YOU LIKE BREWERIES? Well, we’ve got another one on the way.
This one, in Munising. It’ll be called Yoopy Brews.
It’s the latest offering from local developer Tom Dolaskie and his business partner, Darrin Hubbard, out of Texas. They’re the same guys who recently opened up the Yooper-cool Roam Inn in town. Their restaurant there, Tracey’s, is expected to open by the end of the month.
But about Yoopy Brews:
It’ll be located in the old, abandoned but historically significant Peoples Store in downtown Munising. It was built back in 1911-12. It was also the Sam Marks department store at one point, and more recently the Salvation Army outlet. Most recently, it’s been vacant and forlorn.
It’s huge, basically the entire block. And the plans are ambitious.
A brewery with twelve beers on tap, a gastro pub with “high-class’ bar food. A large events room. Also space for two retail outlets–already committed to the project, but Dolaskie’s not quite ready to reveal their identities.
And then upstairs, what had been ten relatively small apartments will be converted into five large, higher-end apartments.
Is there a market for higher-end apartments in Munising? Hell yeah, says Dolaskie. Silent sports aficionados, many of them with money to spend, are clamoring for them.
The funding’s in place. This won’t be one of those visionary projects, big on hopes and short on cash.
Timetable? Dolaskie says the retailers should be in place by this summer, the brewery and gastro pub ready to go by the end of the summer. The apartments upstairs will be the final phase.
The master brewer, a chemist, is already on board. Overseeing the menu will be Jason Biega, the executive chef at Tracey’s.
Munising, with a population barely over 2000, already has two other breweries. Apparently there’s a thirst for beer in town.
The city’s long had the reputation as the port for Pictured Rocks cruises. More recently it’s also become a mecca for kayakers.
Now, its seems ready to move into a new–and exciting–phase.
NOW LET’S TEND to our spiritual health.
Marquette’s Citadel has been sold and the new owner is the Temple Beth Sholom congregation. The handsome Neo Greco building will become a synagogue.
Good news for the Eastside, good news for Marquette, good news for the Jewish community of the central U.P. Their current temple is located in Ishpeming in a building that’s smaller and far less grand. It’ll now be put up for sale.
The Citadel was built back in 1925 as a Christian Science Church. The congregation was never especially large, though, and it became a reading room for Christian Scientists before it was sold in 2004.
And for the last decade it’s been a residence, an events space, and a B&B, and almost constantly up for sale. A few years back, the owner’s plan to construct a six story building alongside it sparked a neighborhood revolt, and the owner eventually backed down.
Now the Citadel seems to have finally found the right owner.
The deal has closed but the congregation won’t be starting serious construction until early summer after two current residents move out. Construction likely won’t be completed until the end of the year but in the meantime, the congregation will be able to use the top floor–including a large, open room–for Torah studies and other events.
Parking problems? No, the synagogue has worked out arrangements to use the parking lots of neighboring churches.
The move, which was funded by the congregation and a few generous, unnamed donors, makes sense. Marquette’s a much bigger population center than Ishpeming, and the Citadel is located near NMU. The university’s Jewish students will now have a spiritual home.
Temple Beth Sholom isn’t big–only about 35 member families currently, and some of them drive as much as 90 minutes to attend services–but the hope is, this relocation to one of the signature buildings in Marquette, will attract more Jewish families and students to services and studies.
You got news? Email me at briancabell@gmail.com.