Just Opened: The Burrow In Greilickville, Wild Lettie In Suttons Bay & The Find In Northport

As sun-soaked, big-sky July kicks off today, here is a peek at a few in the county’s hospitality and retail world also enjoying their debut.

The Burrow opened yesterday, following a renovation of the former Tuscan Bistro space in Greilickville. This is the third restaurant for Honest Hospitality group, which also includes Mama Lu’s and The Flying Noodle. Business partners Adrienne Brunette and John Larson, along with Heather Dziedzic and Dallas Dziedzic, opened the doors to their bright-white eatery — accented with blue-green tile and marble — with a decidedly West Coast vibe. “The space itself is very light, bright and airy,” says Brunette, managing partner, “not what people anticipate in northern Michigan, but it’s just down the road from them.” Most important in creating the space and menu, says Brunette, was a neighborhood feel. “The menus are geared toward local clientele, in midwinter, not just the summer season. We want to capture the people who work in TC headed out to the county or vice-versa, people with kids, or those working nearby who want to grab a burger and beer at the end of the day.”

The interior seats 85, including a wraparound 22-person bar (pictured above), plus another 36 on the outdoor patio. “If we have larger parties, or locals have friends come visit, we are happy to offer a little more space, which unfortunately we are not able to at our other restaurants.”

They also are set to accommodate boaters via delivery. An underground tunnel connects the restaurant to the bay side of M-22 and to the Elmwood Township Marina, and Brunette says the business will have a dedicated “Dock ’n’ Dine” menu and staff running food and beer/wine orders to their marina neighbors at Elmwood, CenterPointe and Harbor West. The Burrow menu is “California-inspired American, with a fresher take on familiar classics,” says Brunette.

Brunette is excited to pour guests a signature cocktail — served on tap — called The Squirtsky, fresh-pressed ruby red grapefruit and Tito’s topped with fresh lime and soda, with a Himalayan black salt/sugar rim. It was created by her mentors at Gemini in Chicago. “They used to drink Squirt and vodka in college, and then elevated it. It’s the best cocktail ever and an ode to them.”

She explains, “My husband John, Heather and I all worked for Gemini back in 2009 on the opening team. Since it was a neighborhood restaurant in Lincoln Park, we felt it would be right to bring back a familiar drink and share it in TC.”

Though the business partners were in hospitality together in Chicago, “We were also county kids,” says Brunette. “Heather and I grew up in the county; Dallas and I worked O’Keefe's [Firehouse Pub in Suttons Bay] as 15- and 16-year-olds…my first job was at The Riverside Inn. We are glad to be back, and we love — and still all live — in the county.”

The Burrow will offer lunch and dinner service five days a week, closed on Sundays and Mondays, to allow staff regular breaks and a sense of balance, Brunette says.

Wild Lettie (pictured above) held its grand opening in Suttons Bay last evening as local entrepreneur Annie Lang Hartman debuted a second Leelanau location for her stationary and outdoor gear boutique.

This spring she rebranded her Compass Paper Co., whose flagship storefront is in Fishtown, to Wild Lettie.

She explains, “We have evolved from a stationery brand into a lifestyle brand and our name needed to reflect that. When we started adding more products [travel mugs, camp towels, puffy outdoor blankets] we saw a huge growth for our business. Our new name is allowing us to grow in whatever direction we decide to in the future.”

She is bringing her core stationery line — with her own artwork and campy, cheeky sayings — along for the ride at both Wild Lettie locales. “The Suttons Bay shop is large enough for us to bring in some brands we love,” notes Hartman, “like Oxford Pennant, Third Eye Headlamps, Trek Light Gear and other fun brands that are outdoorsy and quirky like us.”

Her Fishtown shanty is open 10-6 daily now through mid-August. The Suttons Bay store will be open all year. “We love Fishtown and plan on staying in our space there for a long, long time,” she says. “But I am so excited to have a storefront to play with all year. I am also so happy to be neighbors with Mundos. Besides the foot traffic they pull in, I can barely go a day without a lavender matcha latte,” she laughs.

The Cedar native notes that as a “younger person in Leelanau, it does take a lot of scrappiness to live here. I am just really proud to be a local making it work and growing a business here.”

Her brand is working with national outdoor retailer/consumer co-op REI as a retail partner selling cards to stock all their locations is “getting the attention of other outdoor brands as well. I am hoping to get some fun collaborations under our belt in the coming years.”

Melani Wilson, the owner of the Fort Wayne, Indiana lifestyle general store The FIND, has opened two sister stores, The FIND North, in Leelanau County. Wilson, whose family roots go back to the 70s near Little Traverse Lake, became a part-time Leland resident with her family in 2001. The FIND North at 110 N. Lake St. in Leland opened first; The FIND in Northport at 106 Nagonaba St. “just opened last Friday and we are definitely feeling the love. We are trying to be open seven days a week.”

Wilson says each store is curated for the unique vibe of each town: “The Leland customer seems to be buying gifts, souvenirs and items for entertaining. The Northport customer seems to be feathering their nest and rounding out their summer wardrobe.” She adds that local makers’ lines are doing well for them, including Hartman’s Wild Lettie, TC-based Wild Mae, and Jacob and Louise out of Lake Leelanau. “The owner has written the most beautiful poem about the area and growing up and living here and has taken stanzas and made them into prints,” shares Wilson.