By Kevin Howell
Two local businesses, one shuttered, one lost in a fire, will spring back to life in Mason and Manistee counties, much to the anticipation of area shoppers.
The owners of Nash Bros. Market, of Custer, hope to have the grocery store stocked and ready to open by the time this paper goes to press. Similarly, Dublin General Store, in Wellston, is slated to open soon and resume thrilling customers with its famous jerky.
Nash Bros. Market, Mason County
Local residents, campers and anglers staying in the area around Scottville,
Custer and Walhalla will have a place to pick up groceries and last-minute camping supplies once again.
When Bonser’s grocery store in Custer closed in 2016, it left a huge gap for residents, who faced long drives to pick up needed supplies.
But shelves are filling again at the newly renamed Nash Bros. Market on the corner of U.S. Highway 10 in the middle of the small village.
New owners Charlie and Greg Nash were hoping to have the store open by the end of August, but that may have been delayed a few days due to issues with new scanning equipment and required inspections.
“I can’t give you an exact date,” Charlie Nash said, about a week before the hoped-for August 30 opening.
“I have five inspections to go through, and once the Department of Agriculture comes through and says I can go, then I have to take that down to Lansing to get my beer license.”
“We’re going to have the biggest beer cave in Mason County,” he said, adding that any delay in getting the beer license won’t slow the market’s opening. As soon as the other issues are resolved, the store will open.
Although the brothers are currently residents of Florida, they have a past based in Michigan and Mason County.
“We’re originally out of metro Detroit, but then we moved to Pentwater in the late sixties,” Nash said.
From there the family moved to Riverton, and Charlie ended up graduating from Mason Central Schools and Greg from Ludington High School.
Last year Charlie came back to the area from Florida for a friend’s celebration and headed to Bonser’s for some ring bologna, only to find the store closed.
He and his brother inquired about the store’s asking price.
“We decided to buy it,” Nash said, and the brothers closed on the deal last winter. “I lived here in this area for about six years, so I know how far people have to drive to get food. I know the terrain, so we decided to open up the store.”
The store’s contents and layout, from what Nash described, will make the wait well worth it.
“What I call this section,” Nash said, pointing to the area just inside the front entrance, “is the Grab and Go.”
The entry area will be stocked with outdoor needs – fishing, camping and automotive – along with munchies, pop and beer.
“People can come in and out and hit the road,” Nash said.
“There will also be a $5 lunch, Monday through Friday.”
Beyond the Grab and Go, the main section will have everything a grocery store would carry plus a full deli and prepared breakfast, lunch and dinner items, as well as locally grown beef.
Nash also hopes to have a small seating area in the back of the store for patrons to grab a bite, sit down and eat. But that may have to wait until the pandemic eases.
Nash also said the store’s iconic cow’s head out front will stay.
Interestingly, the Nash brothers found a maker’s tag on the head stating it was made in Sparta, Wisconsin, where Greg once lived.
“It turns out my brother knows the guy who made it,” Nash said.
Oh, and for all those caffeine lovers, the store will also have free coffee on hand.
Anxious patrons can stay tuned for the store’s opening by following them on Facebook @NashBrosMarket.
Dublin General Store, Manistee County
Area residents have watched with excitement as an enormous concrete block and steel structure has taken shape the past three seasons along Hoxeyville Road in Wellston. Dublin General Store’s Facebook posts served to heighten the suspense of opening day, pushed from late summer to presumably sometime in September, though owners Greg and Bonnie Fischer have not identified a date. In an Aug. 19 Facebook post, the Fischers announced they are taking applications for help. On Aug. 26, a post by Dublin Jerky Company in Grandville indicated the rebuilt Wellston store had smoked its first jerky.
Founded in 1935, the Dublin General Store became a one-stop shopping destination for residents looking for groceries, hardware and other supplies. The store also catered to hunters, campers and visitors and began offering house-made meat jerky, eventually boasting the largest selection of jerky in the area. The new store’s barn-like country façade is a replica of the store’s original exterior, according to a Facebook post by the Grandville location, and it has a gigantic entry overhang.
With the recent closing of Super Bad’s Pizza next door, the Dublin store’s rise from the ashes after a tragic fire last year is even more eagerly awaited. (See “Memories of Dublin General Store,” Freshwater Reporter, March, 2020.)
Follow the store’s progress on Facebook @Dublin-Store Jerky-Place.
Editor’s note: Both stores are now open for business. Check their Facebook pages for hours of operation.
