Grocery pop-up opens in grocery-less Empire

Photos by Mae Stier

From staff reports

There’s a flash of hope today in Empire, amidst very dark times nationwide and worldwide.

Frank Lerchen, who owns the Friendly Tavern and Empire Village Inn, is opening a pop-up grocery store in the Village Inn space once occupied by Gemma’s cafe.

Empire has been without a real grocery store since Deering’s Market shut its doors two years ago. The Empire E-Z Mart gas station stocks some essential products such as milk, and last year Mae Stier’s Blue Heron Mercantile carried some grocery and takeout items (Blue Heron has since closed). But with an aging population at a time of social distancing, to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, the lack of a grocery store poses an existential threat to Empire.

“It’s just a pop-up,” said Lerchen. “We’re not going into the grocery business.”

Nevertheless, today at 11 a.m., the Village Inn will open its doors to the pop-up market, with shelves featuring vegetables and fresh fruit, dry goods such as rice, flour, sugar, legumes, navy beans and split peas, bread, peanut butter and jelly, toilet paper and cleaning products, So Good Coffee made in Traverse City, as well as chips and cookies.

Several weeks ago, a friend approached Lerchen and said to him, “You’ve got an empty space. Why not have groceries available?” The idea grew on him.

“It’s so glaringly obvious that we don’t have a grocery store in Empire,” Lerchen said. “We’ll keep this going as long as there’s a need.”

The pop-up market will hold the same open hours as the Empire Village Inn, which remains open for takeout pizzas and growlers of beer. Those hours are 11 a.m. until 8 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, Friday and Saturday until 9 p.m.