Downtown Petoskey

Winter Wonderland Weekend
Downtown Petoskey, February 16-19, 2024 Winter Wonderland Weekend will feature ice carving demonstrations, Downtown shopping and restaurant specials, a scavenger hunt through the Downtown shops, and a Downtown Dollars shopping contest, all held within the boundaries of the Downtown …

Getting Cozy in November
When you hear the word “cozy,” what comes to mind? Perhaps you associate “cozy” with warmth, comfort, a crackling fire, heated beverages, and fluffy blankets like I do. Additional cozy elements may include a good book, a snuggly animal, or …

The Clothes Post: The Spool Has Run Out
The year was 1962 when Karl Buettner and Burt Chickering opened a men’s haberdashery at 326 East Mitchell Street in Downtown Petoskey. They called it “The Clothes Post.” A block over next to the Hollywood Theater at “Renick’s Gifts,” a …

A November to Remember
As I look out over the bay, there are people sauntering on the breakwater; rusted maples and fire-red burning bushes stand defiant. The water? Nary a ripple. No coats, no boots, no ice, no snow, no anything but warmth and …

A Ruff Life in Petoskey
As your-man-on-the-street the last several years, I’ve noticed the influx of canines cavorting around our town. Much like their human counterparts, curiosity abounds, and barks erupt, but for the most part, well behaved pets seem to be commonplace. Thus, the …

Notes from a Small Lakeside Town in July
Winding my way to the doorway of my downtown studio, I weave through and dodge the throngs on the sidewalk. July has arrived and so have the guests. Everything we’ve been contemplating regarding an onslaught has materialized. There are people …

Walking on a Wednesday
Your man-on-the-street again, walking on a Wednesday in Downtown Petoskey. It’s a glorious sunny day, maybe in the forties with a breeze loitering from the Northwest. I was stunned to see Lake Street packed with people. It’s a Wednesday for …

A Persistent Fog
Just as spring was blooming among us, the fog rolled in. The COVID vaccines were working, and the mitigation of a gradual increase in business openings was working, then the fog rolled in. As I sit in my downtown studio, …

Ernest Hemingway: A new conversation
It has been a couple of years, but your man-on-the-street has returned from a long vacation and a COVID break. The temperature in Downtown Petoskey was close to sixty-degrees, and smell of spring in the air. I plopped my chair …

A Winter Weekend
After a few months of mostly ice and little snow, the drifts are finally piling up – by the foot! For three solid days, snow arrived with an accompanying blizzard, and with it, there seemed to be a collective sigh …

Sold Out!
As we progress toward COVID vaccinations, there seems to be tantalizing lights near the end of the long tunnel we have been parading through. Downtown Petoskey continues its resilient path, carrying the torch. Tillie’s Tafel at 437 Mitchell Street opened, …

Winter Arrives for the Winter Carnival
February 13, 2019 From ice into snow through thaw and onto a flash frozen tundra, Downtown Petoskey remains open for business. The winds billowing off Lake Michigan came twisting over and around streets as the raucous gales brought winter …