A new Benjamin Twiggs cherry retail store will host a grand opening in Traverse City on Thursday, June 4, from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m., marking a new chapter and retail space for the Leelanau business owner.
“We see ourselves becoming the flagship of the west end of town. This new location is great because we've got opportunities coming here, including the building across the street and surrounding area that’s being constructed,” Benjamin Twiggs owner Leisa Eckerle said.
Benjamin Twiggs relocated to a new downtown storefront at 305 W. Front Street, next to Mundos Coffee.
The new space features two times the amount of production space compared to their former E. Front Street location near the East Bay.
“This gives us the opportunity to expand on our own food product line and potentially design our own gift line items. We are very excited about the opportunity,” Eckerle said. “We're working on some things right now. We celebrate our 60th anniversary in the fall. I expect we'll have some of those new things in our space. Now, we'll be able to do wine and chocolate tastings. We'll be able to bring in chefs to give demonstrations and lead educational classes on cherries … it'll allow us to have a cafe area where we'll be able to serve slices of pie. We'll be working with Great Lakes chocolates and having some of their desserts … People will start to see all of those things taking shape.”
Benjamin Twiggs is celebrating its 60th year after opening in 1966 to sell Leelanau cherry products. The local cherry store is also ready to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Cherry Festival and America 250 from its new location this summer.
Eckerle is proud to display one of her grandfather's last known cherry lugs in the store.
“We brought the farm into space. All the wood trim that we used was from the farm,” Eckerle said.
Benjamin Twiggs will continue the party through the weekend, with the first stop at the TC Art Walk, along with wine pourings from Black Star Farms on Friday.
Then, on Saturday, June 6th, from 4:00 PM to 6:00 p.m. enjoy a tasting experience featuring Olivia Cote of Up North Charcuterie. Enjoy samples from a beautifully crafted charcuterie board paired with wine tastings. Enjoy sampling Benjamin Twiggs' cherry products paired with her charcuterie board and cherry wine pourings.
Plus, spend $75 or more during the event, and you'll be entered to win a handcrafted charcuterie board from Up North Charcuterie.
