The county’s small-business owners can’t do it alone…and many are experiencing those bittersweet August blues as summer staffers return to school. Poppy Things, The Burrow, and The Tribune each said so-long to members of their “A-Teams” this week. As The Tribune chef/owner Eric Allchin noted on social media, “This year’s crew was one for the books…and for that I thank you all. P.S. we’re hiring all positions.”

Meanwhile, as one of the farms farthest north on the peninsula, Northport’s Cherry Home Orchard harvested first sweet then tart cherries well into August, just wrapping the season on Monday. As is tradition, Cherry Home will host the 2022 crew for a post-harvest dinner at North Country Grill before most return to St. Mary Catholic School, one to Leland High School, and another heads to Grand Valley State University.

Cherry Home’s co-owner Kelly Mitchell called it a “wild season;” one made more manageable by their 21-member crew, mostly college-aged and younger, who work as tank skimmers, tractor drivers, and shaker operators (between lots of laughs and friendly ribbing).

“They are incredible,” says Mitchell, noting, “we have a lot of siblings and family members,” including two of her own kids. All commit to work 6am to 6pm daily (with a few well-placed days of rest) for five-plus weeks. By the end, “They are extremely tightknit, sometimes too tightknit,” she laughs. “They’ve created a family unit.”

Mitchell says she along with husband and co-owner Brian Mitchell, who grew up in the fruit business, “really try to build a team environment here.” Keeping a close, returning crew cross-trained in orchard and safety protocols is a must, in part due to the business’s other unpredictability. This year, says Mitchell, “There’s a ton of fruit for the first time in quite a few years, and really great quality. We haven’t had a lot of pests and insects or rot. No dramatic weather events.” She adds, “But imports…we fight Turkish imports constantly. There are tariffs on our fruit leaving the country but not on Turkish fruit coming in. So, people can buy it a lot cheaper. Lobbyists are trying to limit that because it’s really hindering our cherry producers. And you see a lot of mom-and-pop, smaller farms that are starting to get out of the business.”

She says in recent years there are new obstacles to putting together a full crew. Why? “The construction demand has been so high. There’s just been such a boom in landscaping and building. And there’s just not as many kids up here as there used to be.”

Another Northport cherry farmer, Phil Hallstedt, says innovation is key in a year that’s challenged small businesses — including small farms. After a bit of a scramble finding college-aged students to fill internships for combined orchard work and customer service at his first-generation u-pick cherry and flower farm, he would like to collaborate next spring with others in the hospitality business on “shared labor pools.”

“I’ve had a positive response from Kristi [Fischer] at Fischer’s Happy Hour so far and would like to work with NPG and others.” As he explains, he has lined up housing in Northport for five, but has only a finite amount of work at the orchard each season. “We would pool talent, as different businesses have different needs in terms of timing. For instance, they might head to a nearby restaurant early to prep food and return to the farm for another part of the day.”

Meanwhile in Empire, the well-oiled machine that is Shipwreck Café says bon voyage to one of their own this week as Becca Nowicki, a 2021 Glen Lake grad, leaves for England, where she will play soccer this fall.

Shipwreck is a family operation that includes Becca’s parents (owners Steve and Jennifer Nowicki); her sister Hannah Nowicki; a cousin, Weston Nowicki; and others who, if they aren’t related, become like family anyway. Matt Peschel, a school counselor at Glen Lake Schools says, “students from Glen Lake are regularly employed. I always appreciate their availability and knowledge of and care for our student population.”

This year has an all-repeat crew from Glen Lake, according to Steve. “That makes a huge difference,” he says, especially after “last summer, which was our biggest one yet.” Shares manager Hannah, “this summer they knew coming in it was going to be crazy.” Right now, they average 500 sandwiches a day. Jennifer bakes all of the salted pretzel and Italian herb sub buns and Steve does the food prep, along with a fellow chef/friend from the area. But the young people run the sandwich-making show. “It’s controlled chaos,” laughs Steve. “And a lot of communication. If you watch them, it’s a little dance back there.”

Also in the sandwich (and hot dog!) business this summer is Eli Warner of Lake Leelanau, a sophomore at Leland, and one of the crew at Capital Dog. He is working 40-hours per week saving money for his first car. It’s not hard to see where he got his work ethic: His parents co-own the Whaleback Inn and mom Nichole Warner is also on staff at Dune Bird, and another who makes summer happen in the county. 

Pictured: Members of the 2022 harvest crew at Cherry Home Orchard, on break at the cooling pad.