Historic 1901 Candle Factory Closing Retail, Owners Seek Community Support
Sarah Marek, daughter of The Candle Factory's owners, is asking Traverse City to help save a 1901 bayfront building before it's sold to developers.
A 125-year-old building on West Grand Traverse Bay that once housed the Traverse City Gas Company is facing an uncertain future, and the family that has owned it since 1973 is asking the public to step in before a developer does.
The Candle Factory at 301 W Grandview Pkwy is restructuring its operations: the large factory side of the building will become vacant, while the two retail shops, The Candle Factory and Home Elements, will be combined into the remaining side. The owners, who bought the property in 1973, would like to retire and pass the building and businesses to their family, but the financial math is working against them.
Sarah Marek, a retired teacher and the owners' daughter, is leading the public appeal. She said she hopes the community can come together to preserve the building and make it something the public can use. The alternative she and her parents are working to avoid is a sale to a developer who would tear it down or replace it.
"We will most likely have to sell and allow what's going to happen, happen, unless we are able to find somebody who is able to purchase the building and promise to keep it as it is," Marek said. "But it's the property itself is worth so much more without the building. In so many ways, not in our hearts, but financially. It's a lot to renovate, you know, put a new roof on it. It needs some work."
The owners have been explicit about what they do not want: another hotel or condo on the waterfront parcel. They believe preservation will require a financial commitment from the community, whether through a buyer willing to pledge the building's integrity or broader community support.
The Candle Factory has operated at the bayfront address as a retail destination carrying candles, table-top fabric, and home goods. It can be reached at (231) 946-2280 or through candles.net, and is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
No timeline has been announced for when the factory side will be vacated or when the retail consolidation will take effect.
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