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Trout Creek Businesses

Click the items below for details

Affordable Mortgage, Inc
906-852-3369
Birch Hill Farms
906-852-3442
Thomas G. Bruno, D. C.
906-852-32371
Da Flowage Bar & Grill

Doncandu Computers
906-852-3479
Gustafson Excavating & Septic
906-852-3516
Interstate Batteries
James Laitala Excavating & Repair Shop
Midway Telephone Co.
1-877-317-5960
Sunnyside Bar
852-3456
Ted Strong
Contractor & owner of ice cream parlor at Bond Falls
852-3382
US Post Office
852-3430
The White Door General Store
852-3222

There are a variety of small businesses in Trout Creek. Some are long-standing proprietorships, and others started more recently by people moving here from such  diverse locations as Illinois and California.  

  

Affordable Mortgage, Inc 

Phone    906-852-3369, e-mail billklef@jamadots.com

Owner    Bill Kleffman

Location    Rt. 1, Box 30, Trout Creek

Specialties:  Mortgage Broker, home loans in Michigan only

To learn more, Click  here for Bill's web site.

Background:    Affordable Mortgage, Inc. is a Michigan licensed mortgage broker founded in 1999 by Bill Kleffman.  Bill is a former engineering manager, and maintains a current real estate license in addition to home mortgage licensing.

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Agate Falls Bar

Owner:   

Business location:   

Products/Services:   

Specialties:   

Background:   

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Birch Hill Farms 
906-852--3442

Rt. 1, Box 23A

Owners:    Ben Livingston & Rosie Larrin

Business location:    1 1/2 Mile Road, Rt. 1, Box 23A

Products/Services:    Rare plants, herbs and garden vegetables

Specialties:    Work done in your home or business, or in his shop; all guaranteed

Background:    Ben is a Military retiree. Rosie has had a lifetime interest in plants and herbs

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Da Flowage Bar & Grill

299 Calderwood Rd.; 906-852-3417

Owners:    Randy and Cheryl Weston

Business location:    On Bond Falls Road (Calderwood)

Products/Services:    Restaurant and Bar

Specialties:    Northwoods decor, wildlife mounts, super-size sandwiches

Background:    

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Doncandu Computers

PO Box 43, Trout Creek; 906-52-3479;
e-mail doncandu@jamadots.com

Owner:    Don Lenef

Business location:    173 Division St., Trout Creek

Products/Services:    Refurbished and new computers, Upgrades, Parts, Software training in a class setting, in your home or business

Specialties:    Work done in your home or business, or in his shop; all guaranteed. 

Background:    Before retiring, Don was a Quality Control consultant and a software trainer for Best Buy Stores. He also had a part-time computer business. Originally trained as a mechanical engineer, Don has been working with computers since the late 1980s.

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Gustafson Excavating & Septic 
Gary Gustafson, 906-852-3516

Location:

Specialties:    General excavation, road building, sewer and septic work

"Anything you need in dirt, we will do for you"

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Chiropractic at THE WHITE DOOR

Thomas G. Bruno, D. C.; 906-852-3371

Dr. Bruno is a magna cum laude graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic. He utilizes Applied Kinesiology analysis and treatment methods in addition to standard Chiropractic curricula. After 23 years of full-time practice in the Sierra foothills of Northern California, Dr. Bruno now practices 8 hours a week in his office at THE WHITE DOOR grocery store in Trout Creek.

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The Handyman Can

Tom Bruno  ; 906-852-3291

Tom, following his lifetime interest in the manual arts field, pursues his hobby as a part-time handyman. He is willing to tackle a variety of odd jobs, repairs and small projects.

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The Little Old Schoolhouse Restaurant, Inc.  906-852-3620

Owners: John Goltermann, Dale Schmeisser,Joyce Game, Gregg Gatta

The Little Old Schoolhouse Restaurant serves up a wide variety of breakfasts, sandwiches, homemade soups and full dinners.  We feature fresh desserts and other bakery from scratch; not to be missed are John’s multigrain and white breads and Betty’s homemade pies.  In addition to the menu, we offer a soup/sandwich and a dinner special daily.  Our hours are 8 am to 6 pm daily except Tuesday.

The Restaurant is housed in an old school building (c. 1929), built for extra classroom space to accommodate the surge in population during the heyday of logging.   During the 1940s and 1950s it was converted to a two-bedroom home to house new teachers moving to the area, and in the 1960s reconverted for classroom use.  It was moved to its present site between the White Door Grocery and Trinity Lutheran Church in 1993 and renovated to the restaurant dining room.  The blackboard, the Dick and Jane pictures and some light fixtures remain from the original interior.

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The old General Store (now the White Door)

By—Lucy McDonald

Near the turn of the century, George Hardes came to Trout Creek. He built a lumber mill, a shingle mill and a general store. In the 1920’s the family opened a second store, which houses the local grocery store to the present time; however much has changed through those years.

The general store was in a large building with a central stairway on the main floor that went to the upstairs. The store at one time was a co-op. At various times it housed a post office, a doctor’s office (Dr. Porter and Dr. Lake, MDs, at different times), a beauty parlor (run by Hilda Hautamaki), a telephone company operator (went to Flora Martin’s home next), and always the general store was on the main floor.

While the building housed the co-op (owned then by the co-op in Bruce Crossing) it was to be closed. Some local ladies, Signe Anderson, Marguerite Cook, Florence Hiitola, Ellen Miilu, Senia Pentti, Gladas Budd, and Robin Carlisle, made and marched with picket signs at the side of the building in protest of the closing. Eventually the co-op sold the building, however the grocery business continued. Hurray, for those brave and stalwart ladies!

The building is a downtown landmark and the local grocery store, with apartments upstairs. It has changed owners a few times since the Hardes family built it. The present owners are Janet Dellaria, Betty Hamilton, and Jeanne Cagwin. The former Trout Creek Market was purchased in August of 1991 and renamed The White Door. Since that date they have added many services. types of merchandise and groceries. The main floor also houses the chiropractic office of Dr. Thomas Bruno

Since 1991 the owners have improved the building by installing central air conditioning and refurbishing the two upstairs apartments. About two years ago, an anonymous donor, someone who had been here and had a fondness for the area, decided to contribute new siding to the grand old building. Many residents commented on the store’s improved new appearance.

The owners and local help work in the store and greet customers with a smile. Sheila Johnson, is the able and congenial store manager.

Trout Creek can be proud of its heritage and some of the buildings and parts of its history that have been preserved and improved for the present residents and those into the future.

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