Flap Jack's Future, New Eats & Shops

Grab your forks and fanny packs – The Ticker has tracked down more restaurateurs and retailers opening or expanding shop this spring.

• It’s sunny side up for the now-closed Flap Jack Shack. The owner of The Omelette Shoppes and Boone’s Prime Time Pub – Grand Rapids-based Restaurant Partners Inc.– has scooped up the vacant building and hope to reopen by the end of May.

Jeff Lobdell, president of Restaurant Partners, and operating partner Scott Parkhurst of Traverse City, plan to keep the Flap Jack Shack name and core menu but will add new twists and turns to the carte du jour.

They’ll also redo the dining room and kitchen, and add a new deck for outdoor seating, says Parkhurst.

The 5,000 square-foot building sits on two acres overlooking U.S. 31. The Bender family closed down last December after 35 years due to health issues and dwindling business.

When asked how they would make it work, Parkhurst responds: “We do breakfast well and specialize in acquiring established brands and updating them.”

• Chef Ralph Humes has opened Mana in The Mercato in Building 50, bringing his signature sandwiches, soups and desserts to the space formerly occupied by Silvertree Deli.

Humes co-owned Soul Hole in Old Town until last summer. He had expressed interest in renovating the former Coddington Cleaners building on Maple Street for a take-out eatery before finding his sweet spot in The Mercato, a place he had been eyeing for years. (Artist Kimberly Bazemore ultimately bought the old, 6,000 square-foot Coddington Cleaners space. It’s now home to several craftspeople, including Bazemore. A gallery (Cog's Creek Gallery) will open in May.)

Humes re-partnered with Tad Trimwell for Mana; the pair worked together previously, operating restaurants in Three Rivers and Kalamazoo. They’ll be bringing in as many local vendors as possible.

• Also in The Mercato, Kim Costanza will open a clothing shop for young girls March 21. It will be located in front of Premier Flowers & Gifts.

In addition to clothing for special events (sizes 4-16), Girlz Rock Clothing & Beach Wear will carry beachwear year-round.

“I’ve heard from moms that there’s no place to find a swimsuit if they’re going on a cruise in February,” says Costanza, a mother of four daughters and owner of two Girlz Rock locations in Florida.

• In downtown Traverse City, Jim and Lane Milligan of Fustini’s Oil and Vinegars will create more elbow room when they expand next door into Bead Bazaar’s old territory.

“We find that with two to three groups tasting the olive oils and balsamic vinegars, it gets pretty uncomfortable for the guests,” Jim Milligan says.

They’ll more than double their retail space (to 1,400 square feet) by the time they’re finished with the project in mid- to late-April.

• Next door to Fustini’s, watch for a high-end gemstone store to soon occupy the space vacated by Dorothy Jean.

• In Leelanau County, Rick Van Steenis and his wife (and longtime chef) Salve are excited about the local response to their 22 Vines and Wines Café and Market, which they softly opened in October at Hilltop Road and M-22.

“We’re focused on locals and doing things northern Michigan hasn’t seen, like traditional Thai cuisine!” he says.

None of their items are pre-made, he adds. “Everything is made fresh. When you get a bowl of soup, it’s made while you’re sitting at the table.”

They also sell thin-crust pizzas, fish tacos, baked goods, Moomers ice cream, and have a full liquor license. Reach them at 271-2221.