Little Traverse Inn and Gastro Pub in the heart of Leelanau County (149 East Harbor Hwy, Maple City), was listed for sale Friday morning, March 12, Nicole Anderson of Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realtors tells the Leelanau Ticker.

Anderson is not only the listing agent, but also a longtime staff member of what many in the region consider “the community’s living room.”

“It’s as much a locals’ spot,” she says, “as a destination for people who drive up from Grand Rapids just to have lunch. People love talking with Graeme [Leask, the proprietor] and the cozy family atmosphere.”

She adds the staff, who were “at first a little shocked by the news,” fully support Leask and his business and life partner, Michelle Schulte, in their desire to refocus on family — including Leask’s parents, who live in the north of England — and to make the most of the current market for commercial hospitality properties.

Says Leask, who is originally from Scotland, “What really drove it home, with COVID, was not being able to see my parents for two years. I’d like to get back to them and make it easier for us to see each other.” Leask will be looking for property in England, Scotland or Ireland.

The three-plus acre Little Traverse Inn property includes the historic 1890’s restaurant/inn with an 84-seat dining room, bar and 64 seat beer garden and patio, plus six-room bed & breakfast. There’s also an innkeepers cottage, garage and other storage outbuildings.

Anderson says it’s a “long term turnkey operation with tenured staff, return guests, regular local clients, growing revenues.”

“We operate as a big family here, and whoever takes this place on is fortunate to have these folks available to them,” says Leask.

Leask has owned the inn and gastro pub for the past 10 years. “It’s been a fast decade,” he says. “All the systems are in place.” He adds that that business has grown steadily — including during COVID-19 restrictions. In early winter, Leask and staff built ice shanties on the front lawn of the inn to accommodate social-distanced dining. “We actually had a great year, bizarre to say. Perhaps maybe not last spring [though Leask stayed open for carryout and fed neighbors in need at that time] but through the summer and fall, and the ice shanties have been a huge hit.”

Anderson says, “He could have shut the doors for the winter months and not put energy into building the shanties, but he did it for our staff.”

The private dining shanties are still available to reserve through mid-April, Leask says, when the beer garden will reopen. Operations will remain as normal throughout the selling process.

All fixtures — yep, the shanties too — fittings, furniture, inventory, POS system and licenses included in the asking price: $1.9M.

Leask says he will be available to guide and train a new owner. “Even if we get an offer tomorrow, I don’t see being out of [Leelanau County] for another six months. I will miss it. This has been a great place to call home.”