Thanks to Mlive for this:
SAUGATUCK, MI — The large, garage doors facing the Kalamazoo River will finally reopen after years of renovation.
The former Mermaid Waterfront Bar & Grill has transformed into Marker 14.
The dockside property in Saugatuck in hosting a grand opening to reintroduce itself as a waterfront dining experience.
The new restaurant name pays homage to the navigational buoy directly in front of the property.
The grand opening was held 5-9:30 p.m. Thursday, May 7 with a limited menu and hours of operation.
The waterfront seating will be a prime spot for boat watching along the Kalamazoo River this summer as it’s enroute for the Retro Boats headed to Kalamazoo Lake.
Mermaid Waterfront Bar & Grill and neighboring Baldy’s Smoked Meats, both at 340 Water St., were sold to a local group of investors and closed in 2023.
Boat Shed Properties, LLC, acquired the property in December 2024 for $2.4 million, according to Crain’s Grand Rapids.
The large property on the banks of the Kalamazoo River has had many identities since its establishment in 1895.
The first operations included a warehouse, a blacksmith shop, a wagon shop, and a shipyard, according to a news release from Beacon Sotheby’s International Realty.
Between 1900 and 1910 the property operated as a boat livery, fruit store, packing warehouse and boat warehouse.
Pre-World War I, the property served as a motion theatre, portion of an air dome and machine shop.
From the 1920s through the 1990s the property was primarily used for boating.
The building, as it stands now, was constructed before 1955 and remodeled in 1998, according to Beacon Sotheby’s International Realty.
The Mermaid was a waterfront staple for decades. Local restaurateur and award-winning chef Eric Chaitin purchased Mermaid Bar & Grill in 2016 and opened Baldy’s Smoked Meats in 2019.
The two former restaurants, totaling close to 6,000 square feet between them, shared a kitchen and storage space, according to the real estate listing.
That floorplan became the redeveloped Dockside Marketplace.
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