A New Business at Third Street Marketplace, an Update on the Landmark, Karl Bohnak’s Future, and a “F**K BIDEN” Flag
The Latest From Marquette, MI by Brian Cabell
A POTENTIALLY EXCITING change is in the works at the Third Street Marketplace which is still under construction. Nothing certain yet, but a single, local tenant—unidentified for now—is seriously considering moving into all three vacant spaces at the marketplace…Two of the three spaces had been reserved for an Italian restaurant and a game retailer, but those deals fell through.
Developer Joe Constance says he should have a definite answer from the prospective tenant before the end of the month.
A word of caution. What we’ve learned over the past several years is that when a developer says “It’s almost a done deal!”, be skeptical. Deals fall through. And when new business owners tell you, “We’ll be open in two months!”, add another three or four months to the estimate.
ON THE OTHER hand, this is a sure thing: Constance has sold the highly-successful Iron Bay Restaurant downtown to two of his employees, Andrew Hillary and Brandon Maki. Millennials… “When I opened the restaurant,” Constance explains, “I made it clear that I wanted it to eventually be employee-owned, and that’s what’s happening.”
Constance still owns the real estate. He’s selling only the business.
NO DECISIONS YET on the closed-down restaurant (formerly The Piedmont and Capers) at the Landmark Inn. It’s being used for special events in the meantime…. “Frankly, with all the hiring problems everybody’s having, this is not the best time to open a restaurant,” says Matt Mering, one of the principals at the Landmark…. As for this past summer at the Landmark, Mering says it was the best they’ve ever had. Marquette’s become a destination during the pandemic, especially for motorists.
THAT SNIPPY LITTLE Facebook dispute between Dead River Coffee and Towners bakery has thankfully ended. “It’s been resolved,” says Dead River owner Theo McCracken. “No problem.” …It started when McCracken learned that Towners, in Gwinn, had posted a sign seeming to indicate that Towners was serving Dead River coffee. It is not. They used to have a deal, but no longer… Miscommunication? Misunderstanding. Yep, that’s what it was, according to Towners’s co-owner Jake Bonzer. The Dead River sign was one of many on the front door, not an attempt to deceive. It’s been taken down… Bottom line: Two highly respected businesses have buried the hatchet.
“WE SHOULD HAVE some big announcements in the next week or two,” says WLUC GM Rick Rhoades… Big announcements like, who’s gonna be anchoring the news and giving us the weather in the future. This, after the exodus of big names from the station in the last few weeks. Right now, it’s “Who wants to work an extra shift today? And tomorrow? And next week?”
METEOROLOGIST KARL BOHNAK, the biggest name to leave WLUC, is still weighing his options. “Right now, I’m just getting used to life without the TV station,” he says. A new sleeping schedule is part of it… He still provides weathercasts for three UP radio stations, and he’s had inquiries about other possible jobs and projects, but nothing is imminent… However, he will be attending parties in his honor scheduled for him in the weeks ahead in Nahma and Iron Mountain. He’s a popular man with controversial views on politics, climate change, and the COVID vaccine.
A BOON FOR Marquette’s Innovate Marquette SmartZone. A $611,000 federal grant to aid tech start-ups here over the next three years. Actually, only half of it is federal money, while the other half comes from a local match and in-kind donations… Thirty start-ups will receive small amounts of money, then the more successful ones will get even more financial support with the help of angel investors… “We’re moving at a very nice clip now,” says Joe Thiel, the CEO of Innovate Marquette, which is now six years old. Innovate is currently working with 64 clients… The goal is to build new tech companies and keep smart young people in the Marquette area.
WHERE’S THE COFFEE? You drive through Munising Wednesday morning, 7:30. Dying for a cup of coffee… Gallery Coffee? Closed ‘til 8. Falling Rock? Closed ‘til 8…What the heck? Fall hours, says Gallery co-owner Ana Dolaskie. “Data tells us that anything earlier than 8 just doesn’t make sense. And employees are definitely a factor!”
THE UNEMPLOYMENT SUPPLEMENTAL checks have finally stopped, so you gotta figure people are now out, pounding the pavement, snatching up all available jobs…. That would be a big No. A short list of employers looking—begging—for employees on the West End includes these: ABC 10, Anytime Fitness, Cattrons Lumber, Fox Negaunee ($7500 bonus!!!), Globe Printing, Great Lakes Recovery Centers, Irontown Pasties, Jackson’s Pit, Jasper Ridge…. and on and on…. Sure seems like starting wages will have to be jacked up.
OBSERVED IN KINGSFORD, our neighbors to the southwest: in a middle class neighborhood, on a busy street, with families and kids passing by daily, a huge flag hanging off of the front porch, with the words “F**K BIDEN”. The word is fully spelled out…. So this is what it’s come to. This is where we stand as a nation, as a society. We’ve lost our way, and it’s difficult sometimes to see a way back.
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😆😂🤣 The f**k Biden signs. If I'm correct I remember all the bumper stickers and stickers on people's tailgates, people wearing t-shirts all saying "F**k Trump and f**k you also if you voted for him." It sure didn't make any local news station or even national news back then. Everyone wanted to claim their right to freedom of speech and expression back then. I guess now freedom of speech and expression doesn't exist anymore. Smh. 🤦♂️
A reminder…..Karl Bohnak has controversial OPINIONS about climate change and covid, none of them based on facts or science….which of course leads to his opinions about politics