The owners of Red Spire Brunch House have purchased the Green House Cafe building and plan to open a new eatery this fall, new coastal-themed restaurant/bar Pacificoast opens today on West Front Street, T.J. Maxx is leaving the Grand Traverse Mall for the former Bed Bath & Beyond building on US-31 – and numerous other businesses are on the move in The Ticker’s latest look at restaurant and retail news.

Green House Cafe 
Red Spire Brunch House owners Chad Hall and Joshua Anderson have purchased the former Green House Cafe building at 115 East Front Street. The move is a homecoming for the partners, who both worked at Green House Cafe – Hall for 16 years, Anderson for 7 years – before leaving in 2016 to open Red Spire at The Village at Grand Traverse Commons.

Hall says the duo had been looking for a building to purchase – not necessarily to open a restaurant, but as an investment in downtown Traverse City – when the Front Street building came on the market. Owner Doug Murdick listed the property earlier this year after Green House Cafe closed its doors, ending a 24-year run. Hall and Anderson are now making renovations, modernizing the space, and working to obtain a liquor license with the goal of opening a new restaurant this fall.

Hall says the new eatery will likely have elements of both Green House Cafe and Red Spire, using terms like “upscale diner,” “boozy brunch,” and “a little more lunch-focused than Red Spire” to describe the still-in-progress concept. Though there could be a temptation to hastily reopen to capitalize on summer traffic, Hall says the partners want to take their time to get the space “closer to what we envision.” Red Spire will remain open as a separate business in Building 50. “It’s doing great over (at the Commons), so we have no desire to move,” Hall says.

Pacificoast
After several months of construction delays, new coastal-themed restaurant and bar Pacificoast will open today (Friday) at 123 West Front Street. Garrett Jenkins and Steve Montesanto are launching the woodfired pizza bar part of their business for Memorial Day weekend before expanding into their full menu in the coming weeks.

The Neapolitan-focused pies will include options like Italian sausage and fennel, bacon-wrapped fig, dirty honey (with hot honey, ricotta, pepperoni, and mozzarella), and spicy chorizo. Pacificoast also has a full bar, including summer-themed cocktails, draft brews, wine, and six-pack coolers of beers and seltzers. Once launched, the full menu will include a variety of small plates and shareable options, including burrata, firecracker shrimp, garlic parm fries, miso tacos, caprese sandwiches, and more. Several brunch options will also be on the menu. Pacificoast plans to offer weekly specials like martini hour, rosé Saturdays, late night pizza, and deals for sports events.

Major renovations have taken place to the former 123 Speakeasy space, with a “light and nautical” décor emphasizing whites, woods, and shiplap, according to Jenkins. A variety of seating includes bar seats, high-tops, booths, tables, and a lounge area with sofas. The space can hold approximately 100 indoors, with additional tables outdoors. Hours to start are Friday 3pm-12am, Saturday 11am-12am, Sunday 11am-10pm, and Wednesday-Thursday 3pm-11pm (closed Monday/Tuesday). The restaurant accepts both walk-ins and reservations.

T.J. Maxx
National retailer T.J. Maxx is leaving the Grand Traverse Mall – the loss of a significant anchor for the struggling mall property. While T.J. Maxx and Grand Traverse Mall representatives did not return requests for comment, Garfield Township Planning Director John Sych confirms the store is moving into the former Bed Bath & Beyond building off US-31 in Buffalo Ridge Center. The retailer received a land use permit to make “minor improvements” to the building, Sych says, and will appear before the township planning commission in June for a signage review.

Another business once slated to go into the Grand Traverse Mall – new restaurant/bar/entertainment center High Tops – is also departing. High Tops now plans to open instead at the Cherryland Center, receiving township approval last week to move its liquor license to the Sears building next to the planned K1 Speed indoor go-kart racing center.

More restaurant and retail news...
Mt. Holiday is planning a June opening of a new beer garden in front of the lodge. The 61’x 40’ area will have a small stage for live music on weekends, corn hole and other yard games, fire pits, and the full restaurant and bar menu from the adjacent T-Bar & Grill. Executive Director Jim Pearson says the beer garden will soon offer expanded menu options like BBQ nights and wine pairings and will operate the same hours as indoors: Tuesday-Saturday 11am-9pm.

Several changes are underway in downtown Traverse City. The Good Bowl recently launched a revamp including renovations to create a “casual lounge” vibe, a transition to full-service hospitality, a new bar program, and an updated menu with an emphasis on larger-format shareable entrees for dinner and individual portions for lunch. Further down the road, city commissioners approved a liquor license this week for a new tasting room at 309 West Front Street from the owners of High Five Spirits and Gypsy Vodka. The tasting is slated for an October opening.

A new coffee option is coming to the downtown area at the corner of Division and Randolph streets. MoJo’s Coffee is relocating to the space behind the Elks Lodge starting June 3 after three years in Kingsley. Owner Justin Orth says he’ll sell premium coffee, frappes, smoothies, lemonade, Chai, cold brews, and Matcha tea. While the MoJo’s coffee trailer had a drive-thru in Kingsley, that’s not an option in TC – so Orth says he’ll offer curbside pickup, online ordering, and a QR code for easier service. MoJo’s will operate Monday-Saturday 7am-6pm, with possible extended evening hours during peak times.

Acai bowl shop Playa Bowls is under new ownership on State Street. Amy and Lee Goldberg, who opened the store in 2022, sold the business to Matthew and Cheryl Caplan and Bruce Kay on May 10. Matthew Caplan says operations at the 1,270-square-foot store – which allows customers to customize acai bowls along with oatmeal bowls, fresh juices, and smoothies – will remain the same. Across town, Play It Again Sports is also under new ownership on South Airport Road. Richard and Kristen Rethoret purchased the store from Tom and Jill Frieswyk – who owned it since 2001 – last week. “We’re excited to carry on the legacy and serve our community,” Richard Rethoret says. Around the corner on Garfield Road, Mi Smash Therapy – which allows customer to smash items ranging from teacups to TV sets – had its grand opening last week and is now booking reservations online.

Several food stalls are setting up shop for the summer in new locations. Taqueria Mosqueda, which serves authentic Mexican food including tacos, tortas, burritos, gorditas, and quesadillas, has opened its doors inside NoBo Mrkt in the Commongrounds Cooperative on Eighth Street. Hours are Monday-Tuesday 11:30am-8:30pm and Thursday-Friday 11:30-8:30pm (closed Wednesday and Sunday). Sabores y Colores, which also serves authentic Mexican food, is posted up at The Dam Shop in Elk Rapids for the summer. Also near Elk Rapids at Townline Ciderworks, chef Anita Jogi will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony Sunday at 2pm for her new food stall Masala Magic by Anita. Originally from Ahmedabad, India and now an Elk Rapids resident, Jogi plans to offer “an enchanting fusion of Indian culinary tradition and innovation.”

Anavery Fine Foods has opened a new farm store at 6071 Secor Road. The store will feature Anavery’s pasture-raised meats, eggs, dairy, and cheese as well as products from partners including Boss Mouse Cheese, Great Lakes Garlic Farm, Brine and Vine, De Vor Dairy Farm & Creamery, Andrulis Cheese, Mayfield Organic Wheat, and the Boardman Review. Hours are Tuesday-Saturday 1pm-6pm.

Hearth Sauna, which provides a “traditional Nordic sauna experience paired with high-quality ice baths and a shower” on the Mt. Holiday property, is opening a second location on Old Mission Peninsula. The company is targeting a June 1 soft launch at Lightwell lavender farm across from Peninsula Cellars at 2150 Carroll Road. The Old Mission location will operate the same as Mt. Holiday, with guest passes and memberships available for sauna experiences. Also on the peninsula, the Old Mission Tavern – including the 4,400-square-foot restaurant, attached 1,260-square-foot gallery, and liquor license – has been listed for sale for $1.5 million. As of Thursday, the listing showed a pending offer on the property.

Finally, some pizza-related news: Papa Johns has closed its doors at 1338 W South Airport Road. A new pizza chain – Noble Roman’s, an Indiana-based franchise with locations across the Midwest – opened May 7 in its place. The franchise is independently owned by Maximus Foods Traverse City. Mancino’s Pizza & Grinders has also closed its West Bay location, citing staffing challenges and the planned road reconstruction outside its doors on M-22 next summer. The Chums Corner location of Mancino’s remains open.