What will they be selling?
A BIT OF a mystery at The Preserve, the casual, little restaurant on Washington Street downtown featuring sandwiches, beer, wine, and spirits…and other foods. And other assorted items.
It closed down in the fall and has since undergone major renovations inside and out. Attractive.
Still closed, and the three young owners won’t say yet what they’ll be offering once they reopen. They’re prepared to make an announcement early next month, and they plan to reopen on May 1st.
Why all the mystery? We don’t know.
But the fact that they’ve undertaken the renovations while forgoing any income over the last few months tells you they’re reasonably well-funded and they’ve got big plans.
An acquisition and a move
THE RADIO LANDSCAPE here is changing.
Radio Results Network (100.3 the Point and 94.9 The Bay) is buying Sovereign Communications and its eight stations, with WJPD as their flagship station.
The deal should be done within a month.
And there’s more to it than that. Radio Results, now on West Washington, is transferring its operations into the Sovereign offices on West Ridge Street, behind Subway.
“It’s a nice big office,” says general manager Jesse Huff. “A lot more space for the studio, a lot more space for the sales department.”
The move will be completed within the next three months.
Gloomy prospects for chain stores?
IT’S HARD TO tell when this retail store slump will end, if ever.
Consider the latest: Art Van Furniture shutting down. Pier One closing. These follow the closures of Shopko, Office Max, Gander Outdoors, Gander Mountain, MC Sports, Sears, Dunham’s, Penneys, Younkers, Payless….The list goes on and on.
Nine thousand retail stores shut down nationwide in 2019, after 5800 closed their doors in 2018. Already this year, more than 1200 have closed.
Big chain stores are reconsidering how they’re going to do business, or even if they can do business when so many of us seem to prefer shopping online.
Where does that leave all these abandoned stores, properties, and malls in Marquette County? To churches? Housing? Office space?
Jason McCarthy, the planning and zoning administrator for the Township, acknowledges the impact of online shopping but discounts the pessimism. “There are plenty of businesses that are looking to enter our market,” he says. “Although I’m not at liberty to say who is coming and when, I believe that several of our vacant storefronts will be replaced with new tenants by year-end…”
He also mentions that the Township may loosen its zoning regulations in the future to possibly allow light industry and research-and-development to fill some of the empty buildings.
City planners like McCarthy will be earning their paychecks in the years ahead.
When a cough attracts unusual attention
A SIGN OF the times at the Marquette County Courthouse Monday.
Jury selection in Circuit Court.
Thirteen citizens chosen to sit in the jury box to answer voir dire questions from the judge and the attorneys. Questions like, “Are you related to a police officer?” and “Are you related to anyone who’s suffered child sexual abuse?” and “Do you personally know any of the witnesses in the trial?”
Several of the prospective jurors were excused after answering several questions that seemed to indicate they might have prejudice in the case.
One prospective juror told the judge she hadn’t been feeling well lately. Then she coughed.
“Excused!” said the judge, while the rest of the jury panelists tittered and looked around nervously.
Buh-bye.