The People…Er, Dogs I Meet

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The Star of Trove in Portage

 

IMG_0092 (2)Zoie, a Bernese mountain dog, has become a celebrity of sorts. Many customers who enter TroVe, a unique home decor and accessories store in Portage, Michigan, seek out this four-legged icon before getting down to the business of shopping. Of all the wonderful things that fill the walls and halls and spaces of TroVe, Zoie garners the most likes on Facebook and Instagram.
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Photo Courtesy of Julie Ahlberg

Back in 2016, I sat down with Julie Ahlberg, the owner of TroVe, for a story in Encore Magazine. The year before, she had traded a 25-year financial career to purchase a building and open her own store. I checked in with her to see what was new.
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Photo Courtesy of Julie Ahlberg

Her goal remains the same. “To really make TroVe quaint,” she says. Julie does this by creating a light, bright, inviting atmosphere and bringing in local artisans and entrepreneurs. Recently, Julie added headbands from The Sassy Olive in Allegan, Michigan.

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Even though most of her merchandise comes from local vendors, Julie has added a few unique brands from elsewhere – like Jelly Cats – from across the pond: London, England. She likes Jelly Cats for a few reasons. “They believe in brick and mortar and don’t sell on Amazon,” Julie says. “Jelly Cats is a fabulous line.  Plush stuffed animals with books to match.”

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Julie has added other lines, such as Cherry Republic and Duke Cannon. “Duke Cannon is a U.S. based company and they make soap for men,” she says. “And their lip balm – oh my goodness – it’s the best. They support the military.  So that’s really cool.”

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Julie now holds many classes for ladies nights, such as upcoming Easter Egg Workshops. She also teaches classes on Iron Orchid Designs. IOD, a company started by two creative sisters, has products that include decor transfers, decor stamps, and decor moulds. To see IOD click here.
But the majority of vendors inside the bright, airy, quaint walls of TroVe remain local vendors. Some of their merchandise is pictured below.
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To read the original story about Julie Ahlberg and TroVe, click here.
If you want to visit Zoie, stop by TroVe – she is waiting with a smile. Otherwise keep track of her on TroVe’s Instagram.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The People I Meet

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Saying Goodbye…Again

 

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Gable and Cleo-Photo Courtesy Beth Schroeder

 

In early May, Beth Schroeder will say farewell to Gable (the handsome fellow on the right).  Over the course of 25-years, this brave lady has endured countless goodbyes.  Beth  is a puppy raiser for Canine Companions for Independence, a nonprofit organization that provides assistance dogs free of charge to individuals with disabilities.

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Beth loves, raises, trains (about 35 commands worth) and cares for a dog for about two years before taking them to CCI’s headquarters for advanced training.  The car ride home is understandably tear filled.  If Beth’s dog passes advanced training, she returns to headquarters for his/her graduation…and hands the leash over to the recipient.
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Gable and Cleo-Photo Courtesy Beth Schroeder

And when the day comes, Beth will do the same with Cleo, Gable’s young sidekick.
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Cleo-Photo Courtesy Beth Schroeder

I first had the pleasure of meeting Beth and her dogs at Anytime Fitness in Portage.  After that, I sat down and spoke with Beth about her work with dogs.  That story that appeared in the November of 2019 issue of Encore Magazine.  Beth says she owes a debt of gratitude to businesses that welcome these dogs-in-training into their establishments.
As many know, that debt of gratitude should also extend to Beth: a lady who selflessly volunteers her time, and heart, to raise and love these puppies.  She even goes around the greater Kalamazoo area with her dogs to speak about CCI.  To senior centers, schools, and other organizations.  But to Beth, it’s all worth it when she witnesses the difference these dogs make in the lives of others.
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Beth Schroeder, left, with current puppy-in-training, Gable, stands with her daughter, Rebecca Swallow, and Melia, who is trained to help Swallow with her speech therapy patients. © 2019 Encore Publications/Brian Powers

 

Read the article about Beth in Encore Magazine. 
Learn more about CCI. 

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And on March 17th, Gable and Cleo wish you a Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

 

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Meeting a President

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The wind howls. It stings and reddens my ears, which I occasionally cover with my hands. Rain spits sideways. It strikes my face like a million tiny pins. Much different than the 68 degrees near the base of this mountain range. I turn and look at my husband. “This is awesome!” he shouts over the roar. Looking across this vast sea of wild – witnessed by few – my heart agrees. How many others have scaled this harsh vertical climb, step after step ascended on sheets of granite, stretched for, reached for, muscled for? And then, to be rewarded with this spot void of many humans, yet so alive.

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We stand at the top of Franconia Ridge, where one swears that God might stretch a hand from the heavens to cup we mortals in His palm.

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And then, my husband and I press onward. More granite inclines. Icy wind. Relentless spits of rain. Stones and more stones. Muscles that scream and holler and beg to stop. An occasional blue mark on stones guide souls who brave this journey, this quest to meet a president.

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From Falling Waters Trail to Franconia Ridge Trail, we finally arrive at the top of 5,089-foot Mount Lincoln in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Named after the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. It seems fitting. We stand in a bastion of natural freedom. Technology forgotten. Busyness abandoned. Burdens dropped. Simply free to inhale majesty.

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Tell Me a Story

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Tell me a story, Aunt Lisa.

My niece’s eyes plead.  Her smile dances.   She waits expectantly, ready to leap from a precipice and embrace stories of the past: escapades of her mom or me or her Uncle Dan.  And sometimes these stories detour into the world of make believe silliness.

Tell us a story, Lisa.

I still see them. My younger brother and sister bounce up and down, eager.  Their eyes twinkle.  I write a play to act out.  The living room transforms into a stage and the words come to life.  I pen a radio program to record and send to Grandma, or perhaps a book tied together with yarn that features each as the main character.  They smile.  They laugh.

Tell me a story, Grandma.

Really, I didn’t have to ask.  I still hear her Southern voice telling stories of Appalachia, where she and Grandpa grew up.  These tales brim with unusual names,  strange ways and mysterious places. I sit captivated.

And so…I tell stories.

Sometimes words crash inside my mind like a cascade of waves against Lake Michigan’s shoreline.  Other times…they glide…rolling… drifting into my heart as a summer day on the Platte River.  But they are always there, somewhere.  They wait.  They rattle.  Then they call out for me to hear them.  An essay.  A short story.  A narrative of someone else’s life or talent.  And once that household of words are expressed on the page, another assemblage gathers and waits for their day.  I hope for a brief intermission.  Always, I’m longing to meet them.

 

 

 

The People I Meet

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Jeannie Sanders Spices up Life – Literally

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Jeannie Sanders cuts herbs from her garden to use in her seasonings, vinegars and teas.© 2018 Encore Publications/Brian Powers

Last autumn, I had the opportunity to speak with Jeannie Sanders of Schoolcraft, Michigan.  Jeannie and her husband, Leonard, own Sandershire Seasonings.  They grow their own herbs for seasoning blends, teas and artisanal vinegars – without pesticide. And boy, she has a gift for creating blends – my personal favorite being Rustic.  Her spicy blends a close second.  Growing up a self-proclaimed Army-brat, Jeannie’s most popular seller, Nostimo, stems from living in Greece as a child.  I checked in with Jeannie to find out the latest on their entrepreneurial endeavors.
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Jeannie and husband Leonard, who helps with much of the gardening and harvesting.© 2018 Encore Publications/Brian Powers a caption

Their garden continues to expand…
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A portion of the Sanders’ garden.

As does their product line: It now boasts 30 varieties of freshly fermented artisanal vinegars, 17 seasoning blends and a plethora of teas.
“Violet Vinegar was very popular again this year,” Jeannie says.  “We sold nearly 10 gallons, all grown from our own homegrown violet flowers.”
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The ever-popular violet vinegar.

Other popular vinegar blends were black raspberry, blueberry, cherry, pear, pawpaw, and rhubarb.  At customers urging, they created four new seasoning blends: Ubertoso (Sicilian), Mostaza (honey mustard), Texas Heat (roasted, toasted Tex-Mex) and What’s This Here? (a robust pub-inspired Worcestershire blend).
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A fine garlic harvest from the Sanders’ garden.

Jeannie calls 2019 “a whirlwind year” – and provides a peek into 2020:  a possible pop-up seasoning and vinegar demo event.
To find out more about Jeannie (and the reason her husband lovingly refers to her as a hobbit!) check out the story published in Encore Magazine at the link below.

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Start to Finish – Part 3

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Third generation farm family raises crops and serves them in their restaurant

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Dan Schultz

© 2018 Brian Powers Photography
How did TCBC start? Bill Schultz traveled to Europe in 2010 and 2012 and discovered a thriving hard cider business. He came home, did some homework and found a promising market. Bill proposed an idea to his family: adding a “new dimension” (hard cider) to the farm.
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Bill Schultz

© 2018 Brian Powers Photography

 

Adding extra facets is par for the course. The Schultz family is known for taking chances. William’s father, Victor and his wife, Dorothy, sold everything in 1951 to purchase the farm – then 80 acres.
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© 2018 Brian Powers Photography

 

In the 1970’s William and Denise added a farm market and in 1994 a buffalo herd. Then, around 2012, the family established Schultz’s Donut Depot – a rustic log cabin on wheels that makes on-the-spot apple cinnamon donuts. So, in 2013, they started brewing that hard cider.
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© 2018 Brian Powers Photography

 

For the previous 15 years the weather had been difficult. The Schultzs sought a non-climate dependent business addition: a tasting room for their craft beers and hard ciders. That idea snowballed into a restaurant. When Denise discovered a former church for sale five miles from their farm they snapped it up.
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© 2018 Brian Powers Photography

 

“We stepped out of our comfort zone a long time ago,” William says, laughing.
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William Schultz

© 2018 Brian Powers Photography
By 14-years old, William displayed entrepreneurial spirit and boldness to try new things. He launched a chicken business on his father’s vegetable farm that swiftly grew into a 600-egg incubator operation to hatch chicks. It funded a major purchase.
“I bought a Mustang Cobra,” William, now 61, recalls. “Black with red striping. $5,400 bucks.”
But it isn’t only the men in this family that keep this operation fruitful. Denise and their daughter, Robyn Schultz, manage the farm market; Andrew’s wife, Ruth Schultz, and his stepson, Nolan Fillar, work at TCBC; and Dan’s wife Audrey Schultz – a photographer – takes the photographs that adorn the restaurant walls.
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Ruth Schultz

 

© 2018 Brian Powers Photography

 

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Audrey Schultz

© 2018 Brian Powers Photography
What’s next? The ideas never stop, they admit.
Andrew smiles and adds, “You’ve got to know when to go for it and when not to.”
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Andrew and Ruth Schultz
© 2017 Encore Publications/Brian Powers
For more stories about the Schultz family endeavors click on the links below.

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To go to TCBC click below:

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Start to Finish – Part 2

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Third generation farm family raises crops and serves them in their restaurant

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© 2018 Brian Powers Photography
At Schultz Fruitridge Farms and Texas Corners Brewing Company (TCBC), every family member plays a key part in making it a success. Another component: communication. The family interacts everyday, discussing anything from new ideas for restaurant operations to crop developments and asking questions such as: How is this fruit doing? When is this vegetable coming on? They keep the TCBC chef updated. Menus shift seasonally. Daily features are also dependent on field reports – like a plumb pear sauce for Wings Wednesday. It takes more coordination and work than typical restaurants, Bill admits, but worth the effort.

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© 2018 Brian Powers Photography
“To be able to say I picked it or my brother picked it at the farm today or yesterday – I mean talk about fresh,” Andrew says.

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© 2018 Brian Powers Photography
Once too fresh: They picked zucchini for TCBC and it was on plates within hours. The zucchini still retained so much water that it was too moist. Learning curve aside, customers appreciate Schultz farm-to-Schultz restaurant table flavor.  “It’s always nice to hear the customers talk about that when they’re dining,” Dan says. “Talking to their friends about where it came from: our farm.”
Like one of their top sellers – the Schultz Bison Burger, which comes straight from their bison herd.

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© 2018 Brian Powers Photography
Or the cherries and apples from their orchards used in the craft brews: the Three Brothers IPA or the P-51 Porter, named after their grandfather, Victor Schultz, a WWII P-51 Mustang pilot. That start to finish involvement also brings the family satisfaction.

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© 2018 Brian Powers Photography
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Andrew’s wife Ruth Schultz at TCBC

© 2018 Brian Powers Photography
“There’s a lot of gratification,” Bill elaborates. “(When) I’m pouring a glass of hard cider from the tap and I know that it came off of the farm. We made it into a hard cider and here I am pouring it into a glass for a customer to enjoy – that’s pretty cool.”
To be continued…check back for Part 3

 

From Start to Finish

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Web Exclusive Story-Part 1: Third generation farm family raises crops and serves them in their restaurant

 

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© 2018 Brian Powers Photography
On this autumn morning, Andrew Schultz approaches the picnic table at his family’s third generation farm wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with an eye-catching, candy red apple and sipping a glass of cider. It’s fitting that the general manager of Texas Corners Brewing Company (TCBC) wears and drinks this fruit. After all, it’s the logo of his family’s thriving farm-to-table restaurant and brewery, which they opened four years ago.

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© 2018 Brian Powers Photography
Andrew attended Michigan State University, received a degree in agri-business management, and worked as a sourcing specialist a Nestle in Dallas. He returned to oversee the 21-table TCBC.
The youngest Schultz son slides into a seat at the picnic table across from his father, William Schultz. In addition to TCBC, William owns this 400-acre Schultz Fruitridge Farms in Mattawan, MI, along with his wife, Denise Schultz. Not long after Andrew’s arrival, his brother, Dan Schultz – operations manager at the farm – drives up on a tractor. He hops off and slips onto the seat next to Andrew. That Dan disembarks a tractor fits too.

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© 2018 Brian Powers Photography
William smiles and recalls Dan as a child contentedly playing for hours with toy tractors and trucks. “That boy’s gonna be a tractor driver,” he remembers saying. “And it turned out to be that way exactly.”
Which is important. Each Schultz possess certain strengths that makes this farm and restaurant operation a success. William, who is in a managerial role, indicates that that his oldest son Bill, the farm’s vice president – currently delivering produce – does a bit everything, which “stretches Bill thin.” But Bill enjoys staying busy.

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© 2018 Brian Powers Photography
When Bill arrives back at the farm later that day, he says, “It takes a team to make this happen – everybody is a key part.”
To be continued…
Check back for Part 2
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The People I Meet

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The Schultz family: Taking food from their farm..

and serving it at their restaurant.

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© 2017 Encore Publications/Brian Powers

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© 2018 Brian Powers Photography
Many are familiar with the farm-to-table movement…but how about farm-to-business-table?
The Schultz family of Schultz Fruitridge Farm in Mattawan, Michigan, does just that. At their third generation farm, they grow the fruits and vegetables and transport them to their restaurant: Texas Corners Brewing Company (TCBC).
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© 2018 Brian Powers Photography
Throughout the last few years, I’ve had the opportunity to write about the Schultz family.  The man in the photo surrounded by all of that delicious fall produce is William Schultz.  He owns the farm and TCBC along with his wife, Denise.

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© 2018 Brian Powers Photography
How has this local, family farm continued to flourish?  Fresh ideas – like TCBC.
To find out more about this farm and their restaurant and brewery, check back for a web-exclusive story.
Until then, feast your eyes on some flavorful photos…

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© 2018 Brian Powers Photography

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© 2018 Brian Powers Photography

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© 2018 Brian Powers Photography