A combined Dunkin’ and Baskin-Robbins store is coming to the former Taco Bell space at 816 East Front Street – the first of six new Dunkin’ locations eventually planned across northern Michigan, according to operator Empire Hospitality Group. The Ticker has the exclusive first look at the project plans, plus other business openings, closings, and moves across the region.

Dunkin’/Baskin-Robbins
A prominent drive-thru location near the intersection of East Front and Barlow streets – once occupied by Taco Bell, which relocated a few doors down the corridor in April – has been snapped up by Empire Hospitality Group to become a new combined Dunkin’ and Baskin-Robbins restaurant and drive-thru. Company representative Sathya “Sam” Yalamuri tells The Ticker the group will start reconstruction in the coming weeks ahead of a targeted November opening.

Empire Hospitality Group – which operates over 130 Dunkin’, Qdoba, Subway, and gas station locations across seven states, including several in the Detroit area – has its sights on a significant expansion into the northern Michigan market, Yalamuri says. The company is partnering with Dunkin’ to eventually open six locations across the region, including another Traverse City location at Chums Corner in 2026 and a third location to follow in Petoskey. While a Dunkin’ location exists now inside the Great Wolf Lodge – an East Bay Township location closed in 2009 – Yalamuri sees a pent-up demand for more standalone locations.

“A lot of people from up north come into our stores in the Detroit area, and they are always asking, ‘Why don’t you bring a Dunkin’ up north?’” Yalamuri says. “So we’ve been doing our due diligence. This is going to be a great site. (Dunkin’) approved it right away.”

Dan Stiebel of Coldwell Banker Commercial Schmidt says the property generated “a lot of calls” when it hit the market because of its proximity to downtown and surrounding neighborhoods – as well as the newly reconstructed Senior Center across the street – and high traffic counts in the corridor. Yalamuri says the combo store model planned for the site works well because Dunkin’ tends to draw traffic earlier in the day for coffee and donuts, while ice cream and cake shop Baskin-Robbins attracts more of an evening crowd. Both brands are owned by global conglomerate Inspire Brands.

Other local openings, closings, and moves…
> Walstrom Marine announced Thursday it is collaborating with Far Side Properties on a potential new marina on Grand Traverse Bay following the acquisition of the Viridian commercial office building at 13561 South West Bay Shore Drive. Exact plans for the site are still being determined, but ideas range “from a full-scale marina with facilities to a mixed-use development with condominiums and a private marina,” according to a release, which points to a years-long wait list for boat slips in the region. “Walstrom and Far Side have held preliminary discussions with those in the community and actively will seek more input around community interests and potential community features as part of the development.”

Walstrom President Tom Ervin acknowledged it is a “complex, challenging project, but seeing the positive impact it could have by meeting community needs and supporting the transformation of this immediate area, it’s definitely worth the effort.” Walstrom intends to partner with a local developer for non-marina features of a future development. In the meantime, “the Viridian remains open and will continue to operate as a commercial office building,” the release states.

> After a prolonged period of retail vacancy, new life is coming to the Arcade building at 140 East Front. National retail brand Overland is leasing approximately 3,500 square feet in the building for a new store planned to open October 1. The company is known for its sheepskin coats and jackets, blending “heritage craftsmanship with Western-inspired style, offering a range of outerwear, apparel, footwear, bags, and home goods,” PR representative Lexi Leonard says. According to the company’s website, this will be Overland’s first Michigan store and the third in the Great Lakes region. The company has a store in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and another in Chagrin Falls, Ohio.

> Owner Kellie Van Antwerp is launching a new resale boutique today (Friday) called Furnish by KV Studio at 1036 Barlow Street. An experienced designer and stager for groups including Keller Williams, HomeWaters, and Real Estate One, Van Antwerp will feature “many gently used furnishings from staging projects, brand new items, and a few fun vintage items from estate sales,” she says. “I had been considering a retail endeavor, and with Reclectia and Classic Consignment gone, it felt like a great time to do so.” Store hours will be Tuesday-Wednesday 10am-6pm, Thursday 11am-7pm, Friday 10am-5pm, and Saturday 10am-2pm (closed Sunday-Monday). Furnish will be open 4pm-8pm today for the store’s kickoff.

> Also on the retail front, Moonstruck Gardens in the Mercato at The Village at Grand Traverse Commons is changing hands. Owner Cymbre Foster, who opened the store in 2020, has sold the business to employee Carolyn Jaye. “From the day I started working, I knew it was special,” says Jaye. “I’m so honored to carry on the vision that Cymbre created. Expect whimsical favorites and exciting new finds.”

> Mashup Rock & Roll Musical is preparing to launch its new small theatre venue The MATCH – which stands for Music, Arts, Theatre, Community, Home – at the Cherryland Center. The theatre nonprofit has been working since last fall to raise funds to transform the space into a 92-seat performance venue, which will host Mashup’s own productions as well as rehearsals and performances for other community groups. Renovation work begin in April after an initial successful $32,000 fundraising campaign, with nearly $30,000 more raised since then in additional grants and donations. The first Mashup production in the new space will be the family-friendly musical comedy Quack to the Future – a mashup of DuckTales and Back to the Future – the first two weekends of September, with tickets on sale August 11.

> Several local spots are closing their doors – and the fate of one mall anchor is now unknown. Jennifer Kuhar plans to end operations of coffee shop Mission Proper inside the Seven Hills complex on Old Mission Peninsula in October. She says she’s open to selling “the business, select equipment, or the coffee program itself,” adding: “Seven Hills has not expressed interest in taking over our business model or acquiring our equipment yet, but I truly believe the community values and desires a coffee shop on the Peninsula.” Kuhar says she plans to focus on offering a broader platform she describes as a “design-centric studio focused on shaping experiences, interiors, creative pop-ups to brand storytelling while keeping the fresh coast lifestyle at the center.” Seven Hills co-owner Jay Milliken says the property partners are “actively looking” for a replacement tenant that could include a “coffee operator, restaurant operator, or someone that wants to do both.”

The Refillery Traverse City is closing its Warehouse MRKT location to focus on its original location in the Mercato at The Village at Grand Traverse Commons, owner Sarah Lange announced in a Facebook post. The move will allow her to spend more time with her young family, she said. The last day of the Warehouse MRKT location will be August 24. On the other side of downtown, taco truck Somewhere Over the Trompo – which launched in May – recently wound down operations at The Coin Slot lot.

Finally, the fate of JCPenney at the Grand Traverse Mall is now an open question after a deal was recently announced for private equity firm Onyx Partners to pay $947 million for 119 JCPenney stores – including six in Michigan. The Traverse City store is among those being sold, along with locations in Troy, Sterling Heights, Grandville, Novi, and Chesterfield Township. Onyx Partners has not yet commented publicly on what will happen to the locations the firm is acquiring. The sale is scheduled to close on or before September 8.