Copyright M Live Michigan
CADILLAC, MI -- As Northern Michigan becomes a blur of Family Fares, Dollar Generals and Walmarts, sometimes it’s worth taking the side road and finding a tried-and-true general store. Meauwataka General Store is a delightfully old school mom-and-pop general store stocking everything from baked goods to beer − plus a lot of bourbon. If you’re out off-roading in Cadillac’s “gateway to Up North” consider making a pitstop at this haven of local treasures. Located at 2020 E 24 Rd in Cadillac, the general store is a quick turn off M-115. The state highway is a slower, more scenic ride but there’s not much out there other than forest, trails and horse farms. Owners Pam and Ken Sandy know their business is one of few stops folks can make for a hot meal or a cold beverage while in the Huron-Manistee National Forest. That’s why the little general store at the top of the hill needs to have it all. “Our driving force is, ‘it has to be worth the trip,’” Pam Sandy said. “Great food. Quality ingredients. Locally made products.” The 85-year-old general store sat on the market for years before the couple bought the general store in 2020. The Sandys wanted to keep its roots but spruce it up. They overhauled the kitchen, previously used for heating up frozen pizzas, and started serving pies with homemade sauces and local cheese and meat from Ebels. At first, the Sandys tried weekly meal deals to supplement their expanded pizza kitchen. Ken Sandy would bring his smoker to the store and fill it with chicken, pork or beef to make roadside delicacies. The meal deals “exploded,” Pam Sandy said. It became so popular, folks were calling in requesting them every day of the week. It didn’t take long for them to adopt a full daily menu. Now the Sandys go through 30 to 50 pounds of ground beef a week to keep up on their taco orders alone. Pretty soon the operation called for an onsite smoker and Ken Sandy built a small smokehouse on the side of the store. Then the couple added a picnic pavilion so their growing customer base of contractors, trades workers and tourists no longer had to eat on their tailgates. That love for their customers is what grew the general store’s bourbon collection. At first they just stocked standards like Jack Daniels and Jim Beam. Then a customer told them about Iron Fish, a distillery just 33 miles northwest of the general store. To represent the other side of the state, they started stocking Detroit City Distillery. Since beginning the collection four years ago, the Sandys now have hundreds of bottles of bourbon, many of which are Michigan-made. “We were both born in Michigan. We’re true blue Michiganders. We work really hard to source quality products that were made in Michigan or made in Cadillac,” Pam Sandy said. That extends to all the aisles of the little 1,000 square foot store. Pam Sandy said she lays in bed searching Facebook for independent or local businesses to source everything from fidget spinners to t-shirts. The store has more than 100 vendors. “We’re proud of our state,” Pam Sandy said. “We want to support the awesome people in it. Many of our vendors shop here, too, so we support each other.” As teenagers the couple met at Ken Sandy’s family restaurant. They both had careers working for independent companies. Now as small business owners themselves, the Sandys are proud that they add to the small business ecosystem.
