The world keeps spinning. A year ago, when the Traverse City Business News took its annual pre-summer look at what northern Michigan’s peak tourism season might bring, we were staring down a summer unlike any other in Traverse City’s history. Festivals were cancelled. Businesses were reeling...
Six years ago, Tyler Leipprandt had no idea his life was about to change. He’d earned a degree in education and had spent years in the field. First he taught math to fourth and fifth grade students. Then he began working alongside fellow teachers as an...
Grand Traverse Resort and Spa sold out its nearly 600 rooms every weekend during the summer of 2020 – and even well into the fall, with strong leisure travel figures carrying through mid-October. It still wasn’t enough to make up for the business the hotel...
When organizers announced last December they were bringing the Ironman 70.3 triathlon to Frankfort, it took just minutes for the phone to start ringing off the hook at beachfront Harbor Lights Resort. Within two hours, all accommodations at the resort – including motel rooms, suites and...
What a difference a year makes. Last year at this time, the big issues facing Traverse City as the summer season approached were low unemployment rates and the resulting labor shortage at local hotels, the possible disruptions posed by road construction on Eighth Street, the rise...
Looking back, it’s almost unbelievable that the idea worked: A specialty shop stocked with premium olive oils and vinegars, opening its doors in downtown Traverse City just as the global economy was cratering, founded by a guy with no culinary experience. Such is the origin story...
At her 88-year-old boutique hotel in Frankfort, owner Judy Remmert is preparing for a summer season unlike any other. With guests’ comfort, safety and social distancing in mind, she’s been laying out new ways to arrange areas of the hotel inside and out – including spacing...
Summer is upon us, and that means a busy time of festivals, tourist crowds and peak traffic for many local businesses. But what will summer 2019 bring that Traverse City hasn’t seen before, and how will this particular summer season affect the local business community?...
