Restaurant & Retail Businesses On the Move Downtown & Beyond

Multiple restaurant and retail changes are underway in downtown Traverse City, from the opening of new brunch spot The Dandy on Front Street and photography studio Open Aura on State Street to the closure of Cherry Hill and (soon) Daisy Jane to the listing of multiple properties for lease or rent. The Ticker has the latest on those and numerous other business updates from across the region.

Downtown Traverse City
A project 18 months in the making is opening its doors on Front Street. After purchasing the former Green House Café building at 115 East Front Street in early 2024, Red Spire Brunch House owners Chad Hall and Joshua Anderson launched new brunch spot The Dandy in the space Tuesday. Now in soft opening mode, Hall says the restaurant will operate daily from 8am to 3pm.

The menu has “things that carry over easily from Red Spire, but also a few throwbacks/nods to the Green House Café,” he says, with examples like omelets, benedicts, soups and salads, sliders, and a variety of entrees. “It’s breakfast and lunch all day. We have a liquor license with full bar. We will also do some evening events, such as happy hours and possibly guest chefs or pop-up events. We will be making the space available for event space rental.” Hall and Anderson will also continue to operate Red Spire in Building 50.

Around the corner at 340 East State Street (Suite 1C) in the TC Lofts building, Tarra Warnes is targeting a December 1 opening for new photography studio The Open Aura. Described as Traverse City’s “first and only aura photography studio,” Warnes says portraits are “captured and developed in the studio, your color reading is interpreted, and the image delivered in a keepsake photo folder. In addition to traditional aura sessions, we will offer couples aura sessions, maternity and newborn aura sessions, doggy aura sessions, and other specialized aura portraits.” Private group events and mobile photo services for weddings and other gatherings will be offered along with merchandise and gifts.

Also downtown, Annie Hill of Cherry Hill Boutique closed her doors Saturday after nearly three decades in business. First launched at 156 East Front Street, the store moved in 2015 to its most recent home at 224 East Front Street. Hill, who is retiring, called the business her “life’s work” and “pride and joy” in an Instagram post. Further down the street, Queen Bee Limited put a sign on its door stating it’s “closing for the season” at 322 East Front Street. Meanwhile, Glitz & Spurs Boutique is moving two doors down to the current Daisy Jane space at 203 East Front Street as of January 1, with a targeted reopening in mid-late January. The Glitz & Spurs space will then be available for lease for $4,500/month. Amy Stevens of Daisy Jane confirms the store is closing at the end of the year, noting her mother and owner has operated that store and Molly’s in Leland for many years and is retiring. Stevens is taking over and “will be keeping Molly's in Leland open, as that is the store where I grew up and it just feels right to stay there,” she says.

Several downtown area businesses have hit the market. Dunegrass has closed its downtown Traverse City cannabis store at 440 East Front Street, with the property listed for sale for $1.9 million. The listing notes the 4,620-square-foot space could “easily be split into two units” or redeveloped into a mixed-use, multi-story building. Unparalled Apparel – an online and brick-and-mortar store at 121 East Front Street (Suite 105) specializing in “high-quality custom designed apparel for tourists and locals alike” – is also seeking a new owner. Inquiries can be directed to lauren@unparalleledapparel.com. Toward NMC, former Crocodile Palace space at 124 Cochlin Street has been listed for lease for $3,500/month (the restaurant is still operating out of its The Little Fleet location).

At 436 West Front Street, Kayak Bike & Brew has listed part of its building space for lease. While the $4,200 listing offers both the main Front Street space and commercial kitchen area, owner Troy Daily says he’s also willing to just lease the kitchen. The tour company would “operate from the downstairs area if someone was interested” in the whole upstairs, he says. Daily says while he waits for the City of Traverse City to determine its long-term policy for tour operators using the Boardman-Ottaway River – a process he says has experienced “frustrating” delays and left his 2026 season in limbo – he wanted to ensure cashflow for the building “due to the uncertainty” of what’s next. Parks and Recreation Superintendent Michelle Hunt says the commission is tentatively set to discuss tour operations at their December meeting.

Also downtown, The Little Fleet has launched its seasonal monthly series of Soup and Bread events (the first Monday of each month at 6pm) in which local restaurants donate soup in a pay-what-you-want model with all profits benefiting local nonprofits. The bar is also hosting a series of “Meet the Makers” events with local winemakers over the winter and has launched its annual kitchen takeover series, hosting Oakwood Sliders and Boozy Shakes November 24-25, Suomi Pop December 2 & 8-9, Hello Darlin’ by Oakwood December 15-16, Fatted Calf December 22-23, and Umbo December 29-30. Umbo – a new restaurant coming to Front Street in 2026 – is hosting additional pop-ups like takeovers at Charles & Reid, oyster tastings and wine dinners at Aurora Cellars, and a monthly supper club program leading up to its brick-and-mortar launch.

More openings, closings, and moves…
New café Right Bower Coffee opened its doors Sunday inside the Seven Hills complex on Old Mission Peninsula, occupying the former Mission Proper space. Owner Victoria Levinsohn says the café will operate seven days a week 8am to 3pm serving Panther Coffee “with a classic coffee and tea menu as well as some exciting specials – starting off with our holiday menu – and house-made flavors.” Food will include “seasonally inspired all-day breakfast and lunch, house-made pastries, and an after-hours menu for patrons” of the co-located Old Mission Distilling, she says.

EB2 Vintage is moving from its current location at 516 East Eighth Street at the end of January to a new store at 1316 W. South Airport Road. “The new shop is roughly double the size of our current one, which means we can bring in a lot more vintage vendors and significantly expand our furniture consignment options,” says owner Carla Weaver. The store, opening on February 1, will offer room for creatives arts classes, community events, and continued markets and fundraisers.

Outdoor Décor – a seasonal store offering homemade wreaths, garlands, centerpieces, swags, and more with locally sourced greens – has a new location this season at 2070 Fallen Pines Drive in Grawn. The store held its grand opening Saturday and will operate through December 14 or while products are still available. Hours are Monday-Thursday 12pm-7pm and Friday-Sunday 11am-8pm. In Traverse City, Walstrom Marine has consolidated operations into a single customer-facing store at 291 N. US-31 South – the former Grand Bay Marine building located next to KFC – where all customer visits, service appointments, and deliveries will now take place.

Finally, several food updates: Following the closure of Woodland Creek Furniture in Acme, Backwoods BBQ and Eats is now operating inside the space at 4290 US-31. The Texas-style BBQ joint is open Wednesday-Saturday 12pm-6pm until the spring, according to the owners. Also in Acme, Stone Hound Brewing Company has expanded to offer breakfast Friday-Sunday 8am-11am, including a variety of vegan and vegetarian options. Oakwood Proper Burgers is also now open for breakfast daily (except Monday when the restaurant is closed) from 8am-11am, switching over to lunch at 11am. Taco truck Sabores Y Colores has relocated for a “few months” from The Coin Slot lot over to the Silver Spruce Brewing Company lot, operating Thursday-Sunday 3pm-8pm. Lastly, Le Metropolitain food truck – normally stationed at TC Whiskey on Fourteenth Street – suffered a recent “devastating fire” resulting in the total loss of the truck. A GoFundMe has been launched for the business, raising more than $7,000 of its $10,000 goal so far.