Downtown Marquette's favorite gathering place, Babycakes on Washington Street, will be closing down for three days in early January for renovations.
Owner Kim Danieleson says the coffee shop is getting a new floor, part of an ongoing renovation program that won't be complete until mid-2014.
Other changes we can expect over the next few months: new tables, benches, chairs, counters and display cases and something I'm particularly looking forward to--a "community table" (big, in other words) that was built by Marquette wood sculptor Mark Mitchell.
The "new" Babycakes should be able to handle an additional 6-8 customers. Anybody who's wandered in to the coffee shop at busy times knows that capacity has been a problem there.
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I stopped by Ron's Taco Shop the other day to sample the fare at this newly opened hole-in-the-wall (and I say that fondly) on Third Street.
If you're a fan of social media, you may have noticed that some of the contributors were crushing the place just days after it opened. They didn't like the tacos, the hot sauce, the salsa, etc.
Well, turns out during these first few weeks of operation, Ron's Taco Shop has also faced a welcome crush of customers, afternoon, evening, late night and early morning. Some nights, it's open until 3 am, perfect for all-night revelers or studiers.
The customers, despite some carping criticism, seem to like the place.
I loved the taco shells--crispy but pliable-- as well as the chips, fresh meat and vegetables, but wasn't nuts about the salsa. The chopped-up tomatoes were cooked rather than fresh. Different strokes.
I also thought the use of an iPad for ordering was a little too, too cool and trendy but who cares what old farts think?
Bottom line, though, is that this is a local family cooking with good ingredients, providing jobs for 14 people, and meeting a need in the marketplace. Good luck to them.
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I talked to our freshman state representative John Kivela over the weekend. It was kind of refreshing--talking to a politician who's proud of his job and his workplace.
He's especially excited about legislation that he and state senator Tom Casperson are pushing through the legislature, likely by the end of the year.
It'll create an "economic development zone" in Marquette and Delta Counties, the first of its kind in the UP. The other five have all been downstate.
The zone will provide for tax abatements for businesses, along with logistics and infrastructure help. Good for business and good for the UP which sometimes gets overlooked in Lansing.
Kivela's impressions of his first year in the legislature? There's a lot of good people trying to do good things but the process can be awfully slow.
What's he think of Governor Rick Snyder, a Republican? Well, Kivela, a Democrat, appreciates the fact that Snyder (unlike some GOP "stars" around the nation) is not overtly political. He just wants to get things done. Imagine that.
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You may have heard the rumor that the famed Stormy Kromer caps have been named the official hat of American team in the Winter Olympics.
Not quite true.
What is true is that Ironwood's Jacquart Fabric Products is sponsoring the men's and women's ski jumping teams at Sochi. That's a pretty big deal, right?
It's the first time Jacquart has done this. The sponsorship provides both cash and merchandise for the team.
So does that mean we'll be seeing Stormy Cromers warming the heads of our ski jumpers? A Jacquart official says there's no guarantees of that but they hope so.
