THE MOST FREQUENT question we hear about town: “So what’s going on with the Upfront deal? Is it dead or what?”
The answer is, yes, the deal that was offered up in a purchase agreement last year is, in fact, dead. Upfront & Company, closed down for more than four years, remains for sale.
But.
The four person team that wants to buy the night club/restaurant/banquet room/office and retail complex is still working to put together a deal. They haven’t given up. They’re optimistic. They’re convinced they can find the money, the right players, and the community support to get the deal done.
And the word from the current owner of Upfront down in Indiana? Nothing. Not a peep. They’ve chosen not to answer inquiring phone calls in recent weeks.
The price, as we understand it, remains firm at $4.6 million. That’s much less, we’ve been told, than has been invested in the property over the years.
However, we also know that a number of interested parties–some of them credible and well-moneyed–looked at the property, liked it…but balked at the sale price. They couldn’t make the numbers work.
Maybe this four member team can. And maybe the current owner can find a way to unload the property to locals who truly want it and care about it.
We can only hope.
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NEW 21ST CENTURY businesses popping up here.
Try TempGigs. An internet business designed to connect temporary, lower-skilled job-seekers with businesses that need a lot of immediate help. For example, a company needs 20 workers for a massive clean-up, or an organization needs 15 workers for event set-up or tear-down.
Connect with TempGigs. They’ll take care of it.
Patrick Dunn, who lives in Gwinn, is behind the start-up. He’s got two partners, including Lee Francisco of 906 Technologies.
They expect to launch in March. Their website will activate at about the same time.
Dunn says Marquette’s SmartZone and especially CEO Ray Johnson were absolutely indispensable in getting TempGigs off the ground.
THEN THERE’S BIRDS-EYE Aerial Design, the brainchild of Marquette’s Nate Kayser.
He got a federal license to fly a commercial drone last year and he’s had eight jobs since, and is expecting a lot more in the year ahead.
Lots of folks are flying recreational drones, but you need an FAA license to do it commercially.
Who’s going to hire him? How about a company that doesn’t want to hire someone to climb a cell tower? How about someone who needs roofs and bridges inspected? Or agencies that need help getting into the back country on search and rescues?
Kayser is also hoping to get into thermal imaging and 3-D mapping.
Crazy. Twenty years ago, we would have called this science fiction.
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NOW, TO MORE conventional businesses.
Negaunee homeboy and NMU grad Nick Vivian, along with two partners, is opening up a new John Deere dealership in Negaunee Township along US-41. It’ll be called Northland Lawn, Sport & Equipment.
Renovation and expansion of an existing building are underway and Vivian expects that they’ll actually start conducting business there by the end of the week. In the middle of winter, at the construction site.
That’s determination.
Another local group lost the Deere dealership in Marquette last year and Vivian, who now practices law in the Twin Cities, and his partners stepped in. They own another dealership in Mason, Wisconsin.
THE NEW OWNERS of the Sweetwater Cafe have taken over.
No major changes yet and Leslie Seratti and Libby Nelson say don’t expect any. They love what they have and they want to keep the restaurant’s devoted customers.
However.
Over the next couple of months, they’ll be installing a bar and introducing live music and dancing on some evenings. Nothing’s absolutely decided but they would like to make the Sweetwater more of a nighttime venue.
Still the same wholesome food “from scratch,” but over the next several months, the menu will be tweaked, according to Seratti.
Seratti, by the way, dreamed of owning a restaurant while she was bartending around town. Her dream’s now come true. She can’t keep herself from smiling.
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OMIGOD! THE SKY has fallen!
Marquette is now requiring us to spend 50 cents an hour for parking instead of getting it free or paying a quarter for an hour. Outrageous!
Yeah, there’s been some dissent ever since the new, multi-space pay station opened up at the city’s covered parking garage. Used to be free but now it’ll cost you a half buck to park there for an hour. That’s four whole bucks for an eight hour day, and you can pay by credit card if you like.
The other change is at the open parking lot at Third and Washington. New “smart meters” have gone in there, also at 50 cents an hour, and credit-card friendly.
Later this year or maybe next year, the same kind of meters will be installed along Washington Street downtown.
The revenue is needed to keep our downtown repaired and up-to-date. By the way, if you’re downtown nearly every day, you can buy a monthly space for $25. Twenty five whole dollars! Outrageous! That’ll buy you a couple of hours of parking in some parts of Chicago.
You got news? Email news@wotsmqt.com.