Stone House Closing, More Culver's & Wine Coming

Stone House Shutting Doors

Stone House Bread’s Traverse City Cafe, which opened at the corner of Cass and State streets downtown in the summer of 2010, will close its doors early next month. The reason: Business – on the wholesale side, anyway – is booming.

According to co-owner Tonie Spearing, the company has been experiencing “incredible growth” with its wholesale business, including new markets, grocery stores and restaurants around the state.

"We need to react to the many opportunities on the wholesale side," Spearing says.

Stone House will continue to operate its Leland Cafe, as well as its Traverse City production facility. Most of the TC cafe staff was seasonal, but Spearing says she’s working with the small number of year-round staff to find positions within the company’s other operations.

Culver’s is East Bay-bound

Local Culver’s restaurant owner and operator Brad Johnson is opening a second Culver’s in Traverse City. The new location will be at the site of the former Dunkin’ Donuts at 876 Munson Avenue in East Bay Township.

Paul Pitas of Culver Franchising confirmed the new location to The Ticker, adding that Johnson plans to close on the property this week. The 1,650 square-foot vacated building will be demolished later this month and replaced with a 4,207-square-foot restaurant. Anticipated opening is mid-February 2012.

Johnson opened Traverse City’s first Culver’s on U.S. 31 South in December 2002. He also owns Culver restaurants in Gaylord and Cadillac.

The former Dunkin Donuts operated at the Munson Avenue location for 14 years before closing in fall of 2009. Corporate headquarters filed a lawsuit against the local franchise owners alleging breach of contract for failing to pay advertising and franchise fees and other costs.

Good Wine on Eighth Street

Bon Vin, a new wine shop at 539 E. Eighth Street in Traverse City, is readying for its “soft opening” this Saturday, Oct. 22. The shop, co-owned by Ric Cerrini and John Dressler, will feature 800 to 900 wines and a craft beer selection. Ultimately, Cerrini hopes to offer 1,500 different labels.

“I have an Old World palette,” Cerrini says, adding that the shop will stock a lot of European vintages. It will also carry a selection of local reds and whites.

 Cerrini brings extensive experience to the new enterprise – as a wine buyer for the former Village Corner wine shop in Ann Arbor for 37 years. A longtime visitor to the area, he moved to town in June. Dressler (brother of Mark Dressler of the Epicurean Classic) is also a local resident.

Cerrini and Dressler own the entire commercial building, which also houses Dino’s Pizza, a chiropractic practice and a martial arts studio at the corner of Eighth and Franklin streets.