Up North Blog

Spend $100 & Get A $20 E-gift Card Internet and phone orders only. Valid from 12:01 a.m. EST on Friday, 11/25/2022, through 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, 11/27/2022. Offer not valid in stores or with Business Gift orders. Cherry Republic E-Gift Card will be emailed to the purchaser as soon as a few days, but …

This year marks the 10th anniversary of our 31 Days of Giving annual campaign. Throughout the past decade, we have had the humbling opportunity to provide grants to dozens of well-deserving organizations — from loyal stewards of our climate to big-hearted groups that care for our neighbors who need a bit of a hand up …

Cherry Republic lost the most iconic employee we ever had — our dear Glen  Arbor Campus GM Kathy Baarstad. She embodied our precious values of Life, Liberty, Beaches and Pie more perfectly than anyone that’s ever worked here. We were fortunate to hire Kathy Baarstad 15 years ago to help us with the Holiday rush …

Get in the holiday spirit by building a cherry gingerbread village this holiday season! We wanted to make a village that resembled our Glen Arbor Cherry Republic campus. Whether you make your own gingerbread cookie dough or use the gingerbread village kit we recommend, these step-by-step instructions will show you how to build a cherry …

October 27, 2022 — We woke up this morning to a hard frost whose cold jolted the boys and me as we walked outside to the truck for the daily drive to school. Hawthorn and Colebrook were both in t-shirts. It would have been a good day to jump in and drive off quickly with …

Oct. 21, 2022 — It is Wednesday in Amsterdam, and we are in transit home to Glen Arbor. Yesterday, we saw pictures Hawthorn took after the big wind and rainstorm that ripped through the north. The back of my truck is smashed and undrivable. On Monday night, a huge branch from a 200-year-old oak fell …

Oct. 13, 2022 — Steph and I are hiking The Highland Way in Scotland. Scotland is similar to Northern Michigan, other than there is not enough soil on this UK island to absorb the daily rain, so creeks and rivers are running every which way. We can’t hike a hundred yards without the energizing sounds …

After a week of wild and windy, cold and rainy fall weather, it’s clear that winter is on its way in Northern Michigan. But what does that mean for our beloved cherry orchards that dot the hills of Leelanau, Benzie, Grand Traverse, and Antrim counties? We reached out to our friend and horticulturist Dr. Nikki …

Halloween 2022 is less than three weeks away, so we checked in with our Cherry Republic outposts to see what kind of spooky fun is on tap for this ghostly holiday. In addition to surprises planned for our six Michigan retail stores, there are also lots of community events planned throughout the Republic. Here’s a …

Oct. 7, 2022 — On Sunday, Hawthorn and I watched the latest episode of The Rings of Power. We were munching on a bag of popcorn and enjoying the show when Sonny thought he’d join us. So our big dog snaked his way between our coffee table and couch and under teenage legs and positioned …

We have a saying in the Republic that cherries don’t grow in ugly places, and the same can be said for the hometowns of our six Cherry Republic retail stores. And our Holland, Michigan, store is a prime example. Holland’s iconic Big Red Lighthouse has stood watch over the town’s harbor for nearly 100 years …

Hello, I’m Makenzie, your new Business Gifts Manager. I look forward to helping you build the perfect gift for any event or team recognition you have on the horizon! What is business gifts here to do? We are truly a concierge service, helping you find incredible gifts within your budget, handling the data entry work, …