Recent Blog Posts

As the temperatures continue to plummet across northern Michigan, we start to seek ways to warm ourselves up. We wear layers, and we crank up the heat in our cars and homes. We break out our winter coats and hats and mittens. We tend to find more excuses than usual to stay at home and lie on th...
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Grandpa Shorter’s Gifts Product Spotlight: Frank Green Ceramic Reusable Bottles Let me start by saying that I have owned many reusable water bottles in my lifetime. From the plastic squeeze bottles that were popular in the 90’s to the stainless-steel bottles that became huge right around...
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Grandpa Shorter’s Gifts does many things well. They have one of the largest selections of northern Michigan souvenirs in the city including a plethora of Petoskey stones and Petoskey stone products. Their customer service is top notch, and they are a champion for the community.  And, one...
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Did you know that October is National Cooperative Month? And that Petoskey has been home to a successful example of a cooperative for more than 50 years? A cooperative, or co-op for short, simply stated is any business or organization that is owned or controlled by its members who use i...
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As the leaves begin to take on their autumn hue here in northern Michigan, our minds begin to shift from warm summer nights and long, carefree afternoons at the beach to cozy flannels, pumpkin spice lattes, and football. We are also nearing peak apple season, and thus it is time to enjoy all th...
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When was the last time you sent a postcard to a friend or loved one? Or purchased a postcard as a souvenir? Chances are you have neither purchased nor sent postcards in the past few decades, and it is also likely that you have not even thought about postcards in years. Or, perhaps when you see the ...
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I thoroughly enjoy a good chowder- clam, potato, and especially corn- but chowders tend to be quite heavy. Don’t get me wrong, heavy cream is delicious in anything, but it also packs a lot of calories. In fact, one cup of corn chowder can contain over 600 calories. Many people also have a har...
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Ahhhh zucchini. Who doesn’t enjoy the delicious taste of this juicy, unassuming, late summer crop? And talk about versatile.  You can eat zucchini as the star or a secondary character in so many different kinds of dishes. You can savor it fried, grilled, stir fried, in a lasagna, zoodled...
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In addition to the seven food trucks located in The Backlot area that I mentioned in the previous blog (click here if you missed reading that one), there are six other food trucks throughout Petoskey for you to explore. The Food Truck at Bear Creek Organic Farm is located at 4012 Adkins Road...
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Ten years ago, Grandpa Shorter’s Gifts brought you a blog about northern Michigan food trucks. In it, the author told you about 7 different food trucks sprinkled throughout the north. Interestingly, not one of these trucks was located in Petoskey. Back in 2015, the concept of a food truck was...
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