Cheboygan on a Saturday night is thriving! Multiple entertainment venues and dining establishment are busy with crowds of people migrating from one hot spot to the next. The owners must all be successful and doing well, thanks to the swelling downtown population presence, right?
The explosion of new businesses seems to have happened overnight. Several have just opened this season — with more to come soon. It’s a no-brainer, right? Success brings more success, yes?
Most people can’t imagine what it takes to start up a new business. Most people cannot endure the risk it poses, and the sweat-equity it requires. These entrepreneurs deserve a whopping big thanks from all of us!
As recently as 2016, there were more than 20 vacant storefronts in Downtown Cheboygan. Bring it Cheboygan! volunteers washed and decorated all the vacant storefront windows, and installed holiday decorations so the town looked full of action and holiday cheer. Then, the Costins moved in with a holiday pop-up shop. That was the fortuitous beginning. Some folks were surprised at the success of the new pop-up boutique. Shoppers loved the fresh retail approach and trendy, well-priced merchandise. Everyone implored the Costins to open a year-round shop in Cheboygan. Then they did.
What did it take to get that year-round shop open? First, it took confidence that it would be successful. Then, a major investment in purchasing a building, plans for rehabbing it, work with the city to approve plans, tax abatement applications, securing contractors to get the work done, more investment in stock, hiring and training personnel, negotiation and sweat equity during every phase, from construction to completion. Piece of cake, right? Multiply that effort by more than a dozen that have followed.
Some investments have been even more challenging. There have been environmental surprises to overcome, foundation issues to address, the pandemic interruption affecting everything, and the skyrocketing cost of materials, among other predicaments. Still, enterprising entrepreneurs have moved forward in pursuing their dreams. Thank them, and shop at all the businesses open on Main Street that are improving downtown Cheboygan.
Have you been to Rusty Dogz? Or, to Urban Bird, Queens Head, Stormy Kromer, Lark Theater complex, Pig ‘N’ Whistle, Hive North, Scoops, Beau est Beau, Nauti Inn Barstro, Sozo Dispensary, Libby’s Downtown, The Dipper, Nourish, Xact Cannabis, Shine Boutique & Hair Design, or the Farmers’ Market at Festival Square? All are Main Street additions since the original pursuit of the Cheboygan Main Street program.
Is this downtown investment boom coincidental to the Main Street program — or a happy result? Most likely, some of both. The program put the focus squarely on downtown Cheboygan and Main Street. It channeled volunteers and elected officials into activities and proven strategies that have been successful elsewhere across the country. The volunteer “boosters” kept up the buzz that something was happening in Cheboygan.
There is more work to be done. We must patronize the new businesses — throughout the week, in addition to Saturdays. As they are successful, the town will flourish. Foot traffic on the street spurs more foot traffic. Celebrate the Main Street entrepreneurs! To learn more, visit cheboyganmainstreet.org.
— Sherry Nelson is a retired newspaper business entrepreneur. Happy to be living in Northern Michigan full time for more than twelve years, she enjoys hiking the many nature preserves nearby and volunteering with Bring IT Cheboygan! the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association, Earth Week Plus, Chamberfest, the city Coast Guard Connection committee, and the Opera House Film Club.