IT’S NOT A sure thing yet, but it’s getting there.
The long awaited Nestledown Bed and Breakfast on Lakeshore Boulevard, across from Picnic Rocks, may be just a few weeks away from groundbreaking.
Ken and Sue Schauland bought the property two and a half years ago and tore down the existing building with the expectation that they’d soon be building a unique B and B on prime property right across the street from the beach.
Not so fast. Zoning, financing, and environmental concerns cropped up. In fact, in the eyes of some, the project seemed dead.
The Schaulands (who Sue describes as “regular people with a dream”) persisted. Now, they have one final financing obstacle to overcome, and with any luck, they’ll put shovels to the ground by the end of summer. Their hope is to be open for business next summer.
The Schaulands both have Scandinavian blood and Nestledown will feature a distinctly Scandinavian theme, complete with a sauna. It’ll consist of six guest rooms in the main building, and one room, for longer term guests, over the garage.
Question: Why doesn’t the city of Marquette currently have any B and B’s? There are a few in the area–in Sands, on M-28 toward Munising and in Big Bay–but none in the city proper. Strange. It seems like an ideal location–scenic and outdoorsy but with plenty of shops, restaurants and bars. Nestledown may be carving out a niche all to itself.
In any case, Lakeshore Boulevard is coming alive. Looks like Lakeshore Cottages, a group of seven condos, will be going in up the block from Nestledown…then a mile away, they’ll soon be breaking ground on the Clark Lambros Beach Park…single family homes continue to be built at the corner of Fair and Lakeshore…and Cocos recently underwent a renovation.
Traverse City, here we come.
Just kidding.
Maybe.
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THE UPFRONT BUILDING downtown remains for sale, but it is drawing interest.
Six potential buyers, two of them corporate, have taken a look at the property so far. No offers yet.
The asking price remains $3.9 million. Realtor Dan Keller says the current owner Rhyss Mussman has at least twice that much invested in the property.
Upfront has plenty going for it–great space, attractive venue, solid infrastructure.
Now all it needs is an investor with money, vision, and a willingness to bet on Marquette.
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THE GUESSING GAME continues on the hospital relocation front.
Rumors are running rampant–“The Roundhouse property is definitely out!” “No, it’s the odds-on favorite!” “The golf course is rapidly losing favor!” “The township site is all but a sure thing!”
Bottom line, no one but a select few at Duke LifePoint know how the process is going.
What we do know is this: the Township has submitted all its documentation regarding the 42 acre site behind the Westwood Mall, and Duke Lifepoint, in response, has said virtually nothing to Township officials for the last three and a half weeks. Good news? Bad news? Who knows?
The city, which apparently still has the golf course and Roundhouse sites under consideration, has had “dialogue” with Duke LifePoint recently, but nothing that could be characterized as “negotiations.” Just questions.
Questions. That pretty well characterizes this entire story. The final answer, if we’re to believe Duke LifePoint, should come by the end of the month.
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QUITE A SCENE at the Ore Dock last weekend.
The increasingly popular string group known as Eccletico tried to finish their set and make room for the headline band, but the boisterous crowd wouldn’t let them go. Eccletico, worried about overstaying their welcome, did play one encore but the crowd would have been much happier with five or six.
They’re a group of up to 15 members (it varies) who all play string instruments, along with a drummer.
They play hit songs–rock, pop, country, jazz, folk, alternative–but they class it up with their strings. The music is infectious and exciting. Just imagine a line of violinists stomping their feet to the music and you get the idea.
Don’t be surprised if these violinists and cellists start attracting groupies.
Eccletico’s next gig is at Harbor Fest, Saturday, August 23rd, from 3:30 pm to 5 pm.
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AN INTERESTING AND eclectic little shop has opened up next to Frosty Treats on Third Street.
It’s Superior Vitality, which features in its cute but compact space, a raw juice and smoothie bar, organic soaps and lotions, herbs, hemp products, massage and Reiki therapy, clothes, cards…and breast prostheses and bras.
It’s the brainchild of Penny Aldrich, herself a breast cancer survivor. The idea is to provide convenient and comfortable service to other breast cancer survivors, and to invite all of us to enjoy a healthier lifestyle.
If you’re interested in the First Chakra juice at Superior Vitality, your beverage would include red beets, carrots, ginger, fennel and lemon. The Fourth Chakra juice would consist of honeydew melon, pear, apple, cucumber, kale, celery, parsley, and lime.
Gotta be healthy, right?
Certainly a teensie bit healthier than the sweet, succulent and oh-so-popular soft serve ice cream and yogurt next door at Frosty Treats.
You got news? Email me at briancabell@gmail.com
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