Lucky’s Market representatives announced a grand opening date and more details for a planned new store in Traverse City’s Buffalo Ridge Center Tuesday.

The Colorado-based natural foods store chain – which bills itself as “organic for the 99 percent” – will open its doors March 22 in the former Carmike Horizon Cinema building off US-31 (pictured). The 28,000 square-foot Lucky’s will “bring a wide selection of affordable organic, local, specialty and gluten-free items to the surrounding community,” according to the company.

Lucky’s representatives Tuesday detailed many of the store’s planned offerings, including a “large selection of fresh, local produce,” in-house smoked bacon, house-made sausages, fresh seafood, beer and wine, a cheese island stocked with international cheeses, a juice bar offering fresh juices and smoothies, grab-and-go sushi and ready-to-eat meals, a bakery, and a bulk section. The store will employ an in-house butcher, offering a selection of “never ever” meats that have “never been treated with antibiotics or artificial growth hormones,” according to Lucky’s.

The company will also offer an apothecary department with local soaps, candles and salt lamps, and plans to bring its popular “Sip ‘n Stroll” program to Traverse City. A café area with indoor and outdoor seating will sell cold-pressed nitro coffee, $2 beer pints and $3 glasses of wine customers can consume while shopping. Spokesperson Krista Torvik tells The Ticker Lucky’s will also “host special events for the community on an ongoing basis” similar to the company’s nearly two dozen other locations.

According to Torvik, Lucky’s has “just begun the hiring process for the Traverse City store" and will have positions open "across the board." The store is expected to employ 150 staff members. Former Ann Arbor Lucky’s Store Director Jim Mick will oversee operations in Traverse City.

The opening of Lucky’s is likely to put increased pressure on other area grocery stores, particularly direct competitor Oryana Natural Foods Market. “We have data from what other co-ops have experienced that (shows that) when Lucky’s opens in their area, they do have an impact…and it can last for awhile,” says Oryana General Manager Steve Nance. “Because of coming competition like Lucky’s and Costco, we felt it was best not to open our second (planned) store. We pivoted instead to focus our resources on making the Tenth Street store even better.”

Nance says Oryana is proactively taking steps to prepare for a more crowded market, including reducing pricing, offering regular co-op deals and promotions, and making store renovations from “stem to stern to provide the best shopping experience possible.” Nance sees an opportunity for Lucky’s to introduce general consumers to the organic and health food market – “and then it’s our job to bring them to the co-op,” he says. “We anticipate like any other competitive situation, it will make us better.”

In Other Local Business News…
Restaurateurs Eddie and Dani Walker - who formerly operated Edany BLT at 720 West Front Street - are preparing to take over a Traverse City institution. The couple are purchasing Ham-Bonz at 1108 East Eighth Street from long-time owner and pit master Bo Uzzle. Uzzle is partnering with the Walkers for the remainder of 2017 to teach them the diner's recipes and wood-fired pit grill, after which time the couple will take over the restaurant. "The last thing that we want to do is lose what Ham-Bonz is," says Eddie. "We are keeping (Uzzle's) items, and introducing what we do to his customer base." The Walkers will soon roll out some of Edany BLT's breakfast and lunch items on Ham-Bonz's menu, and will start producing homemade corned beef and sausages. This summer, Ham-Bonz will extend its patio to serve an additional 35 guests, offering a separate menu and curbside grill serving sausages, ribs, skewers, pulled pork, and more. "All three of us are excited (about the partnership)," says Eddie. "We want to be certain that we are the best place for BBQ for the next 10 years."

Building on the popularity of cycle pubs, brewery kayak tours and similar activities, a Detroit-based company is launching a new pub cycle boat in Traverse City in 2018. Detroit Cycle Boat will offer a 32-foot pontoon capable of holding up to 16 guests for two-hour BYOB water paddle tours, according to Nick Blaszczyk, who owns the company with his wife Jody and partner Tina Mighion. “It’s the same concept as the (cycle pub), but we’re taking the bike to the water,” he explains. Blaszczyk says the company is “still figuring out the details” of where tours will start and stop in Traverse City beginning next year, but says he’s “actively looking for a restaurant or bar to work with, hopefully by a dock or marina.”

A former hair salon on West Front Street could soon host overnight visitors in Traverse City. Tammy Burd-Ensman finalized the purchase of the former Handsome Alice Salon building at 601 West Front Street last week and is in the process of converting the property into a vacation rental site called The Burdhouse. The house will have a small number of units for rent, says the owner, who is renovating rooms now. “I used to own a resort on Duck Lake, so I’ve done this type of thing before and was looking for a (new) place that had a great location,” Burd-Ensman says. “I loved this building and thought it was unique and interesting.” Guests could begin staying at the property as soon as this spring, she says.

Finally, Red Spire Brunch House officially opened its doors this week in Building 50 at The Village at Grand Traverse Commons. Former Green House Café co-workers Chad Hall and Joshua Anderson are cooking up “classic, high-quality breakfast and lunch items” in the former PepeNero space, with menu items available for either dine-in or to-go. Red Spire is open Monday-Friday 7am-4pm, Saturday-Sunday 9am-3pm.