Eighty years after opening its doors in downtown Petoskey, Grandpa Shorter’s Gifts is inviting the community to celebrate the milestone with a birthday party on Saturday, July 18.
The free anniversary celebration will take place from 1-3 p.m. at the longtime downtown business, 301 E. Lake St., and will feature birthday cake, locally made vanilla ice cream from Murdick’s, Great Grandma Esta’s chocolate sauce, prize raffles, party favors, historic displays and more.
“We have always enjoyed having a store where people can come in and find a unique treasure to take home,” said third-generation owner Jennifer Shorter. “Some of the products we carry have changed over the years, but many are what we sold 80 years ago.”
Those items include Petoskey stones, deerskin gloves and moccasins, Shorter said. Newer items include a variety of Pendleton wool clothing items, NeeDoh toys, puzzles and more. Shorter estimates that Grandpa Shorter’s Gifts has thousands of different items for customers of all ages.
Over the years, Grandpa Shorter’s Gifts has become one of downtown Petoskey’s most recognizable businesses, serving generations of residents and Northern Michigan visitors. Shorter hopes that customers, former employees, tourists and even people who have never set foot inside the store will come to the July 18 party.
“We hope everyone who has been part of our story will come celebrate with us,” she said.
In addition to celebrating the store’s history, organizers hope the event continues a tradition of community giving that has been part of the business for decades. As part of the anniversary festivities, the store will host a Shop for a Cause fundraiser. Shorter will donate 20% of all purchases made during the celebration to the CG & Ruth Shorter Memorial Scholarship Fund at Camp Daggett.
Established in 1997, the scholarship fund honors the legacy of store founders CG and Ruth Shorter by helping local children attend a week of summer camp at Camp Daggett on Walloon Lake. The fund typically provides scholarships for three to five children each year.
Visitors attending the anniversary celebration will also have the opportunity to browse historic photographs and memorabilia chronicling the business’s 80-year history, enter raffles, enjoy refreshments, and reconnect with former employees and longtime customers. Organizers are encouraging anyone with ties to the store to stop by and share memories of one of Petoskey’s longest-running family businesses.
Grandpa Shorter’s Gifts and its sister businesses, J.W. Shorter & Son Mercantile and Luci and Carl’s Candy Cabin, have more than 30 employees, including part-timers who are students and seniors. They all provide Shorter feedback on items that may be worth adding to the retailer’s ever-growing inventory.
“We have a good sense of what works and what doesn’t, but we’re willing to take risks and try new (items),” Shorter said.
She hopes to expand the store’s online presence, providing a user experience that comes as close as possible to shopping in person.
“We can use technology more efficiently than ever, but the (highlight) is still the store itself,” Shorter said.
Learn more by visiting grandpashorters.com.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Grandpa Shorter’s turns 80, invites Petoskey community to birthday celebration
Reporting by M. Alan Scott, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By M. Alan Scott, The Petoskey News-Review | USA TODAY Network
