Locals Lake Leelanau is finally getting its liquor license, a new taproom is headed for Leland, the shuttered Millie’s Pizza in Glen Arbor is reopening with a new restaurant concept, and Farm Club is opening a long-in-the-works bakery and market space. The Leelanau Ticker has these stories and others in our spring business news roundup.

Locals Lake Leelanau

Nearly a year after opening its doors, Locals Lake Leelanau will finally be able to serve alcoholic beverages. Owner Tony West announced the news on the business’s Facebook page last week, noting that he was “hoping to have some booze in the building” by this coming weekend.

Locals officially debuted on May 10, 2025, opening in the 112 E Philip Street space in Lake Leelanau that had previously been occupied by Northern Latitudes Distillery. Last Tuesday, 347 days later, West finally received an email from the Michigan Liquor Control Commission notifying him that the restaurant’s application for a liquor license had been approved, pending a final inspection this week.

West frames the arrival of the liquor license as a new dawn for Locals, which he admits sometimes struggled to retain customers due to its lack of alcohol.

“We did have people who came in but did not stay because we did not have the license,” West tells The Ticker. “They would always apologize to me. They would say, ‘God, we're so sorry. We just wanted to have a beer.’ And my response to every single one of those people is that I totally understand. I want you to have the full experience at my restaurant, and we're going to be there soon.”

Asked why it took so long for the license to come through, West chalks it up to the type of liquor license he applied for.

“I called the restaurant Locals because I wanted to tell the story of all the local legends that have paved the way beforehand,” West explains. “And with that, I wanted to go for my full manufacturer's license, which essentially entailed a microbrewery license, a small winemakers license, and a distilling license. We knew that getting all of that was at least an eight-month process.”

Long-term, West says his aim is for locals to have its own house-made libations on offer. “That’s the main plan: All custom-label stuff with a cool ‘Locals’ label, along with some other cool products. Beer, wine, cider, and liquor with super fun names, named after the local legends that paved the way before.”

While Locals should be able to serve alcohol by this weekend, West is eyeing early next month for a larger celebration of the milestone.

“We’re framing this as our grand reopening,” West says, touting a noon-to-10pm party on Saturday, May 9 that will feature two local bands (Loophole from 12-4pm and Drew Hale from 7-10pm), paintings for sale from local watercolor artist Mike Sincic, coffee from Pedaling Beans (“They’re actually taking over one of our bars for the day,” West says of the local coffee shop), and the launch of a brand-new food menu. Regarding the menu, West says Locals will be expanding its pizza menu and “really jumping into our smokehouse theme,” with new barbeque dishes like smoked half-chickens and locally-made kielbasa sausage.

Carp River Bottle & Tap

Leland locals and Fishtown visitors will have a new watering hole this summer, in the form of Carp River Bottle & Tap. Billed as a “harbor-side tasting room offering wine, cider & local goods,” the business will be taking over the 110 W River Street Suite A space formerly occupied by Mammoth & Co. Distilling.

Co-owner Jake Alsip says Carp River is targeting a mid-May opening and “will feature Baia Estate wines and cider alongside a selection of northern Michigan goods sourced from around the peninsula, all in a relaxed setting.” Once open, the business plans to operate seven days a week throughout the peak summer season.

Upriver from The Mill Glen Arbor

The Mill Glen Arbor is getting a new sister establishment this summer, dubbed Upriver from The Mill Glen Arbor. The restaurant, which is bound for the 6281 River Road building that previously housed another Mill spinoff – the now-shuttered Millie’s Pizza – is described as a “seasonal spot for family-friendly casual fare presented at The Mill’s standards.” The menu focuses mostly on sandwiches, all of which will be made “with house-roasted meats, local ingredients, and fresh-baked bread from The Mill.” According to Mill general manager Corey Smith, Upriver will have a counter-style service model, with sides, “hearty salads,” and ice cream by the scoop rounding out the sandwich-focused menu. The restaurant will be open 11am to 7pm daily this summer, starting Friday, May 15.

Farm Club bakery and market

A years-in-the-works expansion will finally get its moment in the sun at Farm Club this month.

In August 2023, Farm Club received a $100,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) for “expansion of processing kitchen and farm market with produce preservation, bakery, grain mill, pasta, and tortilla production.” According to co-owner Gary Jonas, those projects are finally finished, with the new market and bakery set to open sometime in May.

The new space dovetails with a broader effort at Farm Club “to transition to using 100 percent organic, Michigan-grown grains for all our items,” Jonas says.

“We are proud to share that all flour used in our bakery and on our menu is now stone-milled by us,” Jonas tells The Ticker. “Our grain-driven menu will feature our existing naturally leavened breads alongside new pastries, focaccia, sandwiches, empanadas, and sweets. Our market is also expanding into the new building, allowing us to stock more produce, dairy, frozen meats, fresh pasta, and pantry items.”

Thanks to its expanded kitchen, Farm Club will also now “offer more grab-and-go options, including salads, dips, soups, dressings, and take-and-bake meals,” Jonas adds.

Once open, the new market and bakery will operate daily from 8am-8pm. To serve the new space, Farm Club has also added a new parking area “with dedicated spaces reserved for market and bakery shoppers.”

Other news:

>Heartwood Ciders has announced its grand opening for Friday, May 22. The new cidery will have six ciders on tap to start, with additional ciders “being made weekly.” Other opening weekend offerings include charcuterie, chips, pretzels, Northern Naturals spreads with crackers, slushies, Northwoods sodas, and merch.

>The Fish Hook in Leland has a new owner: Jake Alsip, also the co-owner of the aforementioned Carp River Bottle and Tap. The changing of the guard marks the third generation of family ownership for the retailer.

>Bearberry Vintage in Lake Leelanau has rebranded as the Bearberry General Store. New owner Sarah Marcella Schultz bought the business in December, closed down in January “to repaint, clean, and remodel,” and is now up and running with a wide-ranging product inventory that includes gifts, toys, home goods, office and art supplies, camping gear, and more. The shop, located at 209 S St Mary's Street, is open Tuesdays though Saturdays from 10am to 4:30pm.

>Leelanau Steakhouse, Seafood & Pasta, one of the new restaurants announced for the Nittolo’s building in Lake Leelanau, now has a Facebook page, which indicates plans to open sometime this month.