March 28, 2024

History is Stored in Horton Bay

July 22, 2016

On its classic wooden front porch, the footfalls of a young Ernest Hemingway easily can be imagined.

At the church next door, now long gone, Hemingway was married.

And in faraway Paris in the 1920s, the author recalled those days of his youth Up North, writing about the Horton Bay General Store and its surrounding environs in his Nick Adams Stories.

So it’s no wonder that many Hemingway fans (and regular folks too), come to Horton Bay to seek out the famed store, today owned by Chip Lorenger, who bought the store in 2000 with his wife, Claudia.

LABOR OF LOVE

After moving up to Horton Bay from Traverse City 35 years ago to open a deli in Boyne City, the Lorengers were drawn to the uniqueness of the general store, built in 1876. They purchased it in 2000, prepared to take on the renovations that the store badly needed.

Owning a building that old, Lorenger explained, definitely has had its challenges.

“All the supports were rotten, so we had to put steel underneath,” he said. “Then we had to have the front and back of the building replaced, then we had to gut both the upstairs and the downstairs.”

The Lorengers spent a full year on the major renovations.

“Everybody says that kind of work is a labor of love, and that’s really how you have to look at it,” Lorenger said. “Claudia and I really enjoyed the restoration, but with the building being 140 years old and wooden, there’s definitely always something you need to be doing. It’s constant upkeep.”

BACK IN TIME

In its early days, the building, which has always housed a general store, was part of a thriving year-round community in Horton Bay. Today the tiny hamlet has a population of only about 500 people.

“Back then, there were actually two general stores and several restaurants,” Lorenger said. “But since the advent of the big supermarkets, it’s been tough to be a true general store. The only one I know of around here is up in Cross Village, the Bliss General Store, where they sell hammers and nails right alongside clothing and food.”

With the summer being their busiest time, the Lorengers had to figure out a way to make the store more prosperous. They began focusing on souvenirs and gifts instead of groceries, and they made the upstairs a Victorian bed and breakfast, with southern yellow pine floors, detailed woodwork, and antiques, all carefully reconstructed as a step back in time by Claudia Lorenger.

Then they started to expand into several different dining options.

MODERN FLAIR

“It took about a year or so to figure out that staying a true traditional general store wasn’t going to work,” Lorenger said. So now we have a small deli with sandwiches, sliced meats and cheese for quick carryout. Then we have our classic soda fountain, which also has fresh baked goods. And most recently, we added a tavern in the back with tapas service. That’s really been our saving grace.”

The tapas service is reservation only, with fine black linen tablecloths and limited seating, and the menu changes weekly. It’s a special treat unique to Horton Bay that’s helped add a little unique flair to the general store.

“We serve a variety of choices, from poached scallops and portobello mushrooms stuffed with smoked whitefish pate, to sage and oregano meatballs with gorgonzola cheese, to salt and pepper shrimp, to Sriracha frittata. Everything’s fresh every week,” Lorenger said.

LOCAL LEGACY

The menu has attracted crowds of summer visitors and helped maintain the store’s strong trade with the locals.

“Specifically for the food, we even draw people in from as far north as Harbor Springs,” Lorenger said. “And for the general store itself, we get people coming from very, very far away. We’re listed as one of the top ten Hemingway things to see in the U.S., and we’re listed in many Japanese and German tour books.”

There’s a wall specifically dedicated to Hemingway in the Horton Bay General Store, right alongside the old Vernors signs and boxes of caramels, northern Michigan postcards and souvenir trinkets. The Hemingway legacy is attached to the store for good, and has been throughout its many changes of ownership.

The store has had 28 owners to date. “We hold the longevity record for owning it the longest,” Lorenger said. But it is now up for sale again. Chances are it will sell to someone who values heritage as much as Lorenger does.

“What I’ve liked best about owning the general store is that we’ve maintained a piece of history,” he said. “I love history.”

The Horton Bay General Store is located at 05115 Boyne City Road in Horton Bay. For more information, visit hortonbaygeneralstore.com or call 231-582-7827.

Clockwise from top left: The Horton Bay General Store is a destination for locals, vacationers, and Hemingway fans alike.

Part of the store’s lore is that Hemingway used to go there as a youth.

From souvenirs to fresh baked goods, the store seemingly has it all.

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