Traverse City’s newest brewery – Nocturnal Bloom Brewing, located in the Atomic Marketplace at 3344 Cass Road – is planning a July 30 grand opening, with owner Justin Rivard using hyper-local ingredients and a botanical-inspired approach to put his own take on craft beer, cocktails, NA drinks, and more. The Ticker has the latest on the brewery launch, plus updates on a new Taco Bell location in Acme, the sale of Family Fare’s parent company, multiple new businesses opening locally, and other restaurant and retail news.

Nocturnal Bloom Brewing
Residents accustomed to the industrial look of Cass Road’s commercial corridor near South Airport Road may have clocked an unusual change in the landscape recently: a sleek, modernistic, Scandinavian barn built near the driveway entrance to Sara Lee. That building is Atomic Marketplace (pictured), a new multi-tenant project housing the recently opened Seismoto Coffee Bar – operated by Jolie Roth with a variety of coffee, espresso, and fresh-baked pastry options daily from 7am to 4pm – and Nocturnal Bloom Brewing.

Owner Justin Rivard is pouring his passion for conservation, ecology, and biology – plus his experience at Great Lakes Malting Company – into the new brewery. Sourcing as many local and state ingredients as he can, from Michigan hops to King Orchards fruit, Rivard is planning an initial beer lineup that includes a black walnut brown ale, cherry wheat ale, Michigan hazy IPA, cream ale, German pilsner, pear Belgian, and ntiro coffee stout made in collaboration with Seismoto. Cider partnerships with Tandem Ciders and Left Foot Charley, wine from Black Star Farms, and plans for an expanded beverage rollout in the coming weeks with cocktails, seltzers, and low-ABV and NA drinks are also on deck.

“We have plans to make our own in-house vermouths and amaros, and at some point could produce some of our own spirits, like gin,” Rivard says. He hopes to offer both “recession-proof” easy-drinking beers and more experimental botanical concoctions – such as white pine-soaked vodka, bergamot lavender pale ale, and spicebush beer.

The brewery and coffee bar share an airy Japandi-inspired interior and sprawling outdoor beer garden with patio seating and a bocce court. Live music and other events are planned for the property. Gold Baby Biscuits is planning multiple pop-ups at the site, with a long-term food option in the works. Following the July 30 grand opening, Rivard anticipates being open seven days a week for the summer. “We’re excited to get integrated into the community,” he says.

More openings, closings, and moves...
Taco Bell is planning a new Acme location at the northeast corner of US-31 and M-72. The franchise aims to go in across three parcels that include a former bank drive-thru building. The owner is still working through Acme Township approvals, including completing a traffic impact report (township officials want to ensure no vehicle stacking occurs outside the project boundaries). Once those issues are addressed, a public hearing will be scheduled. Taco Bell representatives estimated renovations will take four months and listed anticipated hours of operation as 10am-midnight (dining room) and 7am-2am (drive-thru).

SpartanNash, the parent company of Family Fare, has been sold to C&S Wholesale Grocers – the parent corporation of Piggly Wiggly. The $1.77 billion deal is expected to close later this year and will create “the necessary scale, efficiency, and purchasing power needed to enable independent retailers to compete more effectively with larger big box chains,” SpartanNash President and CEO Tony Sarsa said in a statement. There are two Family Fare locations in Traverse City, including on Eighth Street and at Chums Corner.

Several new businesses are opening locally. Southern Charm Consignment Boutique – a women’s consignment shop carrying clothing, accessories, and décor – recently opened at 107 South Brownson Avenue in Kingsley. Masala Magic by Anita, a popular Indian truck operated by Chef Anita Jogi at Townline Ciderworks, is opening a second brick-and-mortar location at 115 Ames Street in Elk Rapids. Jogi said this week that a soft opening is coming soon. In Traverse City, candy and treat store Sweet Asylum has opened in Building 50 at The Village at Grand Traverse Commons, while new barber shop Underground Hare has opened its doors at 502 East Front (Suite C) across from The Little Fleet.

On the other end of Front Street, Modern Bird is preparing to launch a private upstairs dining room. Owner Andy Elliott says the intimate space can accommodate up to 18 people for seated dinners and private events. The restaurant is accepting bookings now for August and beyond. The space will also host classes – such as cocktail and wine tutorials – in the future.

Urban Oasis Salt Spa has relocated from South West Bay Shore Drive to a new home at 3899 West Front Street (Suite 2). “Our brand-new spa space is designed to offer you an even more relaxing and rejuvenating experience,” the company posted online. “With room to grow and new opportunities to pamper you, we’re excited to introduce even more of the services you love — along with some fresh additions coming soon!”

The east side of Logan’s Landing  has been listed for sale on South Airport Road for $1.35 million. The listing “presents a rare opportunity to own a versatile riverfront property in a prime location” offering “high visibility, ample parking, and endless potential for a variety of uses.” The Ticker  previously covered the sale of the mall’s western half and the challenges and opportunities presented by the site, which has been grandfathered in as a nonconforming structure in Garfield Township.

Finally, The Ticker has updates on multiple projects featured in previous stories. Southern-inspired “meat-and-three” restaurant Frank’s 231 at 1779 S Garfield Ave (Suite A), art studio and supply shop Surfaces at 309 West Front Street (Suite A), and  Cottage Inn Pizza at 822 East Front Street are all now officially open. After publicly going up for sale last year, Rico’s Café and Pizzeria now has a new owner: Knot Just a Bar owner David Waskiewicz.

The Hammered Heifer – which was planned to launch this summer on Honor Highway – has been put on hold, with proprietor Mogen McCallister posting that he’s “taking the reins at the Hofbrau for the foreseeable future, and that’s going to take up all of my working time.” McCallister said he’d be dialing in new “Heifer-esque dishes” at Hofbrau until the “time is right” to launch the new restaurant.

Downtown, Top Chef veteran Sarah Welch and partner Cameron Rolka recently announced they have finalized the purchase of 430 East Front Street for their planned new oyster bar and restaurant called Umbo opening in 2026. The duo started building renovations this week. Meanwhile, Vicki Biddinger and Heidi Hallett – partners at Pure Essence Salon, which formerly occupied 430 East Front Street – have relocated the salon to 901B West Front Street and are open now next to Loco Boys Brewing Company.