9 minute read
Climbing Wall, Eateries Open
CLIMBING WALL, EATERIES OPEN IN TC, KINGSLEY, ELK RAPIDS
By Beth Milligan
A long-awaited diner has opened its doors in Kingsley, the region’s only indoor rock climbing gym launched this week in Traverse City, and numerous other businesses are on the move in our latest look at local openings, closings, and expansions.
J. Wall Diner
A new restaurant that’s been in the works for at least a year has opened its doors in downtown Kingsley. Chris and Rebecca Roehler – owners of Rolling Farms Café in Traverse City and Judson Market & Restaurant in Kingsley – have launched J. Wall Diner in the former Whirly’s space at 413 Main Street. General Manager Brandon Stevens, who worked for the Roehlers in the past, relocated his family back to the area from Saginaw to help open the new restaurant.
Stevens says J. Wall Diner offers breakfast all day – with current hours of Monday-Friday 8am-5pm – with all “scratch-made” food items, from handmade biscuits to hand-shredded hash browns. “We have sandwiches, salads, burgers, chicken, chili…and we’re planning on running daily specials from tamales to perogies to stroganoff,” he says.
“We’ll have a different scratch-made soup every day all winter.” The diner also grinds its own coffee beans and has a variety of hot and cold coffee drinks, including espresso, lattes, and cappuccinos. The addition of a coffee and breakfast spot in Kingsley – along with a brewery, with Workshop Brewing Company recently announcing plans to open a Kingsley location – fulfill two long-time items on the top of the village’s wish list for downtown.
Like most restaurants in the region, J. Wall Diner is working to attract more staff: Stevens says he’s working long hours shorthanded to get the diner off the ground and has hired a handful of “awesome high school staff servers” to give local students a chance to earn extra side money. With more employees, the diner could expand its hours – Stevens hopes to operate at least Monday-Saturday from 8am-8pm – and operations going forward. “We have seating for 80-100, and we plan on putting out some outdoor tables next spring,” he says, adding the menu could also be tweaked based on guest feedback. “We’re just getting started and getting the word out.”
Elev8
The region’s only dedicated indoor rock climbing gym opened its doors Wednesday near downtown Traverse City. Kevin Vlach and Nick Olson, both Traverse City natives, have been working since last fall to build the new 10,000 square-foot Elev8 facility from the ground up at 510 Barlow Street between Brick Wheels and McLain Cycle & Fitness near Eighth Street. The gym has a 40-foot climbing wall, bouldering areas, aerobic and weight equipment, yoga and fitness classes, and on-site child care. Elev8 is designed to accommodate a range of skillsets and ages, from those brand new to the sport to experienced climbers. Instructional classes and rental equipment are available for newbies looking to test out climbing.
Olson says the facility is launching with approximately a dozen staff and 13 yoga/ fitness instructors. Elev8 offered a pre-opening “founding members” package that quickly sold out at 150 members. A range of access options are now available, from monthly all-inclusive memberships and day passes to first-timer passes and youth rates. Two dollars a month from every membership sold will go into an Elev8 scholarship fund to make gym access available to those who can’t afford it. Elev8 is open Monday-Friday 10am-9pm, Saturday 11am-8pm, and Sunday 12pm-6pm, with special member-only hours offered Monday/ Wednesday/Friday 7am-10am and Sunday 10am-12pm.
More openings, closings, and moves across the region…
A new chocolate shop has opened its doors in Traverse City. Dave and Shana Sicotte launched “bean-to-bar craft chocolate” store
Great Lakes Chocolate & Dessert Company
at 819 South Garfield Avenue next to HoneyBaked Ham and Pedego. The company sources organic cacao beans from companies with direct trade purchasing practices to make chocolate bars, hand-rolled truffles, and other specialty desserts. Store hours are ThursdayMonday 11am-7pm (closed TuesdayWednesday).
Located a few doors down from the chocolate shop in the same Garfield Avenue plaza, Jacob Stokes and Brent Kruscke have opened hobby store Lantern Games. The shop offers a “welcoming place for people to come shop, play, learn, and create” tabletop games, trading card games, board games, role-playing games, and more. Store hours are SundayFriday 12pm-8pm and Saturday 10am-8pm.
Brooklyns Pepperoni Rolls, which launched as a delivery-only business in Traverse City this spring before moving to an incubator kitchen in Oleson’s Plaza East, is once again expanding. Mother-daughter duo Megan Hall and Brooklyn Hall are opening a new brick-and-mortar location in Logan’s Landing on South Airport Road next to Panda North. The pair plan to leave their Hammond Road kitchen space at the end of August and open by mid-September in their new location with a few on-site dining tables and an expanded menu, offering Chicagostyle stuffed deep dish pizza, salads, cheese bread, and to-go beverages along with their namesake pepperoni rolls.
New yoga and wellness studio Dharamsala TC has opened its doors at 869 Robinwood Court in Traverse City. The women-owned and operated studio founded by Kay Epple and Cathy Fitzgerald is designed as a “sacred space for everyone to feel welcome,” allowing clients to “share yoga, mindfulness, and healthy living” through a variety of daily classes and trainings offered for all ages and abilities. Individual drop-in classes, five and 10-class packs, and monthly and annual unlimited memberships are available, along with private group sessions.
The former Southside Hideout property on Wexford Avenue in Buckley has been converted into a new event center called Stoneridge Barn. The newly renovated 6,598 square-foot building with a “modern farmhouse feel” – including a galvanized steel bar and string-lit patio with outdoor bar – can accommodate up to 200 people indoors and another 150 people on the patio. The company has begun booking events this summer, with availability for weddings, graduations, holiday parties, baby and bridal showers, and more.
Business partners Broc Crandall and Zach Hite have launched a northern Michigan local grocery delivery service called Stocked, which allows people to make grocery lists online and have goods delivered to their homes, vacation rentals, boat slips, or camping sites. Stocked is running a donation special this week (August 23-27) in partnership with Food Rescue Northwest Michigan in which the company will pick up Food Rescue donations from local homes and businesses – no order needed, though donations can also be picked up from customers at the time of delivery – and will also donate the delivery fee from orders to Food Rescue when customers use the code ‘DONATE’ at checkout. Stocked is also donating a personal care item to Food Rescue for each order placed. “Every three months we do this,” says Crandall, noting the company donated 678 pounds of products its last go-round. “We are trying to get over 1,000 pounds for the upcoming donation.”
Elk Rapids Marina is offering food and beverage options this summer with the addition of The Dam Food Truck to its property, overseen by former Rowe Inn executive chef Ethan Habasco. The truck offers a full-service coffee bar (including espresso drinks); a morning menu with breakfast burritos and sandwiches, hash browns, and French Toast sticks; and a lunch/dinner menu with wraps, pulled pork sandwiches, fries, and broasted chicken strip baskets. Pastries, coffee, and grab-and-go cold food are also available nearby in The Dam Shop. Food truck hours are ThursdayMonday 8am-8pm (closed TuesdayWednesday).
Lavender on Old Mission Peninsula has opened a brick-and-mortar store at 2150 Caarroll Road. The shop offers a variety of products featuring lavender grown on Old Mission by owner Amy Parker, including mists, essential oils, soaps, bath salts and fizzes, dryer balls, fruit preserves, cocktail mixes, bouquets, and more. The store is open WednesdaySaturday 11am-6pm and Sunday 11am-4pm.
Mr C’s Pub and Grill has permanently closed its doors on M-72 in Williamsburg. The restaurant posted on Facebook Tuesday that it was ceasing operations “due to the current shortage in labor.” The company added: “We are so grateful for all the amazing relationships we have made with so many of you and will miss seeing all of you.”
Finally, several businesses previously reported on by The Ticker have now officially opened or reopened their doors. Artisan, the new waterfront restaurant from Delamar Traverse City at 615 East Front Street, is now open for lunch and dinner WednesdayMonday. The “chef-driven, farm-to-table restaurant” features both an indoor tavern dining room and an outside bar area and waterfront dining terrace. Spanish-Latin fusion and tapas restaurant Bahia opened its doors earlier this month on Union Street, while vegan café Zest Plant-Based Kitchen is now operating on East Front Street. On West Front Street, cocktail lounge 123 Speakeasy – which has been closed since the start of the pandemic – is reopening September 10 for Friday and Saturday night service. Limited reservations are being accepted now for the bar’s first two weekends back in operation.
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K. JONES AND THE BENZIE PLAYBOYS
Back by Popular Demand...
Bringing the roots sound of southwest Louisiana’s Creole, Cajun, and Zydeco to the OAB. The ‘Benzie Boys’ are back for the ninth time! Weather permitting, the band will play outdoors on the OAB lawn. Bring your lawn chairs or blankets. Beer, wine and cider will be sold. In case of bad weather, the event will move inside.
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