Meet the Fishtown Family

Captain Joel Petersen and his father, Alan Petersen, fished together for whitefish. Photo by Amanda Holmes

By Abby Chatfield

Sun contributor

When most people think of Fishtown, they probably picture the busy thrill of excited summer crowds enjoying Cheese Shop sandwiches, submersed in the authentic atmosphere of a historic commercial fishing village. But I often think of a sweet moment there last December, with businesses closed for the season and only a handful of locals gathered around under the falling snow, watching my children and those of other Fishtown retailers circle around a giant red button as they anticipated the honor of pushing it to light up the shanty rooftops, together, in a legendary holiday light display. Each child was honored with a key to Fishtown, inviting them to become the future caretakers of this place that many consider to be the heart of Leland.

Fishtown faces numerous challenges today, including threats to its tax-exempt status from powerbrokers new to the community, and the lack of regular commercial ferry service this year to the Manitou Islands. As such, Leland residents are reflecting on what makes Fishtown special and important to their town.

Fishtown was the home of my first job at age 14, the only job I’ve ever been fired from, and my current role carrying on my family’s 30-year-old business, selling the tug logo that many consider synonymous with Leland itself. It is a place where my great grandmother paddled a canoe, where my grandfather taught art lessons, and where my father found his inspiration as an artist.

While my family stories may be unique, Fishtown’s place in them is not, as so many families maintain a multigenerational connection to the place.

Retailers, charter boat captains, fishermen, and ferry operators all make their living here. Skip a rock in Fishtown and you’ll hit a multi-generational business with an intergenerational workforce. These families depend on the income their seasonal retail businesses provide, some for more than 100 years. Over half of the businesses that sit on this small slice of the Leland River carry legacies and an opportunity for these families to make a reliable income and live a modest life as part of a community they have invested in for generations.

One of the last working fishing districts on the Great Lakes, Fishtown has adapted for more than 150 years to remain a working waterfront.

Dedication is one quality that seems to mark the generations of Fishtown’s working families. For five generations (since 1917), the Grosvenor family has worked together delivering mail, carrying freight and transporting passengers across the Manitou passage from mainland Leland to nearby islands, along with operating retail stores, shoreline cruises and tours.

Fishtown was once home to eight fisheries, but Carlson’s Fishery is the last one standing. A fifth-generation family operation started inside a shanty in 1904, it survived in part due to the family’s perseverance, work ethic, and commitment to the place. The Carlson family bought up a majority of Fishtown property over the years and spearheaded the 2007 purchase by Fishtown Preservation Society, a nonprofit formed by local community members to preserve commercial fishing and assure public access to the location. Nels Carlson is the fishery’s current owner, along with his business partner, Michael Burda, whose wife and two teenage sons work alongside him.

Michael spent 14 years traveling for work before a summer job at the fishery turned into a partnership with Nels as co-owner of Carlson’s Fishery. The lifestyle allows him to be present for his family. “I’m solving problems for my family and my friend,” he said. “It’s a healthier type of stress.”

Michael and Cassie’s sons began working for the fishery at a young age. They graduated through many levels in the business. Michael said, “They hold important positions on the assembly line,” honing in on their skills during late night fish processing sessions. Besides working with his family, carrying on the legacy of a unique and historically important business appeals to him. “It’s not a get rich spot, but I get to work with my whole family and my best friend.”

By the 1970s, Fishtown had been a commercial fishing village for almost a century, but with the fishing industry in decline, the local economy turned toward tourism. The first charter fishing business began in 1972 and is still operated today by its founder. Unique shops and specialty food retailers trickled in, filling vacant shanties that previously housed a number of fisheries, increasing tourism alongside a fairly new restaurant and hotel that hugged the dam above Fishtown.

Many businesses in Fishtown today have been there for decades or have already cycled through multiple generations of families.

Some of the multigenerational owned and operated family businesses in Fishtown include Dam Candy Store, Village Cheese Shanty, Diversions, Leelanau Artisan, Tug Stuff, Carlson’s Fishery, Manitou Island Transit, Falling Waters Lodge, The Cove, and several charter fishing businesses. Others in the Fishtown workforce labor alongside their relatives, such as the Joy fishing tug captain Joel Petersen with his father, Alan.

Tatum Kareck began working for her family business, Village Cheese Shanty, in Fishtown when she was 12 years old. “I started as a prep kid, sitting on a pickle bucket preparing and slicing food for hours on end.”

Both in their 20s with some world experience and an education, Tatum and her brother, Owen, are back in Leland working with their parents to manage a seasonal sandwich shop that is arguably the best lunch spot in Leelanau. “We work really well together,” Tatum said. “We have different skills that make us a team. Eventually, the siblings hope to take over ownership of the business and continue the legacy.

“I’ve always wanted to do this.” Tatum shared. “Everyone was so excited about the cheese shanty, so it made me too.” She smiled, recalling a favorite work memory. “One Fourth of July when Dave (her dad) was working the line, the whole crew was here, singing our lungs out to 80’s throwbacks. All the staff were singing and dancing.”

Fishtown has always encouraged a strong familial network, not only for working families and visiting families, but for its general workforce. Those who work in Fishtown join an inclusive and supportive community that feels like family and supports the livelihoods of locals.