This weekend marks northern Michigan’s unofficial kickoff, and with it, Leelanau businesses are making big moves. From a pair of beloved restaurants hitting the market to a brand-new boat charter business, the Leelanau Ticker has your guide to the county’s latest restaurant, retail, and business news.

Two Empire restaurants hit the market

Not one, but two Empire restaurants – “the only two full-service restaurants in Empire,” according to listing agent Peter Fisher of Coldwell Banker Schmidt – have been put up for sale. The establishments, Joe’s Friendly Tavern and the Empire Village Inn, are bundled together in a $2,995,000 listing that includes both businesses and their combined 1.1 acres of land and 8,247 square feet of building space. The two restaurants are owned by Frank Lerchen, who bought both from former owner Mike Wiesen in 2006.

“The Friendly” first opened all the way back in 1940, while the Village Inn dates back to 1959. The former boasts 100 indoor seats and another 90 outside on a newly constructed patio. The latter has 90 seats inside, plus some additional outdoor space.

Despite the listing, Fisher assures that “it’s business as usual at both restaurants” heading into the summer 2024 season, and that both are “in good shape for summer staffing.”

“The owners keep a close eye on the restaurant business in the Grand Traverse region and they’re aware and prepared for a sales process that may take a while, if need be,” Fisher tells The Ticker. He adds that, while the listing is for both restaurants, Lerchen “would be agreeable to selling just one, or selling them to two separate buyers.”

On top of the branding, real estate, and other business assets, the listing includes liquor licenses for both properties – one a Class C license, the other an SDM (Specially Designated Merchant) license.

H2GO Tours offers Lake Leelanau escapades

There’s a new charter boat captain in town. Meet Leelanau resident Jeff Dungan, whose new business – called H2GO Charters – will be offering a variety of local charter boat options this summer. Dungan’s charters are geared toward groups looking to explore Lake Leelanau or other local water bodies, but who prefer not to rent or pilot their own boats. The business model will focus mostly on four-hour and six-hour boat tours during the day, though Dungan will also offer two-hour sunset cruise slots in the evenings and special color tour cruises come September and October.

Dungan points to the H2GO tagline – “Spend less time planning and more time enjoying” – as the value proposition for the business. “I think a lot of people want to go out on a boat, but don’t want to drive it,” he explains. “Maybe they want to relax; maybe they want to party; maybe they just don’t know the water. Whatever the case may be, I can help.”

H2GO will primarily operate on the waters of Lake Leelanau, with most tours offered on a Starcraft Aurora 2000 boat with capacity for groups of up to eight people. But Dungan says his goal with the company is to be as flexible as possible to customer needs. Those in the mood for swimming and hanging out on the water will get a tour of Lake Leelanau’s best sandbars, while those wanting a mix of on-water and off-water experiences can book H2GO Charters to explore near-water establishments like Boathouse Vineyards, Soul Squeeze Cellars, or Northern Latitudes Distillery.

Dungan will also offer charters on other inland lakes, as well as a standalone captain-for-hire service. “Some customers might want to rent a bigger boat than what I have, but they can still hire me to drive it,” he explains.

A new art gallery in Omena

Fans of the Tamarack Gallery in Omena will be happy to learn that a brand-new art gallery is opening in its place. Started in 1972 by David and Sally Viskochil, Tamarack Gallery closed its doors last October. Now, another husband-and-wife team is taking up the Viskochils’ mantle.

Matt and Hillary Voight bought the Tamarack space at 5039 North West Bay Shore Drive in Omena and plan to open their new business, called V Gallery, this weekend. A carpenter by trade, Matt is also an artist who sold his work at the Tamarack Gallery for a decade and a half before it closed. Hillary, meanwhile, is a local realtor whose name locals might recognize from a recent success story for the Leelanau nonprofit Peninsula Housing. Matt is one of several artists whose work will be featured at V Gallery, alongside names like Alyssa Smith, Melanie Parke, and Dana Falconberry.

Hillary tells the Leelanau Ticker that V Gallery will have its grand opening today (Friday) from 4-7pm, with several artists present for the festivities.

Leland welcomes Goodness on Main

Earlier this month, Goodness on Main, a new boutique in Leland, opened its doors at 107 Main Street – formerly the home of Green Goodness. Owned and operated by Ashley Suttman – a second-grade teacher at Leland Public School (LPS), and herself a graduate of LPS – Goodness on Main carries a wide range of products, including women’s clothing, skin care products, hair care and accessories, jewelry, bags and purses, bedding, drinkware, rugs, kids clothes and toys, and more.

According to the Goodness on Main website, Suttman “spent the last decade working at [Green Goodness] under the previous owner, learning the space and clientele and honing her vision to make the space completely her own.” One aspect of Suttman’s vision involves supporting local artisans and makers by stocking “carefully selected products that are created right in Leelanau.”

The Foxglove Farm preps for its first full season

After a relatively soft opening during summer 2023, The Foxglove Farm – a 100-acre property and event venue located just north of downtown Suttons Bay – is kicking off what promises to be a busy 2024 season. Featuring a meticulously restored 130-year-old stone and timber barn and an overlook with views of West Grand Traverse Bay and the tip of Old Mission Peninsula, the property already has 15 or so weddings booked for the 2024 season, according to Venue Manager Kelsey Barnes.

Kelsey and her parents – Glenn and Patty Barnes – bought the property in 2021 with the goal of resuming agricultural activities on the land, which used to be a fruit farm. Restoration of the barn led to the secondary goal of hosting events, but the Barneses say they haven’t lost sight of their farming aspirations.

“Eventually, that’s the goal here, and I’m learning how to farm,” Glenn says. “We've got some local friends and neighbors that have really wrapped their arms around us and helped us and educated us on things to do so. And my dream, in addition to having the weddings and events here in order to support the agriculture, is to have U-pick cherries, apples, and blueberries on this land.”