"While the cafe is closed to regular service, we still want to make sure our local community can get their coffee fix," Schuil Coffee Company's Alex VerHulst told the Glen Arbor Sun last week.
Leelanau Coffee Roasting Company had been a Glen Arbor gathering place for 33 years. Its café closed on November 1 and will stay closed through the winter for renovations. For a resident, the free cup that comes with the closure matters more than the closure itself, because of when it is offered. Leelanau Coffee's free weekday drip, The Mill's two closed days and Cherry Public House's four open days fit together into a single week. Put the three posted schedules side by side and the gaps in Glen Arbor's winter show up right away.
Grand Rapids-based Schuil bought Leelanau Coffee early this year. The company is now running a renovation it expects to finish in March 2027, with plans to reopen the café on April 1. Until then, the company told the Glen Arbor Sun:
"We'll be offering free drip coffee for locals Monday-Friday, 8 am-3 pm. People are still able to place orders for coffee beans online and pickup at our wholesale office."
So weekday mornings come with free coffee for locals. Saturday and Sunday do not. The two year-round kitchens in the center of town cover the other days, and their closed days fall in the middle of the week.
The Mill Glen Arbor posts café hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with supper from 4 p.m., and is closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The Mill stays open year-round. Its riverside offshoot, Upriver, finished its first season on Labor Day and plans to reopen in mid-May, according to The Ticker's offseason guide. The Cherry Public House at 6026 South Lake Street is open year-round, Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
| Day | Leelanau Coffee free drip | The Mill | Cherry Public House |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 8 a.m.–3 p.m. | Café 8 a.m.–4 p.m., supper from 4 p.m. | Closed |
| Tuesday | 8 a.m.–3 p.m. | Closed | Closed |
| Wednesday | 8 a.m.–3 p.m. | Closed | Closed |
| Thursday | 8 a.m.–3 p.m. | Café and supper | 11 a.m.–8 p.m. |
| Friday | 8 a.m.–3 p.m. | Café and supper | 11 a.m.–8 p.m., live music every other Friday |
| Saturday | None | Café and supper | 11 a.m.–8 p.m. |
| Sunday | None | Café and supper | 11 a.m.–8 p.m., Quiz Night 5–7 p.m. |
Tuesday and Wednesday are the weakest days in the grid. Of these three schedules, only the free coffee runs on those days. On Thursday and Friday, all three overlap. The free coffee gives the quiet middle of the week a regular stop, and the weekend falls to the two kitchens.
The Public House keeps a winter program that adds up to a standing calendar. Quiz Night runs Sundays from 5 to 7 p.m., October through April. Happy hour runs 3 to 6 p.m. over the same months. Live music plays every other Friday through the winter, and the Public House posts weekly updates on its Facebook page. Twelve taps of ales, lagers and ciders sit behind a seasonally rotating menu.
The Mill splits its day into two rooms. The all-day café pours coffee from Parlor Coffee in Brooklyn and serves scratch-made food beside a fireside lounge. Supper is held on the basement level beside the Crystal River, where Chef Bobby Thoits cooks New American food built on Northern Michigan produce, and a fall supper menu is posted now. The Mill encourages reservations for supper. A Thursday-to-Sunday dinner plan in Glen Arbor this winter starts with these two rooms.
The Cherry Republic store in Glen Arbor posts hours of 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. The Cherry Republic winery is set to reopen in May 2027, and limited tastings are offered inside the retail store in the meantime.
Starting at Thanksgiving, the weekly grid gets a set of fixed dates on top of it. Most of them are in the Crystal River Outfitters Recreational District and at the Glen Arbor Arts Center.
The Strolling Lights Festival returns for its sixth year. Every tree is sponsored and decorated by individuals, families, businesses, teams or clubs. Sponsorship costs $150 a tree, and the 2026 proceeds go to Leelanau Investing for Teens, the free out-of-school program for sixth through twelfth graders, as the Leelanau Ticker reported. The District has run the tradition since 2020.
The dates through the end of the year:
Two of the Arts Center classes fall on Thursday and Saturday, days when The Mill and the Public House are both open. A December 5 ornament class can run into supper by the river without a drive to Traverse City. Santa's patio visit lands on the Friday after Thanksgiving, a day when all three of the posted schedules are running.
The Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail has a Glen Arbor section with a trailhead in town. The National Park Service says the trail is groomed for classic-track and skate skiing, and it sends visitors to Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes for regularly updated conditions. Friends uses donations to pay for year-round trail upkeep, winter grooming included.
One stretch is never groomed. The section from Port Oneida Road to Bohemian Road runs beside the road, and snowplows throw salt and sand onto it, so it is left ungroomed. Backcountry skiing and snowshoeing are still allowed there. Dog owners have a December 1 date to note as well. The park's winter guidance bars pets from ski trails from December 1 through March 31.
If you don't own the gear, the Cyclery in the Crystal River Outfitters District offers winter rentals of cross-country skis, snowshoes and fat-tire bikes. The Cyclery, M22 and Coastal all stay open year-round, so the District that holds the Strolling Lights trees also rents out the gear for the trail. On a Tuesday or Wednesday, the days when the grid above runs thinnest, the trail is still there.
The Leelanau Coffee café is scheduled to reopen on April 1, after renovations Schuil expects to finish in March. Upriver from the Mill is planned for mid-May. The Cherry Republic winery is set for May 2027. Until April 1, the free weekday drip at Leelanau Coffee is the only one of these three posted schedules that covers Tuesday and Wednesday.
If you spend the winter in Glen Arbor and are thinking about what comes next, whether that means staying year-round, adding a place on the water or selling a seasonal home, Molly Buttleman knows how this village runs in December as well as in July. Inquire Now to talk it through over coffee, free on weekdays this winter.
Molly is Michigan native and has called the Grand Traverse and Leelanau County region home for more than 30 years. Understanding the demands of today's buyers and sellers has allowed her to be a top producing agent when it comes to Antrim, Grand Traverse, and Leelanau County real estate year after year. As a relationship building person, she enjoys developing loyal friends and customers. As a Real Estate Professional, she builds those same lasting relationships with both Buyers and Sellers. Service is Molly's top priority.
Molly is known for listening and problem-solving, often putting her own real-life buying, selling, and renovating experience to use for her clients. Her construction industry connections also give her clients an extra sense of trust, especially if they are looking to add value to a property with a remodel.
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