whether that be Toledo or northern Michigan. She’ll also continue her work with addicts, grow the course she now teaches and spend time with her father.
