USA, MI: Sale of Mackinaw Brewing Company closes on March 10

The sale of Mackinaw Brewing Company in downtown Traverse City closed on March 10, according to Realtor Jack Lane.

The business and building at 161 E. Front St. was purchased for $3.2 million by 161 E. Front Street TC LLC. The group includes North Peak Brewing Company co-owner Jon Carlson, according to Lane.

An email and a phone message to Carlson were not returned on Friday.

Mackinaw Brewing Company launched in 1997. Rod and Lisa Langbo bought the business in 2002.

The Langbos listed the business and building for sale in April 2022. Mackinaw Brewing had its last business day on Dec. 30, according to Facebook posts.

"That was the original brew pub in Traverse City," Lane said. "(The Langbos) would like to convey to Traverse City thanks for all the support through the years."

The property is a 122-year-old, three-story, 12,480-square-foot structure, Lane told the Record-Eagle for an April 13, 2022 article. The original list price was $4.95 million.

The Langbos were looking to step away from running the business, Rod Langbo said in April.

"We're ready to retire," Rod Langbo said in April. "... we've been at Mackinaw for 22 years. We want to travel."

"They're great operators," Lane said of the Langbos. "They'd love to sit back and coast into retirement."

Lane said it was nice to see Mackinaw Brewing sold to a local buyer. Lane was also involved in the sale of two other long-time Front Street businesses in Bardon's Wonder Freeze and Lil Bo.

"In the last couple of years I've had the pleasure of selling Bardon's, Mackinaw Brewing and Lil Bo," Lane said Friday. "It's nice to see that in all three of those deals, local buyers bought the places."

Langbo said he and his wife have witnessed many changes in downtown Traverse City and it was great to be a part of all of it.

"I think it's gone both ways," he said for the April 2022 article. "There used to be a lot more activity in February and now there's very little. The summers are filled with so many festivals, it's wonderful to do business downtown. I love it."

Lane previously told the Record-Eagle there was a store on the site in the 1850s that functioned as a livery in the late 1800s. The current structure, the Beadle Building, was built in 1900 from Greilickville brick.

"It's just one of the most iconic buildings downtown," Lane said.

It was home to Cunningham Drugs until sometime in the 1970s. It was a Big Boy restaurant until 1997.

Lane, a Traverse City native, has been a Realtor for more than 30 years. He hosts the show "Ask the Real Estate Guy with Jack Lane" on WTCM AM-580 radio, which airs 8-9 a.m. on Saturdays.

12 March, 2023