Restaurant & Retail Companies On the Transfer Downtown & Past

Multiple restaurant and retail modifications are underway in downtown Traverse City, from the opening of recent brunch spot The Dandy on Front Street and pictures studio Open Aura on State Street to the closure of Cherry Hill and (quickly) Daisy Jane to the itemizing of a number of properties for lease or hire. The Ticker has the most recent on these and quite a few different enterprise updates from throughout the area.

Downtown Traverse City
A challenge 18 months within the making is opening its doorways on Front Street. After buying the previous Green House Café constructing at 115 East Front Street in early 2024, Red Spire Brunch House homeowners Chad Hall and Joshua Anderson launched new brunch spot The Dandy within the area Tuesday. Now in smooth opening mode, Hall says the restaurant will function each day from 8am to 3pm.

The menu has “things that carry over easily from Red Spire, but also a few throwbacks/nods to the Green House Café,” he says, with examples like omelets, benedicts, soups and salads, sliders, and quite a lot of entrees. “It’s breakfast and lunch all day. We have a liquor license with full bar. We will also do some evening events, such as happy hours and possibly guest chefs or pop-up events. We will be making the space available for event space rental.” Hall and Anderson may even proceed to function Red Spire in Building 50.

Around the nook at 340 East State Street (Suite 1C) within the TC Lofts constructing, Tarra Warnes is concentrating on a December 1 opening for brand new pictures studio The Open Aura. Described as Traverse City’s “first and only aura photography studio,” Warnes says portraits are “captured and developed in the studio, your color reading is interpreted, and the image delivered in a keepsake photo folder. In addition to traditional aura sessions, we will offer couples aura sessions, maternity and newborn aura sessions, doggy aura sessions, and other specialized aura portraits.” Private group occasions and cell picture providers for weddings and different gatherings can be provided together with merchandise and items.

Also downtown, Annie Hill of Cherry Hill Boutique closed her doorways Saturday after practically three a long time in enterprise. First launched at 156 East Front Street, the shop moved in 2015 to its most up-to-date residence at 224 East Front Street. Hill, who’s retiring, known as the enterprise her “life’s work” and “pride and joy” in an Instagram submit. Further down the road, Queen Bee Limited put an indication on its door stating it’s “closing for the season” at 322 East Front Street. Meanwhile, Glitz & Spurs Boutique is shifting two doorways right down to the present Daisy Jane area at 203 East Front Street as of January 1, with a focused reopening in mid-late January. The Glitz & Spurs area will then be available for lease for $4,500/month. Amy Stevens of Daisy Jane confirms the shop is closing on the finish of the yr, noting her mom and proprietor has operated that retailer and Molly’s in Leland for a few years and is retiring. Stevens is taking on and “will be keeping Molly’s in Leland open, as that is the store where I grew up and it just feels right to stay there,” she says.

Several downtown space companies have hit the market. Dunegrass has closed its downtown Traverse City hashish retailer at 440 East Front Street, with the property listed for sale for $1.9 million. The itemizing notes the 4,620-square-foot area may “easily be split into two units” or redeveloped right into a mixed-use, multi-story constructing. Unparalled Apparel – a web based and brick-and-mortar retailer at 121 East Front Street (Suite 105) specializing in “high-quality custom designed apparel for tourists and locals alike” – can be in search of a brand new proprietor. Inquiries will be directed to lauren@unparalleledapparel.com. Toward NMC, former Crocodile Palace area at 124 Cochlin Street has been listed for lease for $3,500/month (the restaurant remains to be working out of its The Little Fleet location).

At 436 West Front Street, Kayak Bike & Brew has listed a part of its constructing area for lease. While the $4,200 listing gives each the primary Front Street area and industrial kitchen space, proprietor Troy Daily says he’s additionally keen to only lease the kitchen. The tour firm would “operate from the downstairs area if someone was interested” in the entire upstairs, he says. Daily says whereas he waits for the City of Traverse City to find out its long-term coverage for tour operators utilizing the Boardman-Ottaway River – a course of he says has skilled “frustrating” delays and left his 2026 season in limbo – he needed to make sure cashflow for the constructing “due to the uncertainty” of what’s subsequent. Parks and Recreation Superintendent Michelle Hunt says the fee is tentatively set to debate tour operations at their December assembly.

Also downtown, The Little Fleet has launched its seasonal month-to-month sequence of Soup and Bread occasions (the primary Monday of every month at 6pm) wherein native eating places donate soup in a pay-what-you-want mannequin with all income benefiting native nonprofits. The bar can be hosting a series of “Meet the Makers” occasions with native winemakers over the winter and has launched its annual kitchen takeover sequence, internet hosting Oakwood Sliders and Boozy Shakes November 24-25, Suomi Pop December 2 & 8-9, Hello Darlin’ by Oakwood December 15-16, Fatted Calf December 22-23, and Umbo December 29-30. Umbo – a brand new restaurant coming to Front Street in 2026 – is internet hosting extra pop-ups like takeovers at Charles & Reid, oyster tastings and wine dinners at Aurora Cellars, and a monthly supper club program main as much as its brick-and-mortar launch.

More openings, closings, and strikes…
New café Right Bower Coffee opened its doorways Sunday contained in the Seven Hills advanced on Old Mission Peninsula, occupying the previous Mission Proper area. Owner Victoria Levinsohn says the café will function seven days every week 8am to 3pm serving Panther Coffee “with a classic coffee and tea menu as well as some exciting specials – starting off with our holiday menu – and house-made flavors.” Food will embody “seasonally inspired all-day breakfast and lunch, house-made pastries, and an after-hours menu for patrons” of the co-located Old Mission Distilling, she says.

EB2 Vintage is shifting from its present location at 516 East Eighth Street on the finish of January to a brand new retailer at 1316 W. South Airport Road. “The new shop is roughly double the size of our current one, which means we can bring in a lot more vintage vendors and significantly expand our furniture consignment options,” says proprietor Carla Weaver. The retailer, opening on February 1, will supply room for creatives arts lessons, neighborhood occasions, and continued markets and fundraisers.

Outdoor Décor – a seasonal retailer providing home made wreaths, garlands, centerpieces, swags, and extra with domestically sourced greens – has a brand new location this season at 2070 Fallen Pines Drive in Grawn. The retailer held its grand opening Saturday and can function via December 14 or whereas merchandise are nonetheless out there. Hours are Monday-Thursday 12pm-7pm and Friday-Sunday 11am-8pm. In Traverse City, Walstrom Marine has consolidated operations right into a single customer-facing retailer at 291 N. US-31 South – the previous Grand Bay Marine constructing situated subsequent to KFC – the place all buyer visits, service appointments, and deliveries will now happen.

Finally, a number of meals updates: Following the closure of Woodland Creek Furniture in Acme, Backwoods BBQ and Eats is now working contained in the area at 4290 US-31. The Texas-style BBQ joint is open Wednesday-Saturday 12pm-6pm till the spring, in accordance with the homeowners. Also in Acme, Stone Hound Brewing Company has expanded to supply breakfast Friday-Sunday 8am-11am, together with quite a lot of vegan and vegetarian choices. Oakwood Proper Burgers can be now open for breakfast each day (besides Monday when the restaurant is closed) from 8am-11am, switching over to lunch at 11am. Taco truck Sabores Y Colores has relocated for a “few months” from The Coin Slot lot over to the Silver Spruce Brewing Company lot, working Thursday-Sunday 3pm-8pm. Lastly, Le Metropolitain meals truck – usually stationed at TC Whiskey on Fourteenth Street – suffered a latest “devastating fire” ensuing within the complete lack of the truck. A GoFundMe has been launched for the enterprise, elevating greater than $7,000 of its $10,000 purpose to date.