Shipwreck Café finds safe harbor in Empire

By Stephanie Purifoy
Sun contributor

“With any business, you have [worry and doubt],” said Steve Nowicki about opening his Shipwreck Café in Empire late this spring. “We had all of our eggs in one basket. We put everything into this and if it didn’t work out we didn’t know what we were going to do.”

The Nowickis did indeed put everything into one basket. Shipwreck Café is a passionate and ambitious undertaking. The Nowickis raise their own chickens, make their own bread, rolls, muffins and cookies, and the ingredients in their soup, salad and sandwiches are fresh and of a high quality. Customers rave online about the homemade pretzel bread and the “three brothers sandwich.”

Steve, his wife Jennifer and their two daughters worked hard throughout the winter and spring to revamp the small building north of the gas station on M-22 into the functioning sandwich shop that it is today. They had to redo everything including the electrical, plumbing and flooring in addition to installing new appliances. But the hard work has paid off. Early in July Shipwreck Café attracted lines that wound through the café and spilled outdoors as customers waited more than 30 minutes for sandwiches.

Nowicki spent 15 years running Finicky Fishing Charters fishing company, but when the business began to run dry, he turned to an idea that had been lurking in the back of his mind. He knew from his customers that many summer visitors were looking for a simple place to pick up lunch instead of always patronizing the area’s numerous sit-down restaurants. “We are the gateway for the National Park, and Empire has almost nothing,” he said.

Shipwreck Café is located a stone’s throw from the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Visitor’s Center, which welcomes nearly 1 million tourists each year to our neck of the woods. Many of them stay in Empire to lounge on the public beach or shop in the eclectic stores along Front Street. Despite these massive crowds, the town has only three restaurants, a small grocery store, and an ice cream, sandwich and coffee shop. When looking for a quick bite to eat, tourists may find their options limited. “There’s just not a lot here so we are just trying to fill that void,” said Nowicki.

After recognizing the demand for an easy dining option, the former charter fishing captain decided to scope out the building across the street from Empire Outdoors that had sat vacant for seven years since a local dentist retired.

Though a new face amidst the familiar lineup of Empire shops, Shipwreck Café has instantly become a hit. “It’s better than what we anticipated it to be,” said Nowicki. Even through last winter, the community showed its support by stopping by to ask when the café would open. Now, with no advertising whatsoever, word of the sandwich shop has raced up and down the county, reaching both tourists and locals, alike. Nowicki warmly recalls customers stopping by on their way home just to tell the staff how much they enjoyed the food. “The community has really stepped up,” he says.