A new version of tennis is set to make its way to Leelanau County, thanks to a partnership between a local nonprofit and a Leelanau winery. The Leelanau Ticker has the scoop, as well as other recent retail, restaurant, and business news from around the county.

Platform tennis at Dune Bird Winery

In its most recent newsletter, Northport’s Dune Bird Winery shared two major tidbits of news.

First, the winery is targeting an April reopening; the business announced in late November that it had “come to the hard decision of closing the tasting room for the winter,” and has been closed since December 18.

Second, Dune Bird is partnering with the Leelanau nonprofit Paddle Courts of Leelanau (PCOL), which will build two platform tennis courts on the winery’s property later this year. That first phase, which will also incorporate construction of a dedicated parking area for the courts, is set to commence this spring. A second phase, which will “include a warming hut and the potential for more courts," will occur at a later date.

PCOL is identified on its website as a 501c7 nonprofit social club LLC “led by a volunteer board of directors who are enthusiastic about establishing a platform tennis facility in Leelanau County.” While pickleball is the hot trend in the racquet sports world at the moment, platform tennis is another growing sport that utilizes elements of tennis and other racquet games.

The American Platform Tennis Association (APTA) defines platform tennis – which is alternately known as “paddle tennis” – as “an outdoor racquet sport that combines elements of tennis, squash, and racquetball. It is called platform tennis because the court is raised off the ground, with heaters below the court to keep the playing surface clear of snow and ice, allowing the game to be played in almost any weather conditions."

According to the Dune Bird newsletter, PCOL’s board of directors was working “tirelessly behind the scenes throughout 2023” to bring a dedicated platform tennis facility to Leelanau. The organization had a breakthrough in December, when PCOL was awarded both a donated court and a $25,000 grant from the APTA, for a total value of $50,000. Those contributions made a sizable dent in the $250,000 PCOL has estimated for the initial phase of the buildout at Dune Bird. PCOL is now raising additional funds to close the gap.

As a private facility, the platform tennis courts at Dune Bird will have a mostly “members only” structure. PCOL is aiming to sell 200 family memberships for the facility, with a $1,250 price tag “including initiation and your first year of dues.” Ongoing dues are expected to be $200 to $250 annually. The organization is also accepting donations, with contributions of $5,000 or more unlocking “special membership benefits, up to lifetime free dues.” PCOL is in the midst of a fundraising drive to recruit 70 new founding members and raise $100,000 by March 31.

The location means the courts will also be available for Dune Bird customers to use – at least for limited hours.

New cidery officially on the way

The Leelanau Ticker reported last week that Heartwood Ciders, a new cidery proposed for Solon Township, was about to have its public hearing before the township’s planning commission. Business owners David and Rachel Barnard plan to build a hard cider tasting room and production facility on a 10-acre property located at 13775 South Lautner Road. The parcel will also be used for agricultural operations, with the cidery growing and harvesting most of the fruit it will use in producing its ciders.

The planning commission ultimately voted to approve a special use permit for the project, and the Barnards tell the Leelanau Ticker their next steps “include planting 2,000 apple trees this spring, starting construction on the building this summer, and opening by the summer of 2025.” The couple plans on “documenting these exciting times on our YouTube channel so that everyone may follow along.”

Jaffe’s Resale and Consignment changes hands

Phil and Pat Thies, longtime proprietors of Jaffe’s Resale & Consignment in Lake Leelanau, announced late last month they sold the business after more than 18 years. The buyer, poetically, is Jaffe Wade, who originally started the store back in 2003. Per a press release announcing the change, Wade will rebrand the Lake Leelanau store under the banner of Evergreen Consignment, which is the name of the shop she opened on Eighth Street in Traverse City in 2015. The rebrand will occur on April 1.

Field Trip Goods closes Empire store

Field Trip Goods, a retailer with a collection of apparel, jewelry, household items, beauty products, ceramics, and other wares from “independent, modern makers and merchants, both local and global,” announced on Instagram this week that it will be closing its store in Empire. The business, run by owner Lauren Springer, opened its brick-and-mortar location in the former Diane’s Hair Salon on M-22 in October 2022. Since then, the shop has operated seasonally, though the Springers have kept an online store running year-round.

The online store will continue, but the Springers will not reopen their physical storefront. Springer shared on Instagram that her husband Trey’s job “has moved us out of state,” and that their original plan “to come back during the summers and run Field Trip seasonally” has proved too much of a logistical challenge.