Forget about physical stores: The latest batch of companies in Traverse City are subverting traditions, launching a delivery-only model, bringing a variety of products such as cleaning supplies and personal care products to cocktail mixers, and delivering baked goods directly to customers' doorsteps.

Sarah Lange, owner of The Refillery Traverse City, is one of the newest entrepreneurs on the scene, focusing on delivery and transportation models. Her company was founded on March 1 and focuses on sustainable all-natural products, from bamboo toothbrushes and plastic-free hair bands to biodegradable children's bandages and environmentally friendly pet toys. Although these products can be shipped anywhere, the core of Lange's business is a category that is limited to local delivery, called Refillables.

Customers within 12 miles of the Lange operating base on Grandview Road in Traverse City can purchase products such as multi-purpose cleaning spray, shampoo and conditioner, laundry soap and body lotion, and choose different sizes of glass bottles and aluminum Bottles. The initial order requires a fixed deposit of $2 for the bottles; when customers run out of products, they will order refills online, put the rinsed empty bottles at the door, and then replace them with freshly filled bottles.

"It's basically a milkman, but it just replaces milk with soap," Lange explained. "These refill shops are everywhere, especially in California. This is something I think will go well in Traverse City, and I decided to do it." Lange said, the goal is to eliminate single-use plastic-herself She receives reusable five-gallon barrels and large cans from suppliers, which she calls "closed loop systems"-and provides all-natural alternatives to replace chemical-filled cleaning and personal care products. Her announcement caused a enthusiastic response, which prompted Lange to consider adding more pick-up locations; she will be the supplier of the Earth Day event held at Jacob's Farm TC on April 24, and is working hard to ensure the safety of the store so that customers can Bring your own container for product replenishment.

Lange attributed the increased demand for cleaning supplies and customer preference for contactless delivery during the pandemic to factors that may contribute to her early success. These comments have been responded to by other Traverse City entrepreneurs who only offer takeaway models and have achieved similar success in isolation-friendly products such as cocktail mixers and comfort foods. Adrian Juarez is a veteran of the Los Angeles hotel industry. Before moving to Traverse City with his partner last year, he helped run pasta and food delivery services in the first few months of the Los Angeles pandemic. This experience inspired him to launch the Iris Cocktail company in Traverse City in October.

With his bartending background, Juarez uses local ingredients and hand-made bitters to make various cocktail shakers (or sweet wines), including seasonal margaritas, old-fashioned cherry cosmo, and apples. Sour wine and a few other varieties, including seasonal rotating specials. Non-alcoholic liqueurs can be enjoyed by yourself, or you can add your own spirits at home to make craft cocktails. Iris Cocktail Co. offers neatly packed sweet wines in glass bottles within more than 20 miles of Traverse City every Sunday; selected products are also sold at EB2 Vintage on Eighth Street.

“Cocktail bars are something that many of us cannot experience for a long time, so we hope that while being convenient and safe, everyone can drink similarly flavored drinks,” Juarez said. Sales have been strong enough that Juarez is changing production facilities — orders are suspended this week during the transition period, but will reopen on Monday — and are negotiating with local wineries to add sweet wine to takeaway cocktail kits. He hopes to expand his sweet wine series and launch alcoholic cocktails in the future.

Food is also popular with family customers. For the school project, local high school student Brooklyn Hall collaborated with her mother Megan Hall to launch a delivery service for homemade pepperoni rolls, a snack staple in West Virginia where Megan Hall grew up. Megan said that the soft and fluffy dough rolls and the pepperoni grilled in the middle are "available in all bakeries, grocery stores, and gas stations in West Virginia." "It's a literal staple food, but it's hard to find them (outside of West Virginia)."

As Megan helped Brooklyn learn all aspects of running a business—from marketing to inventory to customer service—the lobby launched Brooklyn pepperoni rolls at the end of February. The company sells 6 packs of pepperoni rolls for $10, and delivers them once a week in the area around Traverse City. The initial 75 rolls quickly sold out, prompting Halls' weekly output to double to more than 150 rolls. The popularity of the volume has prompted the two to begin negotiations on a shared commercial kitchen space on the east side of Traverse City-which will have a retail component-and are scheduled to be held at the Red Dresser Barn Market on May 28 and at the Grand this summer. The Village at the Traverse Commons Farmers Market enters. "These rolls have always been a part of our lives, but sharing it with the community is really great," Megan said.

Ponyboy Bake Drop and Lost Village Pierogi have also cultivated avid followers in Traverse City without the benefits of a local physical store. After closing their Suttons Bay restaurant Gold Baby Biscuits last spring, Alicia Manson and Lyndsey Egli launched the "ultra-small bakery delivery service" Ponyboy Bake Drop. The two posted tantalizing photos of weekly rotating products on Instagram, such as chocolate cake, cinnamon rolls, and sticky buns; customers texted their orders, paid through Venmo, and locked their free shipping (Ponyboy occasionally also A meeting place will be provided). At the same time, Lost Village Pierogi, which has a physical store in Petoskey, offers several special self-driving tours in Traverse City and other communities such as Cheboygan. Customers order a series of homemade Polish staples in advance—including 20 different varieties of dumplings, potato pancakes, Kapusta (fried cabbage and sweet onions), sauerkraut and kielbasa dogs—and pick a time on the event date. Promote upcoming pop-up events on the company’s Facebook page.

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