Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail almost in its fullest. We found a lot more of that in the spring and then it took off again basically after August 15th,” Killian said.
Regular Bikes are certainly not going away regardless of the popularity of ebikes, according to Killian.
The biggest bummer for Crystal River is not operating during a beautiful September because of culvert projects to put in timber bridges for fish migration.
“We had always had the plan that we weren’t gonna operate this fall ... We just maximized all the time that we were open and Mother Nature helped with that,” Killian said. “I think we did have a very successful summer in the eyes of the customers and in the eyes of our staff and I believe in the eyes of the business.”
They essentially lost six weeks of business, which has them to work on the bones of their operation for next summer.
“We’ve really been able to focus on putting a shot in the arm of our facilities and our equipment to be better for future seasons when we are open from middle of May through middle of October,” Killian said.
Employment for the last two seasons have been great as Crystal River benefits from local talent to help with operations.
SB Bikes
Suttons Bay Bikes and Grand Traverse Bike Tours owner Nick Wierzba says the summer was great with business reaming stable and increasing in various factors.
“We are doing good with our year round crew ... (For employees) we don’t feel any crunch or pressure like a couple years ago,” he said.
Wierzba says a lot more people are on the trail, especially with the resurgence e-bikes.
“It opens the experience to ride bikes and have fun and brings groups of people together to ride at the same pace. It enhances the experience and feels like they will get dropped or left behind,” Wierzba said.
For Suttons Bay bikes, kayak and paddle board rentals have remained steady in terms of rentals.
Suttons Bay Bikesprides itself on the extended fall season with wine and harvest tours in full force.
Ride Leelanau & Bayside Gallery
Lee Millns of Ride Leelanau, a Suttons Bay E-bike rental, is heading on an upward trajectory for the business in its third year.
They specialize in rentals, service and sales.
“From an economic standpoint moving (E-bikes) is moving in the right direction,” Millns said.
Ride Leelanau has expanded to offering four e-bike manufacturers with their mainstay RAD Power Bikes.
Ride Leelanau has grown to offer three other brands including the Lectric eBikes and Velotric that Millns says has a price point that meets most people looking for an ebike. The most popular is the xp30 Velotric ebike.
“I tell people budget $1,500 to $2,500 for an ebike,” Millns said. “People are coming to us by word of mouth because they like to see the bike.”
Millns says that last Saturday every bike was rented with hopes of a busy October.
Cindi Millns operates Bayside Gallery, located right next door after purchasing the building two years ago.
After a successful test run of being opened all year in 2023-24, Cindi says Bayside Gallery is doing that again.
“We still have to have it amazing team keep them working and it was a win-win and our employees,” Cindi said. “We’ll be pretty stable with business right up until Christmas. As more people come up here we are finding the need to be open and continuing on with merchandise.”
Winter business counts on local festivities including Yeti Fest in February. Bayside Gallery will be hosting a one-on-one class Oct. 19 by making an art piece that the gallery commonly sells.
“Its been a fantastic summer and we are continuing through this fall season before peak color time ... Its still a learning process,” Cindi said.
Bayside Gallery’s biggest seller this time of year are stone owls and wind spinners as Christmas gifts, to name a few.
