BY MARY ELLEN GEIST
Last weekend, Boyne City held its annual Harvest festival downtown and residents, merchants, local farmers and visitors all seemed to agree, Boyne City seems to be bouncing back.
"It's created a real buzz in downtown and with the Boyne Country Books converting in with a new owner now at Local Flavors the bookstores back into the swing of things it's also a focal point for ticket sales in downtown. There's just a whole feeling in downtown Boyne City that's just got that vibrant feel and folks are excited".
By all accounts, last year didn't exactly start on a positive note: the bookstore closed. Lester's barbecue, the Dilworth Hotel and another restaurant shut down. Lexamar, an auto parts manufacturing company, laid off 90 workers.
"I mean the economy here is bad as it is everywhere and its worse now than it was a couple years ago as it is everywhere".
That's Jim Baumann, Executive Director of the Boyne City Chamber of Commerce. He says these days there's something new going on in town.
"I think Boyne is almost an anomaly. We've got a 12 million dollar development that's shopping and retail and hotel. When everybody else is closing down three new art galleries this past summer so things are looking pretty good for Boyne City".
At the Harvest Festival this past weekend, pumpkins and apples were piled high the smell of hot cider and fresh donuts filled the air even the musicians performing on street corners praised this little town on the shores of Lake Charlevoix.
"What a beautiful fall day in northern Michigan, it's a reason to believe".
Chuck Fowler, pastor of Boyne City's church of the Nazarene, was manning the cookie and coffee station on one of the street corners.
"Well you know I think a lot of that has to do with just the spirit of Boyne City, it's a small town it's very resilient and the type of people here are just the type of people to get it done".
This past Saturday night there were two sold out music concerts the band Orpheum Bell had a CD release party at a new art studio. Blissfest's Gandolf Murphy concert was held at one of the city's newer restaurants called 220. Lake Street. Artist Tony Williams and his wife musician Robin Lee Berry are co-owners of the newly opened Freshwater Studio art gallery.
"So we decided to bring some concerts in and try to make it more than a cultural center than just an art gallery. We're also doing art demos - glass blowing and wood carving".
The three new art studios, a new bookstore and a new gourmet deli all of this helped inspire the creation of Boyne's new arts district named after Manhattan's SOHO district. Liz Glass at Lake Street Market came up with the idea.
"I said jeez it's getting to be like SOHO down here and then later that night it occurred to me that we could make the same kind of word out of South Boyne and so this is SOBO the arts district of Boyne City".
She designed a colorful SOBO logo and SOBO hats and t-shirts. Glass is feeling a sense of optimism too,
"I think to a large degree yes we're hurting from just the economy in general but we're holding it together I think better than some places have been able to".
Boyne's unemployment rate went from 17 percent in March to 13 percent in August a normal seasonal change however the population in the city has dropped over the past ten years from 3,500 to about 3000 but Jim BOW -man at the Chamber of Commerce says the new project on the waterfront scheduled to open this summer should bring new jobs and new residents.
"We do have development coming in that will mean jobs"
Baumann says a 40 thousand dollar cultural economic development grant and upgrading Boyne's parks and streets is helping the city too he says Boyne has learned from other Northern Michigan town's mistakes.
"One good thing about this twelve million dollar development is we have here is that the first phase is self financed by the developer."
One more item that's helping Boyne the farmer's market is a big draw as well and has found even more success at its new home at a lakefront park. In fact, the city is now considering expanding its new culinary identity there's even talk of using the slogan 'boyne appetit "to bring food lovers to town.
For CMU Public Radio, I'm Mary Ellen Geist in Boyne City.
Last weekend, Boyne City held its annual Harvest festival downtown and residents, merchants, local farmers and visitors all seemed to agree, Boyne City seems to be bouncing back.
"It's created a real buzz in downtown and with the Boyne Country Books converting in with a new owner now at Local Flavors the bookstores back into the swing of things it's also a focal point for ticket sales in downtown. There's just a whole feeling in downtown Boyne City that's just got that vibrant feel and folks are excited".
By all accounts, last year didn't exactly start on a positive note: the bookstore closed. Lester's barbecue, the Dilworth Hotel and another restaurant shut down. Lexamar, an auto parts manufacturing company, laid off 90 workers.
"I mean the economy here is bad as it is everywhere and its worse now than it was a couple years ago as it is everywhere".
That's Jim Baumann, Executive Director of the Boyne City Chamber of Commerce. He says these days there's something new going on in town.
"I think Boyne is almost an anomaly. We've got a 12 million dollar development that's shopping and retail and hotel. When everybody else is closing down three new art galleries this past summer so things are looking pretty good for Boyne City".
At the Harvest Festival this past weekend, pumpkins and apples were piled high the smell of hot cider and fresh donuts filled the air even the musicians performing on street corners praised this little town on the shores of Lake Charlevoix.
"What a beautiful fall day in northern Michigan, it's a reason to believe".
Chuck Fowler, pastor of Boyne City's church of the Nazarene, was manning the cookie and coffee station on one of the street corners.
"Well you know I think a lot of that has to do with just the spirit of Boyne City, it's a small town it's very resilient and the type of people here are just the type of people to get it done".
This past Saturday night there were two sold out music concerts the band Orpheum Bell had a CD release party at a new art studio. Blissfest's Gandolf Murphy concert was held at one of the city's newer restaurants called 220. Lake Street. Artist Tony Williams and his wife musician Robin Lee Berry are co-owners of the newly opened Freshwater Studio art gallery.
"So we decided to bring some concerts in and try to make it more than a cultural center than just an art gallery. We're also doing art demos - glass blowing and wood carving".
The three new art studios, a new bookstore and a new gourmet deli all of this helped inspire the creation of Boyne's new arts district named after Manhattan's SOHO district. Liz Glass at Lake Street Market came up with the idea.
"I said jeez it's getting to be like SOHO down here and then later that night it occurred to me that we could make the same kind of word out of South Boyne and so this is SOBO the arts district of Boyne City".
She designed a colorful SOBO logo and SOBO hats and t-shirts. Glass is feeling a sense of optimism too,
"I think to a large degree yes we're hurting from just the economy in general but we're holding it together I think better than some places have been able to".
Boyne's unemployment rate went from 17 percent in March to 13 percent in August a normal seasonal change however the population in the city has dropped over the past ten years from 3,500 to about 3000 but Jim BOW -man at the Chamber of Commerce says the new project on the waterfront scheduled to open this summer should bring new jobs and new residents.
"We do have development coming in that will mean jobs"
Baumann says a 40 thousand dollar cultural economic development grant and upgrading Boyne's parks and streets is helping the city too he says Boyne has learned from other Northern Michigan town's mistakes.
"One good thing about this twelve million dollar development is we have here is that the first phase is self financed by the developer."
One more item that's helping Boyne the farmer's market is a big draw as well and has found even more success at its new home at a lakefront park. In fact, the city is now considering expanding its new culinary identity there's even talk of using the slogan 'boyne appetit "to bring food lovers to town.
For CMU Public Radio, I'm Mary Ellen Geist in Boyne City.
