Former Glacier Dome Sold to Local Food Distributor

The place that once hosted the likes of Hall & Oates, KISS, and Rush will now be home to northern Michigan's local food distributor. Traverse City's Cherry Capital Foods has purchased the former Glacier Dome on Barlow Street with plans to move into it during the first quarter of 2014, according to Chief of Operations Evan Smith.

Realtor Dave Frost of Three West represented the property that was listed at $795,000; the deal closed July 19, and terms were not disclosed.

"Our growth has been so exponential that we're running out of space in our current building," Smith says of the local and Michigan food distributor currently located at the intersection of Airport Access and Parsons Road in TC. "That, combined with the opportunity that building presents … it lends itself very well to food." Being close to town and offering easy access for trucks are also major advantages with the space, Smith adds.

Back in February, The Ticker reported on this and other large empty buildings on the market. Now, with this sale, the number of such properties has dwindled.

The Glacier Dome is said to have been the first indoor ice rink in town and a venue for concerts by superstar musical acts like Bob Seger, Styx, Johnny Cash and Rush.

"From a real estate standpoint, five years ago there were a tremendous number of larger buildings on the market," says Frost. "A lot of supply and no demand. That has really flipped the last couple of years. Industrial led residential and manufacturing started grabbing up space." (The former Lear Corporation building at the intersection of South Airport and LaFranier was recently sold to Mancelona-based Environmental Protection, Inc.)

Passersby will notice renovations beginning on the former Glacier Dome building in the coming month, says Smith. There will be major upgrades to the structure itself, including new roofing and a significant investment in environmentally-friendly lighting.

There are several tenants in the 41,000-square-foot building currently – including Eastfield Commercial Laundry, Floor Covering Brokers and Alcoholics Anonymous – some of which may end up staying while others will leave when their leases expire, Smith notes.