AT&T extends 3G service to Northern Michigan

(From the Petoskey News-Review) Communications provider AT&T announced that it has brought parts of Emmet and Charlevoix counties into its mobile broadband network. The new technology - incorporating 3G, or 3rd Generation mobile telecommunications standards - extends access for advanced mobile services, devices, and feature-rich audio and video content to customers in the area. The activation of mobile broadband technology on nearly 20 cell sites has enhanced wireless coverage for residents and businesses in communities including Petoskey, Bay Harbor, Boyne City, Charlevoix and East Jordan. The network has also been enhanced along major roads, including U.S. 31. Full story.

New Boyne City wine/food store aims for local flavor

Ed and Kristine Brehm

Ed and Kristine Brehm are thinking locally as they prepare to open a new wine and food shop in downtown Boyne City. Wine Emporium & Market is set to open in mid-December at 123 Water St., immediately west of the Boyne Country Provisions party store which the Brehms currently operate. The two retail spaces will connect with one another. The wine section currently offered at Boyne Country Provisions will be relocated to the Wine Emporium space and expanded significantly. "We'll have more than 3,000 bottles," Ed said. Ed, a certified sommelier, tastes a variety of wines in order to determine which bottles to offer to customers. The selection covers a broad price range, but the emphasis is on $10-20 wines that deliver exceptional quality for their price point. The new retail space also will house an Italian-themed deli with soups and sandwiches as well as a market area with organic, international and natural food items. Fresh meats, chicken and fish, as well as breads, side salads, dips and Michigan and international cheeses, will be available. Full story from Petoskey News-Review.

State of the Community: “Boyne City is going strong”

Boyne City leaders addressed citizens at the Fraternal Order of Eagles club to present an update on the state of the community. Four key speakers from different city and county offices gave their views of how the city has been doing over the past year, what projects are under way and what the future looks like for the people of Boyne City. News-Review * 4 videos

Tall Ships visit Boyne City - click photo to see more pictures

Debbie and John Connor open doors to Boyne River Adventures

(From the Petoskey News-Review) Debbie and John Connor opened the doors to Boyne River Adventures on July 20, offering kayak trips down its namesake river and on Lake Charlevoix. “We recently moved here permanently, though we have been visiting every chance we could these last seven years. We knew we had to find something to do, in terms of work, and we knew we wanted it to be seasonal and fun,” said Debbie. “Since we have been kayak enthusiasts for 20 years, and we wanted to bring awareness of the great opportunities to enjoy the outdoors to the area, we decided on kayak trips down the Boyne, which really hasn‘t been done until now,” said John. The two-hour trips cost $33 for a single kayak or $66 for a tandem boat. The put-in site is at Dam Road, and takeout is at Veterans Park in downtown Boyne City. Included in the trip is a sack lunch provided by a local deli and delivered at the end of the trip. This lunch includes a deli sandwich, bag of cookies, chips aSave as Draftnd a pop or water.

Alpine Chocolat Haus opening Boyne City shop

Boyne City residents and visitors will soon be able to enjoy the same bounty of sweet treats presently offered by the Alpine Chocolat Haus at 208 W. Main St. in Gaylord at their own Alpine Chocolat Haus. On June 18, owner Bruce Brown will open his second candy store at the One Water Street development in Boyne City. According to Brown, he’d been considering a second store for years. The One Water Street site, developed by Gaylord-based Catt Development, is what sold him on taking the big step now. “I fell in love with the location and the spot where the store will be,” said Brown. “The development is right on the water and there’s a great restaurant there, Cafe Sante." Full story.

SOBO moniker captures Boyne City's renaissance

By Kim Schneider: Boyne City wasn’t banking on a “name it and they will come” phenomenon when local market owner Liz Glass created colorful signs that read SOBO for a section of her “South Boyne” neighborhood. Not surprisingly, the idea of a sign modified from a Manhattan subway logo to grace a small town best known for this week’s National Morel Mushroom Festival started as “tongue-in-cheek funny,” said Jim Baumann, executive director of the Boyne Area Chamber of Commerce. “People are now calling us, saying they want to be in SOBO,” he said. In a town just a few blocks big, it’s not hard to find the so-called SOBO, near Lake Charlevoix and on the south edge of town. These days, there’s usually a party of some sort going on there. Artist Anthony Williams and a group of collaborators last July opened Freshwater Studio after transforming a building empty for 30-plus years. The brick walls and massive front windows now showcase artworks inspired by nature, the place often buzzing with artist workshops or concerts coordinated by Williams’ wife, folk singer Robin Lee Berry. Full story.
> Kim Schneider is the travel columnist for Booth Newspapers. Pictured above are Liz Glass of Lake Street Market and Tony Williams of Freshwater Studio.

Classic Instruments named one of "50 Companies to Watch"

Boyne City's Classic Instruments has been recognized as one of the 2010 "Michigan 50 Companies to Watch." Kilwin's Chocolates, headquartered in Petoskey with a store in Boyne City, is also one of the 50 honorees. This prestigious award is sponsored by the Edward Lowe Foundation and will be presented at the Michigan Celebrates Small Business event, the state's premier celebration of entrepreneurship in Lansing on April 29. Classic Instruments owner John McLeod commented: "Working in an industry you love with the greatest team you could ask for and be able to work in the most beautiful place in the world (Boyne City), is a grand slam. I am very proud to be included in such a hard-working group and I owe it all to my family, employees, and community." He said the award "highlights the importance of entrepreneurship and the ability of a small business to boost the economy not only locally but on a national level." Story from Petoskey News-Review.

City approves funding for Dilworth study

The Boyne City Main Street program has received city approval to spend up to $25,000 in tax dollars to help fund a study for a developer’s proposed redevelopment of the landmark Wolverine Dilworth Inn. The Boyne City City Commission unanimously approved the expenditure at its regular semi-monthly meeting March 9. Recently, Landmark Development Company, a partnership made up of long-time Boyne City businessman Tom Johnson and former East Jordan City Manager David White, unveiled a plan to renovate and re-open the now closed hotel under a franchise agreement with the national hotel organization Choice Hotels. The nearly 100-year-old hotel has been closed for about 16 months and reopening or redeveloping it recently was at or near the top of lists of citizens’ concerns and priorities for the city gleaned from a public input session and online surveys.

Full story from Petoskey News-Review * Background story

Bird’s Nest opening new store, “Girls Club”

The Bird’s Nest will soon be opening a second Boyne City store, to be called "Girls Club." The store will have a pre-opening March 26 and 27 and the full opening will be Friday, April 2. Girls Club is located in the Bird’s Nest’s original location, across the street and down the alley from the current store. “We have been busy transforming the store into a nook just for girls,” said owner Holly Watson. “The store product emphasizes the celebration of being a girl, having a BFF, and being fabulous and classy. The store has just about everything a girl could want from age two to tween. Some items we will carry are purses, glosses, bath items, manicure kits, craft kits, BFF shirts, pearl jewelry, and girl-sized scarves.” Until Memorial Day weekend, hours will be limited to Friday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 to 4. Become a fan on Facebook – search for "Boyne City Girls Club."

New name, new façade for “inspired living”

The downtown Boyne City store formerly named bali living imports has unveiled its newly remodeled storefront and its new name, inspired living. And they are celebrating with a Spring Clearance Sale. They were spotlighted in a recent story in the Petoskey News-Review:
Willingness to make a change is what led Leslie Neilson to Northern Michigan, and it's also what has kept her Boyne City business strong for the last 10 years. Neilson left a promising career in microbiology to move to Boyne City a decade ago with her husband, Paul Nicholls. Here, they opened their business, Bali &  Beyond, where they sold items found in villages during their trips to Bali. Soon after, they changed the name of the business to Bali Living Imports. And recently, they changed the name for a third time, to Inspired Living. Full story.

Dental clinic offices coming to One Water Street

A statewide dental services organization, Michigan Community Dental Clinics, Inc. has announced its commitment to occupy the entire second floor of the new One Water commercial business space currently under development in downtown Boyne City. Occupancy is expected in late June or early July. Phase I of the One Water project, which is an undertaking of Catt Development, will include a selection of small retail shops along with Magnum Hospitality's new restaurant, Santé, which will have a European Bistro theme. In addition there will be a state-of-the-art 24-slip marina, operated this year by the Boyne City Municipal Marina. Phase II of the development, scheduled to break ground in the fall of 2010, will round out the new marina district of Boyne City with a 37-room hotel that will include 17 condominium suites overlooking Lake Charlevoix. Michigan Community Dental Clinics, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit dental services corporation, operates 17 public health dental clinics statewide, serving people on Medicaid and low-income uninsured individuals at reduced rates. MCDC facilitates the development of dental facilities for local health departments, and operates the clinics on their behalf. With a total staff of over 160, which includes 46 dentists, 28 dental hygienists, and over 80 auxiliary staff, Michigan Community Dental Clinics served more than 50,000 individuals in 2009. The administrative staff in Boyne will number about 20 in July, and will grow over time with continued growth of the clinic network. The organization expects to add three new clinics to its network in 2010.
> For more information, contact Dr. Tom Veryser, MCDC Executive Director, at tveryser@midental.org, or by phone 547-7656; or Glen Catt at gbcatt@cattdevelopment.com.

New European bistro to be named Cafe Santé

"As-yet-unnamed" no longer! Magnum Hospitality is thrilled to "toast" the name of their European-themed bistro, Santé, scheduled to open in late May or early June at the One Water project in downtown Boyne City. According to Magnum's website, "The thrill comes from finally having the naming process over - this was tougher than naming any of our children! "À votre santé!" translates from the French to "To your health!", and is commonly shortened to "à la votre!" or "Santé!". It is used in similar fashion to our "Cheers!", the German "Prost!", Spanish "Salud!", or Italian "Salute!" Whether it is a special occasion or the celebration of another day, Santé! will be the place to raise a glass in appreciation of good friends, family, health and life. The new café will feature artisan pizzas baked in a wood-fired oven and classic fare from all of Europe..... Santé!

Outdoor shop coming to downtown Boyne City

The former Kiss Carpet building at 126 Water Street, will be home to a new outdoor sports shop called No Boundaries in early April. The new store will offer outdoor apparel and gear for hiking, camping, paddle sports, kayaks, cycling and Nordic (but not downhill) skiing. Owners are Bob South, a Boyne City area resident who will manage the store, and Jeff Collins, a Petoskey resident and custom home builder who also owns Glennwood Construction, which is doing the tenant improvements for the store. "We are friends from cycling, we ride together regularly," South said. "Jeff has an entrepreneurial mind and so do I, and we share the same vision for the store. It's not the best economy to open a new business, but we believe in Boyne City." South is a former board member of the Boyne Area Chamber, and says "We really want to be involved in the community and the Chamber." Another key employee will be Ben Tompkins, who will help manage the store and will also be involved with building strong community relations. South grew up in Indiana, graduated from the University of Indiana. He and his wife Carrie moved here in 1997; they now have three children. South was one of the original owners of North Country Cycle Sport in Boyne City and most recently worked at High Gear Sports in Petoskey.

Expanded broadband service coming to county

(From the Petoskey News-Review) Charlevoix County residents are expected to be among the first in the state to benefit from a $33 million federal stimulus grant that will help bring vastly expanded broadband Internet access to the area. Representatives from the nonprofit Merit Network, which is overseeing the network expansion project, hosted an informational session for area business and government officials at the Boyne District Library Thursday. The project, dubbed the “REACH Michigan Middle Mile Collaborative” will extend Merit’s existing 1,600-mile network of fiber-optic by 955 miles which will directly connect 44 “anchor” institutions such as libraries, universities, colleges and health care centers state-wide. Merit officials estimate that across the state, the project will make broadband Internet service more easily available to more than 886,000 households, 45,800 businesses and many other public institutions such as schools. Read the full story.

Certified sommelier steers BC Provisions wine selection

(From the Petoskey News-Review) When customers stop by one local corner store to pick up a bottle of wine, they'll find a selection that's influenced by the sort of beverage expert more commonly found in high-end restaurants. After 18 months of studying wine and related topics, Ed Brehm, 44, recently became a certified sommelier. He has attained the first two of four accreditation levels offered through the Court of Master Sommeliers. His wife, Kristine - who began operating the Boyne Country Provisions party store in downtown Boyne City a year and a half ago - has been tapping his wine-evaluation knowledge in deciding what bottles to order. Under their ownership, the store has quadrupled the number of available labels.

Read the full story.

The best of Boyne: Chamber honors business leaders

From the Petoskey News-Review: The economy might still be struggling to recover from a recession, but for the second year in a row, the Boyne Area Chamber of Commerce is celebrating a string of business successes. Among the new developments in the Boyne City business community that were held out as examples of the community’s ability to weather the ongoing economic storm was the “South Boyne” or “SoBo” arts district that sprung up over the summer in the area of south Lake and East Main streets. Liz Glass, from Lake Street Market, shared the story of how she came up with the idea for the moniker for the area (inspired by the “SoHo” district of New York City) after seeing several art studios spring up near her shop. “It’s become this thing,” Glass said. "It’s a vibrant sort of notion now.” Speaking of her own establishment’s business over the past year, Glass said, “In a really bad economy, we’re at least flat, and flat’s the new up, right?”

Red Mesa Grill general manager Don Ryde said the well-known downtown restaurant also has done well. “It’s been a great year, a banner year, the best we’ve ever had,” Ryde said.

PHOTO - The chamber handed out annual awards to, from left, Community Pride Award to Dean Kleinschrodt of the American Legion, Entrepreneur of the Year to Tony Williams of Freshwater Studio, Young Entrepreneur of the Year Chris Faulknor of the Boyne City Gazette, Volunteer of the Year Karen Guzniczak of Country Now & Then, and Sally Roselli Business Leadership Award to Glen Catt of Catt Development.
Details and full story from Petoskey News-Review.