Traverse City News and Events

New Coffee Shop, Arcade, Beer Garden Coming To TC

May 11, 2016

A new coffee shop is coming to Traverse City’s Fourteenth Street corridor, downtown TC is adding a beer garden and a retro video game arcade, and several wineries and taprooms are opening or expanding in The Ticker’s latest roundup of restaurant and retail news.

Harpo’s Coffee Café
Grand Traverse Band LLC – a holding company of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians – hopes to take advantage of a continual stream of cross-town and commuter traffic when it opens its new Harpo’s Coffee Café at the corner of Fourteenth Street and Veterans Drive.

“We’re keeping everything local,” says Grand Traverse Band Executive Assistant Lindsay Szafranski. “We have a local coffee roaster we’re using (for beans), and all our pastries will be local.” The café – located in the former Credit Union One building at 1202 Veterans Drive – will offer seating for 20 and will operate daily from 6am-8pm. Pending final inspections, Harpo’s could be open as soon as this Saturday.

Grand Traverse Band also plans to take advantage of what could have been a burdensome feature for many occupants – the bank’s old drive-thru. “We are converting that and will offer drive-thru service,” says Szafranski. 

Szafranski says the café is the first of what Grand Traverse Band hopes will eventually be several locations around the area.

Downtown Arcade, Beer Garden
Visitors to the Warehouse District might do a double take after seeing a sprawling graffiti mural on the back building wall of The River Outfitters. Created by Kevin Burdick of Scraps Designs, the mural heralds the opening this month of a new retro video game arcade called The Coin Slot on Garland Street.

Operated by the owners of The Lot on Eighth Street, the arcade is set to open Memorial Day weekend. Despite the focus on vintage coin-operated games -- including both arcade and pinball games -- users won't actually have to dig into their pockets for quarters. The Coin Slot will instead sell daily passes for access, and will also offer a limited number of $195 membership passes good for the entire summer. Though the space isn't licensed for alcohol sales, the arcade sits just a few feet from both The Workshop Brewing Company and InsideOut Gallery.

Fun and games are also on the agenda at The Shed Beer Garden, a new concept launching behind Blue Tractor on Union Street May 23. Mike Lloyd -- a general managing partner in the restaurant group that also includes North Peak and Jolly Pumpkin -- tells The Ticker the beer garden will feature a 1955 Chevy “Beer Truck” outfitted with ten draft tap handles, as well as a food truck serving sliders. The outdoor venue will have seating capacity for 75, large picnic tables, fires for s’mores and party games such as cornhole. Create TC will host a grand opening celebration for The Shed Beer Garden on June 3 featuring live music, giveaways, games and specials.

In other downtown TC news, raw juice retailer Press On Juice officially opened its doors at 134 East Front Street Friday, while consignment boutique Evergreen Consignment opened Thursday at its new location at 720 West Front Street. This Saturday (May 14), Mexican-inspired taquiera Mama Lu’s will also open to the public at 149 East Front Street. The restaurant will operate seven days a week from 11am-11pm.

Wine, Beer Players Expand
Several new tasting rooms will dot the region’s wine trail map this summer. Boutique vineyard and tasting room Rove Estate Vineyard and Winery opened its doors last Thursday at 7007 E. Traverse Highway (M-72). Taking advantage of its elevation – the highest of any Leelanau winery at 1,100 feet – owners Creighton and McKenzie Gallagher added an outdoor wraparound deck offering expansive views of the county. The winery will offer five varietals to start, opening daily at 11am and offering tastings until 6pm (5pm Sunday).

A long-anticipated 31,000 square-foot new facility at Mari Vineyards – including a tasting room, patio, and wine production and bottling areas – is slated to open this June at 8175 Center Road on Old Mission Peninsula. The winery boasts a unique “wine cave” that maintains constant 55-degree temperatures year-round, allowing the company to produce a number of red varietals not commonly found in the region. Owners say they will announce a “firm opening date” with summer tasting hours and tour options shortly.

Northport’s Good Neighbor Organic is rebranding to Green Bird Organic Cellars and Farms – a change that reflects a new partnership between owner Benjamin Crow and partner Court Wengreen. The company will offer several “new products and experiences” this summer, including live music, weekly late-night camp fires, and wine, cider, beer, spirits and snacks on the outdoor patio.

On the craft beer front, 7 Monks Taproom owners announced plans to open a Grand Rapids location this fall. A Boyne City location is scheduled to open in mid-June; the third site will be at 740 Michigan Street NE in Grand Rapids as part of mixed-use development 616 Lofts. 

“It was wild timing, but the (Grand Rapids) space was available and we had great people there willing to work with us,” says Co-Owner Matt Cozzens. 

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