City planner says developers are showing interest LOOK AROUND. A lot of commercial property available. Big properties. Namely: Shopko, Office Max, Marquette Mall, Valle's, Gander Outdoors, Frei Chevy (purchased but undeveloped), the old hospital site (potentially commercial). And that doesn't include the aging and ... Continue Reading
Merry (yawn) Christmas at Westwood Mall, a Downtown Mystery, a Hopeful Synagogue, and More Cheers for the UP Winter
Where are all the shoppers? TWO O'CLCOCK TUESDAY afternoon. Eight days before Christmas. The chronically struggling Westwood Mall in Marquette Township has nearly 200 cars in its snowy parking lot. Well, that's encouraging. Maybe the mall's making a comeback. You walk inside, shake the snow off your boots, and ... Continue Reading
Reports of a Sale in the Works for Marquette Mountain, and a Cozy, Tasty Getaway in the U.P.
Nothing is signed yet WE'VE HEARD THE rumors before--Marquette Mountain is going to be sold. Didn't happen. We've been hearing them increasingly for the last few months, and now come reliable reports that yes, there is an interested buyer with local ties, and negotiations are underway. Solid information. But the ... Continue Reading
A Theater Dilemma in Marquette, and a Loss for the Farmer’s Market
An abundance of groups and plays leads to problems A COLLABORATION AMONG all the theater groups in Marquette? Maybe. A meeting's been set up for January 14th to see if something can be worked out. The problem is this: We have a ridiculous wealth of theater in this town--seven theater groups. Namely, NMU, Lake ... Continue Reading
A Permanent Homeless Shelter in Marquette?
HOMELESS ADVOCATES HAVE been talking about it for the last few years--the need for a permanent shelter for the homeless in Marquette. The questions have remained, though: Where to locate it? And how to pay for it? Nick Emmendorfer, the executive director of Room at the Inn, says he and his board may have come up with ... Continue Reading