Changes are underway on Front Street in downtown Traverse City, with a new coastal-themed restaurant and bar set to open in the former 123 Speakeasy space, lululemon to hold a grand opening celebration next weekend, and a new skincare and retail space opening above What to Wear. The Ticker has details on those and other local business updates, including a new trio of owners taking over Discovery Cruises with plans to expand tours and programming this summer.

Front Street Changes
New life is coming soon to the 123 Speakeasy space on West Front Street, which has been listed on the market since fall 2021. Garrett Jenkins and Steve Montesanto – the latter a veteran of multiple restaurants including Bistro Renaissance in Dexter – are targeting an August opening of Pacificoast, a new coastal-themed restaurant and bar. Jenkins says the full-service restaurant will offer a “full array of seafood,” including raw seafood options, and a 70-inch custom woodfired pizza oven that will serve up Neapolitan pizzas and other entrees. Pacificoast will also offer weekend brunch and a full bar, including curated wine lists, draft and canned beer, custom cocktails, and playful options like frosé (frozen rosé), “fairground lemonades” (lemonade and vodka in fairground cups), and a rolling rosé cart that will travel the dining room.

Jenkins says major interior renovations are underway on the space, which previously had a dark, cloistered atmosphere for the speakeasy. “We’re taking down a wall, opening it up, and bringing light in there,” he says. “Our vibe is going to be very light and nautical – lots of whites, woods, shiplap, and big nautical stencils on the building exterior.” The restaurant will feature an open kitchen, with the pizza oven positioned barside in view of customers. The original high ceilings will be restored and the bar redesigned, with a variety of seating options offered – including bar seats, high-tops, booths, tables, and a lounge area with sofas. The venue will have a total capacity of 142. Jenkins says his goal is to offer something unique in the downtown dining scene, with an emphasis on “fun interactive touches” like a live countdown to summer on the walls and stenciled driftwood displaying weekly features. “We want to keep things simple, yet fun,” he says.

Further down Front Street, national athletic apparel retailer lululemon is preparing for a grand opening celebration next weekend (April 14-16) at 218 East Front Street in the former Nest space. Store Manager Meghan Conrad says interior renovations have preserved many of the building’s historic features, adding a “localized character” that will be unique to the Traverse City location. The store, the first full lululemon retail space north of Grand Rapids, will have a DJ and two workout classes (free with pre-registration) on opening weekend: a mobility class with Melissa Ray of Mettle & Moxie on April 15 at 8:30am and a gentle flow yoga class with Leslie Simionescu of Yen Yoga & Fitness on April 16 at 10am. Conrad says the classes – like the store – are designed to be inclusive of all ages and fitness types, with smoothies provided by Zest Plant-Based Kitchen. Opening weekend hours are 10am-6pm Friday-Saturday and 11am-5pm Sunday, with regular store hours after that of Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm and Sunday 11am-5pm (hours will expand after Memorial Day). The current smaller lululemon pop-up located at 204 East Front Street will close its doors effective April 10.

Also on Front Street, esthetician and herbalist Kelly Kehl is opening a new practice and retail space above What to Wear. Kehl, who specializes in “traditional beauty practices and crafting remedies from whole plants and organic ingredients,” aims to open Little Beauty Kitchen by May 1. A fifth-generation Traverse City resident, Kehl plans to offer skincare services and consultations and make and sell products from the space. She is also behind the brand Lake and Woods Apothecary, which will remain active producing handcrafted, small-batch tinctures and other products.

Discovery Cruises
Three female entrepreneurs are teaming up to purchase Discovery Cruises from current owners Tammy and Harley Hoy. Tawny Hammond – captain and owner of the commercial schooner Wind Dancer – and Jennifer Szunko and Caroline Oosterhouse are taking over the boat tour agency featuring the two-deck touring vessel The Discovery, stationed at Discovery Pier on West Grand Traverse Bay. Hammond calls the trio a “dream team” to run the business, utilizing her own mariner experience plus Szunko’s marketing and events background and Oosterhouse’s hospitality experience with Bonobo Winery.

Szunko says the group plans to expand on Discovery Cruises’ operational approach the last two years, adding more educational tours and partnerships with schools and families, frequent regular tours of Grand Traverse Bay, and new events including theme cruises, live music nights, upscale brunch and dinner sails, and private charters like wedding cruises. “We realize that there are a lot of people of all ages who don’t have the opportunity to get on the water, so we want this to be very accessible for all ages and abilities,” sayz Szunko. Hammond says tours will highlight local food and beverage products and feature messaging on the importance of sustainability and protecting local waterways; the group also intends to be active partners with the other organizations that make up Discovery Center & Pier. Discovery Cruises is already accepting bookings for the summer 2023 season; more tours and events are expected to be added in the coming weeks.

Other local business updates...
Two new health and wellness facilities are coming to the Traverse City area. Brian and Ana Sheridan are targeting a late summer opening of a Club Pilates franchise in the Kids Creek Marketplace on Division Street. Originally launched in San Diego in 2007, Club Pilates now has over 800 studios worldwide and specializes in group classes (typically 12 per class), a variety of in-class equipment, and “scalable” skill levels from beginner to advanced. Brian Sheridan – an occupational therapist – says he and his wife Ana, a physical therapist and Pilates instructor, are excited to apply their experience to the new venture. “Pilates have such a natural fit within rehabilitation,” he says. “What has made Club Pilates so successful is they have a proven model with a whole spectrum of class options in a group setting, and the studios are gorgeous.” The facility will offer drop-in classes, class packages, and unlimited memberships, with special “founding member” discounts offered in the coming months ahead of the studio’s opening.

On the east side of town, Charity Kenney is opening The Garden Spa on May 1 at 2322 N. U.S. Highway 31 North (the former Family Video building next to Walgreens). The holistic wellness center will have a garden setting and offer massages (including couple's and Ashiatsu), a Halotherapy Himalayan Salt Room, infrared sauna and cold shower hydrotherapy, and a red-light therapy Vitality Booth – the only one in northern Michigan and one of only two in the state, according to Kenney. Holistic-based lectures, classes, and workshops are also on deck. Giving back is a key part of The Garden Spa’s model, Kenney says: The company will donate $1 from every service to Operation Underground Railroad, which works to end human trafficking, and will have a Kindness Rewards Program that offers $10 off services in exchange for acts of kindness.

Numerous food options are coming online in the region. Cast Iron Kitchen announced that it’s targeting a May 1 opening of its new Kingsley location at 413 Main Street, while new eatery China Experience recently opened in the Grand Traverse Mall food court. After recently closing on Fourteenth Street, White on Rice has begun operating a regular food truck in The Coin Slot lot on East Front Street, where Aiko Street Food also launched its summer residency this week (current Aiko hours are Thursday-Sunday 11am-11pm, with expanded hours to come). The Bergstrom’s Burgers team announced that their Filipino food truck – Kathy’s Filipino Food – will be stationed at Fresh Coast Beer Works in downtown Traverse City starting in May. Two Traverse City seasonal favorites are also returning, with The Dairy Lodge officially opening last weekend for the summer and Bardon’s Wonder Freeze targeting a Thursday opening.
 
The Little Fleet has also shared its summer 2023 food truck lineup with The Ticker. The lot will feature The Dig's Food Truck – which previously did a kitchen takeover at The Little Fleet and offers Korean, Japanese, and Chinese-inspired favorites – as well as Mediterranean-infused cuisine from new truck Yanni. Yanni owner Andrew Wichern will also operate returning truck TC Pizza Co., with Cordwood BBQ and Happy’s Taco Shop (inside The Little Fleet) also returning to round out the lineup. The trucks will open on April 26, according to General Manager Barbara Saxton.