3 new businesses are thriving in Boyne City

The owners of three Boyne City businesses that opened in 2017 all say they are thriving. 
> Stiggs Brewery and Kitchen will be celebrating its first anniversary Saturday, January 20th as they cosponsor the inaugural Fat & Flurrious fat bike race along with North Country Cycle Sport. Owner Mike Castiglione said his first year revenues exceeded projections and he is very happy, although he chuckled, saying “I wouldn’t recommend having a baby at the same time you open a new business.” His wife Jessica gave birth to their first child Henry on March 5th, just over a month after the business opened.

Celebrating the approval of federal historic tax credits
 at Stiggs Brewery last year were from left, City Manager
Mike Cain,  Stiggs owner Mike Castiglione, Main Street
Exec Director Kelsie King-Duff, and Chamber Executive 
Director Ashley Cousens. Castiglione says the support of
the city and community has been "awesome."

Opening in late January worked out well, since that is not a busy time of year. “Being that we were the new kids on the block it was better that we started in the slow season. That gave us time to regroup and establish good routines before the busy summer season,” Castiglione said. 
Stiggs is the only brewery in Boyne City, and Castiglione thinks that his business plus the opening of Boyne City Taproom and 7 Monks Taproom in mid-2016 has established Boyne City as a beer lovers destination. “I think we will all do well, playing off each other to bring the beer geeks into town.”
A number of promotions have helped bring customers into Stiggs. They have a Mug Club loyalty program, monthly beer dinners, monthly fly-tying events with Brian Kozminski, as well as an upcoming cigar/beer pairing event on Feb. 3rd. They have teamed up with local businesses to brew branded beers for Coldwell Banker and Boyne Country Provisions, and a North Harbor Real Estate brew is coming soon. Special events in addition to Fat & Flurrious include a Summer Kickoff Party planned for June 16th, and a repeat of Stiggtoberfest on October 13th.
Castiglione said the City of Boyne City has been “awesome and easy to work with” in getting his business started, approving sidewalk dining and helping him get approved for federal historic tax credits for the building at 112 S. Park St.

Dana Betchek of Bliss Salon

> Bliss Salon & Spa opened April 11th at 210 S. Lake St., Suite B. Owner Dana Betchek said, “Since opening this past April, we were able to kick off our year during a quieter season, which was nice while we were still getting used to our space and developing our team. When we opened, we started with one part-time team member and one full time. We currently have four full-time team members and one part-time, so we've more than doubled our team since opening. Boyne City is definitely more hopping in the summer time so we are anxious to go into 2018 fully staffed and ready to rock. The seasonality of the town some people may see as a downfall, but we are working hard to build our local clientele and are servicing clients from not only Boyne City but East Jordan, Charlevoix, Walloon and Petoskey. We feel that with time, we will be able to keep our store very busy year round.”
“We have not had a hard time finding staff. We've worked really hard and continue to work hard to build a reputable salon and spa where professionals would want to continue their career. Plus, being a team-based salon enables us to work a lot more efficiently as our guests are encouraged to have a "team" of stylists or "glam squad" instead of just one stylist. We use social media as a tool to attract new talent, which has worked well for us.”
“We pride ourselves on educating our guests for exactly what they need for take home care. We guarantee all of our products and also offer products that are not easily found online and stay more exclusive to the salon. Our guests also love that we offer loyalty points that they can use towards services or take-home care.”
“We love Boyne City and are happy to be here and look forward to many years to come!”

Forgotten Treasures on S. Lake Street.

> Forgotten Treasures opened May 3rd at 209 S. Lake Street. This new Consignment/Resale Store features a full line of women's and children's clothing as well as furniture, antiques and collectibles. Before starting her own store, owner Anna Burkhart worked weekends for similar stores owned by her mother for the past 14 years.
“My first year in Boyne has been wonderful,” Burkhart said. “The summer months were a good start for the business and sales since then have stayed steady. As expected, there is a slowdown in the winter months but with the nature of my business I have found some great return customers - local and weekend regulars - and even new customers with the change of seasons.”
“There's been a lot of support from everyone. The chamber has done a great job keeping me informed of events and checking in to see how things have been as well as Kelsie from Main Street. It truly has been a great town to open a business in. Boyne really does understand the importance of being involved with its businesses and keeping them supported.”
“I have been asked if I need any help multiple times and honestly I believe Boyne does what it is supposed to do. They have created a diverse area that people from all over enjoy coming to. They hold multiple events all year long to keep the community involved and bring customers out. This is not a town that just sits back and hopes that things happen. They have done an awesome job of growing the area into a year-round destination.”