The Traverse City Curling Club closed Wednesday on the purchase of the former Kmart property in the Cherryland Center, clearing the way for the nonprofit to build a new 28,000-square-foot curling center with a social area, warming kitchen, meeting room, curling pro shop, and five sheets of dedicated curling ice in the building. The club is halfway to a $7 million fundraising goal for the project, with the aim of opening the center by November.

The 11-acre purchase contains both the former K-mart building and the adjoining parking lot at the shopping center’s northeast corner. The initial plan upon closing is to lease the remaining 54,000 square feet as retail space, according to TC Curling Club. "By repurposing a substantial percentage of the mall’s real estate, the club hopes their facility will become a catalyst for further development at the Cherryland Center," the organization said in a release Wednesday. "The multi-generational curling community will begin to anchor the corner, providing the energy and sense of community that is the essence of the Barlow-Garfield neighborhood plan." The TC Curling Club received site plan approval in May from Garfield Township for the project.

Through club use, ice rentals, and other community events held in the curling center, "the club is eager to see activity at the Cherryland Center increase to a point where other businesses can benefit and thrive there," the release continues. "The ability to host tournaments and to become regionally, and nationally, known as a significant curling facility will bring visitors, and their dollars, to the area, deepening the overall economic impact of the project. The accessibility of this location will provide convenience to traveling athletes and local families alike."

The Traverse City Curling Club is a member of USA Curling (United States Curling Association), the national governing body of the sport of curling in the United States. "Having secured a significant lead gift from the Great Lakes Sports Commission, the $7 million repurposing effort is underway with the club’s volunteer leadership taking point on details from ordering equipment to coordinating with ice engineering consultants just back from their work at the Beijing Olympics," the release states. "The club is hopeful the facility will be open in time for next season, which begins in November 2022."

Those interested in getting involved in the fundraising campaign can contact traversecitycurling.com or curlingcampaign@tccurling.org.