Holly Griewahn, Foundation Realty, Talks Manitou Beach Village on JTV
By JTV
Holly Griewahn had the opportunity to talk all about the Manitou Beach Village with JTV in this video interview! Click the link below to watch the video!
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Developer: Manitou Beach ‘village’ had great year, expanding
By Dan Cherry
What started out as a “slow start” in 2018 for promoters and developers of the Manitou Beach village and business district and surrounding area, is turning out to be the “biggest year” in Manitou Beach’s revitalization efforts’ history, according to one of the area’s driving forces...
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The Saugatuck of Irish Hills
By Dan Cherry
Expansion efforts in the Manitou Beach Village District continued this past year, with developers announcing new additions in the works for 2018...
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Dedication Ceremony Set for New Art Piece at Manitou Beach
By Dan Cherry
A arch installation where people may leave a commemorative lock is being constructed in Manitou Beach as part of a planned series of cultural dedications at the lake resort.
Developers Dave Gajda and Jose Malagon, who for several years have led economic revitalization efforts in the Manitou Beach village district, recently announced the construction of the metal arch along Walnut Street. The duo donated the money for the art installation, which is to be dedicated at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, in memory of Gajda’s sister, Marie Parker.
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Property values rising in Manitou Beach
By Dan Cherry
The sound of nails being hammered fills the Manitou Beach village district on the heels of the launch of the 2017 tourism season.
Several residential homes have been purchased for renovation; others are being converted to commercial space for leasing; parking improvements with a retaining wall are in the works, and a new gallery of shops is being prepared for a grand opening celebration next month.
When he decided in 2011 to bring the beach resort back to what he remembered as a child growing up at Devils Lake, developer Dave Gajda said he and his partner, Jose Malagon, had several goals in mind. [Read more...]
Entrepreneurs strive to revitalize Manitou Beach
By Renee Lapham Collins
Two entrepreneurs with ties to Hollywood have been hard at work transforming Manitou Beach from a forgotten backwater to a quaint lakeside destination.
David Gajda and Jose Malagon started with a vision and the burned out remains of the Manitou Inn in 2009 and in 2011 committed to rebuilding Manitou Beach Village. Gajda, who grew up in Garden City, Mich., spent his summers at Devils Lake. His late sister, Marie Parker, owned the Inn and when it was destroyed by fire in January 2009, the pair saw an opportunity not just to rebuild the tavern but improve the village as a whole. [Read more...]
Two who helped revitalize Hollywood take on small village in Michigan
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After a fire destroyed the Manitou Inn, there wasn't a single commercial property in a small village along the west coast of Devils Lake in Lenawee County.
Now, David Gajda, whose sister owned the Inn, and Jose Malagon, of Los Angeles, have added a new commercial district, made some dilapidated homes livable again and put a sense of community back into the area. [Read more...]
Developers bring business back to Devil's Lake area
By Megan Sanctorum
The Devil's Lake area, a popular vacation spot for people in northwest Ohio, is getting a major upgrade.
Developers have been working to bring new life to the area, and they say their hard work is starting to pay off.
Several new businesses have come to the area recently, and people say they've had a huge impact on the community. [Read more...]
Replica lighthouse raised at Manitou Beach
By Dan Cherry
As a crowd of more than a dozen onlookers watched, workers from Earles Construction and Floyd’s Rigging, both of Adrian, raised a 25-foot lighthouse Friday to the top of a building under construction at Manitou Beach.
Community welcomes restaurateur's return
By Mary Alice Powell
According to the sign over the handsome new building, the new name of the popular Devils Lake pub and eatery is the Manitou Bar and Grill. But regulars who waited anxiously for it to open just know it as Marie's.
In the southern Michigan lake district, the bar and grill literally rose from the ashes and replaces the old Manitou Inn that burned down in January, 2010. Last weekend's grand opening was not just a chance to see the place and try an expanded menu. It served as a tribute to Marie Parker, the gutsy woman who narrowly escaped in the fire. Marie could have hung up her apron after the tragedy but that's not her style. She is happily back in the business where the community feels she belongs, cordially greeting customers, tossing out an occasional sarcastic remark, and offering her opinions. [Read more...]