Two of downtown Traverse City's best-known announcements fell apart this fall. Neither one had opened. The places locals already use are mostly moving. A bakery is merging into its second shop, a taco bar decided to stay where it is, a lingerie boutique is reopening four floors up on Front Street, and a food-truck yard took its cooking indoors. Before you head out for bread, tacos or a Monday-night bowl of soup this winter, it helps to know where each of them went.
The Front Street Projects That Never Got a Ribbon Cutting
The biggest news came first. The Ticker reported on October 26 that The Red Piano will no longer open on the main floor of the Beadle building at Front and Cass, in the former Mackinaw Brewing Company space. The live music venue has locations in Santa Barbara and St. Maarten. Co-owner Jason Jones told the outlet the team "haven't ruled out Traverse City just yet" and is looking at a couple of other locations. Building owner Jon Carlson said there are "lots of activity and people looking at it."
A few blocks east, Joel Peterson of J. Peterson Homes dropped his plan for a four-story mixed-use building at 424 East Front Street, the former Mid-American Title building. The plan included condos, his firm's offices and ground-floor retail. The building is now for sale. Peterson says its location and views suit an office, shop, restaurant or mixed-use project. The public pocket park he paid for across the street on the Boardman River is still city land with city-owned amenities, so the native landscaping, brick-paver terrace, benches and tables are staying.
Those two stories got the headlines. The changes that affect a regular week in town are smaller and much closer to home.
Bay Bread Becomes a Lake Avenue Bakery
Bay Bread Company is closing its original Randolph Street shop at the end of 2026. Owners Krystal and Scott Fluette posted that the second location on Lake Avenue, next to Hagerty, will be "fully operational with all breads, sweets, sammies, coffees, and so much more" starting January 4, according to The Ticker's September 29 roundup. The Randolph building had been listed for sale, so a move was already coming. The owners are now leaving earlier than they first planned, ahead of a Randolph lease that runs into 2027. They called it "the natural next step," and they also acknowledged that "it's a lot for people who don't like change."
The new address is 131 Lake Avenue, inside the Hagerty Insurance building between Cass and Union. If your bread run has always meant parking on Randolph, plan on downtown parking after the holidays.
Mama Lu's Stays, and a Second Restaurant Opens on Union
Mama Lu's has been on Front Street's 100 block since 2016. Its owners, Executive Chef John Larson and Adrienne Brunette, had planned to turn the taco shop into a new concept this year. Northern Express reported on October 24 that regulars made it clear they wanted the tacos to stay, and the couple changed course. Brunette told the paper that "we just realized what a missed opportunity it would be not to try to do both."
So Mama Lu's stays, and the new idea needed its own space. It found one at 108 South Union Street, the former Identity Brewing. The Ticker reported in August that Identity's co-owners, Amanda and Josh Thomas, chose to leave and set September 25 as their planned last day. Amanda Thomas said they hope to return with another downtown business, with no timing set.
The new restaurant is The Happy Cat, a Cantonese-inspired spot that takes its name from the beckoning-cat figures seen in storefront windows. Planned dishes include:
- Dim sum, crispy spring rolls, crab rangoon and pot stickers
- Steamed buns and housemade noodles from a new pasta machine
- Green beans with spicy chili crisp
- Sake, Asian beers, and cocktails built on lychee, lemongrass, yuzu and anise
It will seat up to 50 inside and 40 on a seasonal patio. Brunette told Northern Express the goal is to open "hopefully, between Thanksgiving and the first of December." She added that "you never know what you'll find with a remodel of an old building in Traverse City." Treat that window as a target. The same owners also run The Flying Noodle, which they opened in 2020.
Front Row Centre's Upper Floors Fill In
Warehouse MRKT on Hall Street has a new owner. The Ticker reported on September 22 that Aevitas Medical Consultants bought the building. The company plans to move into the Waara Technologies and Darling Botanical Co. spaces and said it would talk with each tenant about its plans.
At least one tenant is on the move. Intimate-wear boutique intimi is relocating to Front Row Centre at 121 East Front Street. Owner Carolyn Greenman is setting up on the fourth floor next to her tattoo business, Pokey Robinson, with a reopening planned for the first week of November. Common Objects, a gift shop and quilt studio run by Cody Cook-Parrott and Katy Campbell, held its grand opening in the same building on Saturday, October 24.
Around the corner, Jen Edson-Rife opened Katakana Boutique at 219 South Cass Street in October. The women's shop is open 10am to 6pm, Tuesday through Saturday. All three shops took space in buildings that were already standing downtown.
The Little Fleet Moves Its Cooking Inside
The food trucks at The Little Fleet have closed for the season. On Mondays and Tuesdays, when Crocodile Place is closed, the bar hosts its annual Kitchen Takeover series with a rotating lineup of guest chefs. The schedule skips the week of December 7.
| Dates | Guest kitchen |
|---|---|
| November 9–10 | Acorn Kitchen |
| November 16–17 | Sazon Latin Flavors |
| November 23–24 | Happy's Taco Shop |
| November 30–December 1 | Maddi's Little Kitchen |
| December 14–15 | Miss Juni |
| December 21–22 | Guangxi's Fire Fold |
| December 28–29 | Suomi Pop |
Soup & Bread is back too. Local chefs make the soup, guests pay what they want, and the money goes to local nonprofits. It runs the first Monday of each month from November through April. The first Monday of November fell on November 2, so the next Soup & Bread night is Monday, December 7.
A Short List of Real Goodbyes
Some businesses did close, and they are worth knowing about so nobody shows up to a dark storefront. These come from The Ticker's October 26 and September 29 roundups.
- CC Jewelers on Garfield Avenue is winding down with final sales.
- Art on Union at 523 South Union Street has closed permanently.
- Let's Play Studio closed at 531 West Front Street. Co-founder Miriam Pico is still teaching her Mindful and Musical classes at The Alluvion.
- CuTea Boba closed both its Cochlin Street and Division Street locations.
- Full Send Ramen stopped serving at The Coin Slot, and the truck is for sale.
Even on this list, Let's Play Studio's music classes are carrying on at a new address.
What Opens After the Holidays
A few changes don't arrive until the new year. Bay Bread's Lake Avenue shop takes over full service on January 4. Everyday Cookery is chef Abra Berens's teaching kitchen, planned for the Boardman Building on Webster Street. It has city approval for a joint tasting room with MAWBY and Granor, which will pour wine pairings for the dishes made in classes. A $100 annual membership starts in January with video demos, chef advice hours and weekly recipes. Live events follow later in 2027.
There's also a small project on Tenth Street. Oryana started building an addition there in late October to improve merchandising and customer flow. Marketing Manager Cody Sovis said the east entrance would close for a few days, with the store and both parking lots staying open.
Put together, this winter's map of downtown Traverse City has Bay Bread at 131 Lake Avenue, Mama Lu's still on Front, The Happy Cat at 108 South Union, intimi and Common Objects in Front Row Centre, and guest chefs at The Little Fleet on Monday and Tuesday nights through December 29.
At Team Shimek, we keep track of which storefronts are changing hands and what's moving in, because that's part of knowing a town street by street. If you want to know how downtown's moves affect a property you own or are considering, schedule a free consultation and we'll walk through it with you.
