Reclaiming a Classic in Harbor Springs

Sept. 25, 2015

Of all the spots in downtown Harbor Springs, the one that’s been the subject of the most querying eyes is Juilleret’s. The former restaurant was in business for 112 years as a classic soda fountain and well-known summer destination. It closed in 2007 when its owners retired and has been sitting empty ever since. Now it’s been purchased by two Harbor Springs residents, Andrew and Martha Bowman, who vow to “keep it local.”

VINTAGE BUILD

Andrew Bowman was born and raised in Harbor Springs; his wife joined him there in 1998. The couple looked for a property in town for a number of years, but their search wasn’t only based on financial considerations. They wanted to find something that would add to their community.

“We used to sit across the street at Mustang Wendy’s having breakfast and we’d stare at the old Juilleret’s building and wonder what we could do with it,” Andrew Bowman said.

They found the building definitely needed some work, a process that’s already begun. Jeff Ford and Evening Star Joinery are doing the bulk of the work under Bowman's direction; it’s been going very well.

“When you take apart something this old, the question is, is it going to cooperate?” Bowman pointed out. “And so far, it has. Jeff ’s doing a great job.”

Bowman’s research uncovered that the building was built in two halves, the first between 1890 and 1900 and the second between 1910 and 1920.

“No one’s really around that remembers,” he said, “but while the Juilleret family did keep it up, it’s still just a very old building.”

SUMMERTIME STRUCTURE

It’s also a seasonal building. When the Bowmans purchased it, they knew that three of the walls and the roof would need to be replaced in an effort to make it four-season friendly.

“The original foundation is still there, and the shape of the building is the same, but we had to build out parts of it to suit load and building codes,” Bowman explained. “We expanded the kitchen and added bathrooms, so we’ve gone from about 3,300 square feet to 3,700.”

Because Juilleret’s held so much sentimental value for the community, and for the Bowmans themselves, they’re working to retain as much of the original look as possible. They’re also striking a careful balance with modernization.

“We wanted to make it a year-round building, while still retaining the look of the old summer favorite,” Bowman said. “So things like redoing the white siding with brick accents, kind of a 1950s look, and then a new red and white striped awning; the old one was aluminum, but we are putting in one that will retract.”

A classic swinging marquee sign will be hung at the front of the building, replacing the flat-front sign that had been there for many years.

FUTURE FEATURES

Also retractable are the new garage-style doors (“but nicer,” Bowman added) that will slide overhead to open onto a new patio space with tables, umbrellas and bicycle racks.

“Part of what interested us in the property is that it includes 100 feet along State Street, which is of course one of the more popular streets downtown,” Bowman said. “So, we’re putting in the patio, plus a fire feature pit, and that still leaves us some future expansion area available on the north side, but we’re not doing anything with that yet.”

The Bowmans don’t plan to run the future incarnation of the building themselves. They’re seeking the perfect tenant to turn the place into a restaurant similar to Juilleret's.

They’re leaving the kitchen roughed-in and the dining area with only a basic finish, so that whoever becomes their restaurant tenant can have their chef and decorator outfit it as they’d like.

“We do definitely want it to be a restaurant, though,” Bowman confirmed. “It’s the Field of Dreams cliché: If you rebuild it to be a restaurant, somebody will come and put a restaurant in it!”

FINER DINER

That said, the Bowmans are in no hurry. Most important to them is finding someone who will continue to deliver the ambiance and hometown friendliness that Juilleret’s did.

“We expect the building to be completed and ready by the end of the year,” Bowman said, “but we’re fortunate to be in a position right now where we can wait for the right tenant.”

“The people of Harbor Springs who’ve been watching the place have been very patient with this vacant building, but we’d like to rent it just once, so we’re going to be as careful as we can with who and what goes in there.”

Bowman said the overriding public suggestion for the space is a simple one.

“We have lots of very nice restaurants in town, but the best idea is to make this one a more casual fare restaurant at a lower price point. Not a kids’ place, but still family-friendly; we think of it as a finer diner,” he said. “Now we just have to find the right people to run it.”