Many family-owned, but a franchised Pizza Hut is set to open
MUNISING -- Most of the nation is still struggling to recover from the recession, but the town of Munising is actually thriving.
In the past six months, 14 new businesses have either opened up or have announced plans to open in the near future. That means new jobs. One new shop that's already open is Picnic Cove...a place to buy a quick lunch.
"Well first of all, we've got these three very nice boat trips. People are always in a hurry, they go to pick up their tickets and they've got to be back in 30-45 minutes, and it's a 2-3 hour boat trip. So people need someplace to come grab a bag lunch to take on the boat," says Picnic Cove's owner, Nancy Webster.
While many of the businesses that are coming to town are family-owned, one of them is a franchise. Pizza Hut is set to open by the end of the month. And it's the state of the economy that has made a Pizza Hut in Munising a reality.
"Munising has always been a tremendous tourist destination. We already have six restaurants in the Upper Peninsula, so Munising, we have looked at for many years and the economy has just gotten better so we decided that the opportunity to buy the old A&W was available and it was the right time," says Cathy Sproul of Michigan Pizza Hut.
Some business owners, like Kittie and her husband, decided to try something new because the last couple of years have been tough.
"We're getting into this business because my husband is a contractor, which is not a good business to be in right now. So coming up with the financing was the hard part," says Hillside Party Store owner, Kittie Mahoney.
Although some businesses may take longer than others to get up and running, the merchants are optimistic, and the long-term future of Munising is looking brighter.
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