Returning to MIchigan after raising their family in Indianapolis, Sarah Hallstedt and her husband, Phil, purchased their 53-acre cherry farm in Northport, MI, in 2006 to pursue their dream of fruit farming. Relying on used equipment bought at auction and the kind advice of local growers and researchers at MSU like
Cherry Republic closed out the decade with a bang, packing 2019's calendar with everything from new product rollouts and building projects to fun customer events, a spiffy new website, and much more. Check out some of the highlights and prepare yourself for an exciting 2020!
For those of us who have been around Cherry Republic awhile, it's hard to believe that at the start of the 2010s we only had two retail stores! Our flagship campus in Glen Arbor grew little by little since Bob started the company in 1989 out of the trunk of his car, and then our second location was added in 2007 in downtown Traverse City. As we round the corner into 2020, we are bursting with pride when we consider our six thriving stores scattered throughout out beautiful state of Michigan.
Over the next few weeks we'll reflect on all the ways Cherry Republic has grown over the past 10 years — from product offerings to staff to our growing support of the environment.
Throughout the Land of Life, Liberty, Beaches and Pie, Christmas is one of our favorite holidays!
When you walk into one of our six Cherry Republic stores, we hope you will feel invited to join us in celebrating the season and our ruby red morsels of joy. You'll find a different Christmas tree display in each of our stores, making every tree unique to that location.
On Tuesday, Glen Arbor and its surroundings woke up to the most astounding 30 inches of snow I've witnessed in my half century in the north. It was powdery like the stuff the mountains get. It was picturesque like the wildest north woods. The morning was calm and quiet, and while there was barely anywhere to go, it felt so good to be outside.
When the official snow totals were in, Glen Arbor had 30 inches and a few hillsides had 38 inches that left us all stunned while working to move it out of our way. Thankfully, the top two thirds of the snow was light as a feather to shovel. I high stepped and sunk, and high stepped and sunk, through a half block of powder to join three workmates who were already shoveling and snow blowing out our many paths around our wintry campus. Ninety minutes later than usual, we opened.
The snowfall that started Monday morning wasn't predicted. It was isolated to about 30 miles off the western Lake Michigan shoreline. Twenty miles east of the storm was a normal November day of falling leaves and glimpses of sun. But for the coast, frigid arctic air moved south across the relatively warm Lake Michigan, dumping lake-effect snow along its path.
Here are some photos that I took of this exciting snowfall. Enjoy!
Last month, we told you about Trisann -- one of our seasonal International Ambassadors, who left Glen Arbor at the end of the summer to return to her home country of Jamaica as a high school chemistry teacher. She was in need of some basic supplies for her students, and our Citizens responded with generous hearts. (
