208 W. Main Street was the center of the three sections of Kramer's Busy Big Store. It was built by Frank Kramer in 1883. At the same time, he also purchased an existing 28' wide building to the west. This extra space allowed him to move his smaller business located across the street into a much larger store. In 1900, an addition to the east was completed and all 3 storefronts were veneered with brick. Kramer advertised his store was the “Largest Department Store” between Bay City and Mackinaw at that time. The building was later divided into three separate businesses. The western portion was Berry Drug Store and later Glasser Drug. When the Sugar Bowl Restaurant expanded, it purchased this space and moved Glasser Drug to the center building. The center portion of the original building (208 W. Main) later became the A&amp;P Grocery Store, Glen Electric, Glasser Drugs, Family Pharmacy, and since 1993 is the Alpine Chocolat Haus.The eastern third of the building today is the Ah-loy Bamboo restaurant serving a Thai and Chinese cuisine at 200 W. Main. Previous occupants of this space included Country Casuals, The Wishing Well, Dittmer's, and Kramer's clothing and dry goods.

Rotary Club of Gaylord plaque displayed by the front door of the Alpine Chocolat Haus

circa 1914 postcard of Kramer's Busy Big Store

Interior of the east portion of Kramer's store Mrs. Rae Kramer wearing a corsage.

This is the 8th in a series of ten plaques placed on historical buildings by the Rotary Club of Gaylord

Kramer's Busy Big Store

Stroll 3 blocks of Gaylord's Main Street and learn about 10 of the oldest buildings

Since 1992, the museum has been the center of Otsego County history and offers permanent exhibits honoring the lumbering &amp; railroad era, agriculture, one-room schools and Gaylord's native son Claude Shannon. Volunteer docentsare available to provide information about the two galleries and there is also a gift shop which is stocked with local history books such as "Early Times of Otsego County, Michigan" "Otsego County Women In History", "Places of Our Past", and Waters, Michigan: The Town With The Bottle Fence."Visitors to the museum will also learn that when the building was constructed in 1911, it was originally a cigar factory. Later it was a pool hall called Merry's Recreation. In the early 1960s, Gordon and Marlene Everett purchased the building for their businesses The Northern Star and subsequently Northern Office Supply. This is the first of 10 history markers presented by the Rotary Club of Gaylord in 2017.The building was constructed in 1911 by Charles L. Merry for his cigar factory and store. His son, Earl, later converted the building to a pool hall.Gordon and Marlene Everett, whose shopper guide business, The Northern Star, was in the building to west, purchased this property in 1964. They added the room on the north end for a large printing press. When their business outgrew this building, they relocated to a new, larger location. The front of the building was then used for an office supply store.When the Otsego County Historical Society expressed an interest in establishing a museum in downtown Gaylord, the Everett family made the nonprofit group a generous offer for their now-vacant storefront. The museum opened in the spring of 1992 and held its mortgage burning ceremony five years later.

The Claude Shannon exhibit is a permanent display at the Otsego County History Museum in downtown Gaylord. Items currently featured include: photos of Claude's 1932 Gaylord High School graduation class, GHS diploma, statue at Shannon Park on Main Street, his parents Claude, Sr. and Mabel Wolf Shannon.A replica of the barbed-wire telegraph system reminds the views of the one he and his friend Rodney Hutchins put together which connected their house 4 blocks apart. Claude's love of juggling and riding a unicycle are also represented in the museum exhibit. There is also a mention of Tommy Tropic's juggling program named in Claude Shannon's honor. This youth-oriented fun event helps connect the past with the present.To remind the museum guest of Shannon's important role that he played in creating the Digital Age, several examples of everyday technology are featured. these include a computer disc, cell phone, digital camera, and lap top computer.

Otsego County History Museum

This is the second of ten historical plaques in downtown Gaylord which were presented by the Rotary Club of Gaylord in 2017. Each marker provides a brief overview of the building, its owners, and former businesses which once occupied the space.This building was constructed in 1907 by Stanley and Antonia Kwapis. It was a grocery store until the 1930s when it was closed during the Great Depression. In 1933, the Kwapis' daughter, Mary Luzenski re-opened the building as a bar named Mary's Tavern. She later sold the business to her sons Bob and Leonard "Ike" in 1947.In 2010, the bar was purchased by Kat Steinbrecher and renamed Mary's Stein Haus. It is one of the longest running businesses is Gaylord. During the Covid-19 pandemic temporary shut down, the front entrance as well as the alley entrance received a major remodeling featuring a stone facade.

Mary (Kwapis) Luzenski opened Mary's Tavern in 1933. Her sons, Bob and Leonard "Ike", purchased the business in 1947. Kat Steinbrecher bought the bar in 2010 and renamed it Mary's Stein Haus.

Mary's Tavern / Mary's Stein Haus

These two buildings were constructed in 1900 by local attorney A. D. Marshall.The east portion of the building was originally a grocery store, then a clothing store, and later Hutchins Insurance. The west side was originally a cigar factory and then a barber shop.The second floor was added in 1945.Ollie and Gerry Hogan moved to Gaylord in 1958 and purchased an existing jewelry business in the 100 block of Main Street and established Hogan's Jewelers. When that building was sold In 1965, they moved Hogan's Jewelers into the west part of this building at 311 W. Main.For a few years during the 1960s, Gerry Hogan ran the Secretary of State's branch office in the back of the jewelry store. Otsego County motorists would purchase their license plates here which brought a lot of potential jewelry customers through the doors.Hogan Jewelers expanded into the Hutchins building in the 1980s. With more than 60 years of continued presence on Main Street, Hogan's Jewelers has been in operation longer than any other retail business in the downtown Gaylord.

Hogan's Jewelers has been at this location since 1965.

Hogan's Jewelers

There is a plaque near the entrance placed by the Gaylord Rotary Club designating this one of 10 historic buildings in downtown Gaylord.This building was constructed in 1913 by Claude Shannon, Sr. using field stones from area farms. His son, Claude Jr., was a noted engineer - mathematician whose research is the basis for the digital age. Claude Jr.'s statue is located at 126 W. Main Street in Shannon Park.This building was originally the Gaylord Post Office and served in that capacity until 1954.The second floor was the insurance and real estate office of J. P. Hamilton who served as the city's first mayor.Later, for many years, the building was the home of Glasser Real Estate. Recent building occupants include Diana’s Emporium, D&amp;S Custom Art Work, SunFrog Shirts, and Koulka clothing store. 45th Parallel clothing store opened at this location in 2021.

This building was constructed in 1913 by Claude Shannon, Sr. using field stones from area farms. His son, Claude Jr., was a noted engineer - mathematician whose research is the basis for the digital age. Claude Jr.'s statue is located at 126 W. Main Street in Shannon Park.This building was originally the Gaylord Post Office and served in that capacity until 1954.The second floor was the insurance and real estate office of J. P. Hamilton who served as the city's first mayor.Later, for many years, the building was the home of Glasser Real Estate. Recent building occupants include Diana’s Emporium, D&amp;S Custom Art Work, SunFrog Shirts, and Koulka clothing store. 45th Parallel clothing store opened at this location in 2021..

1913 Post Office 

The Farrar Block on the southwest corner of Main and S. Center was built in 1904 by local attorney and real estate developer O. W. Farrar. The Gaylord Hardware and George Butcher’s grocery occupied the street level store fronts. The second floor was the Masonic Lodge. A major fire occurred in 1915 which destroyed the contents of the stores and lodge. The brick structure was damaged but was repairable. In later years, Schreur’s Chevrolet followed by Jim Wernig Chevrolet dealership were located here.The Gaylord Chamber of Commerce and the administrative offices for the Tourism Bureau were housed here in the 1990s until they moved to their current location at 319 W. Main Street.Today the Harris Law offices occupy this corner building.

This is the 5th of the 10 plaques placed on historical buildings in downtown Gaylord by the local Rotary Club.

The Farrar Block later Schreur's then Wernig's Chevrolet car dealership

This building has a long history of being a drug store on Gaylord's Main Street. It was established by Arthur Morrish in 1901 as a drug store, then sold to Gutteridge Brothers in 1915. Later, it became the Nelson Drug Store in 1918 and continued until 2010 Diana’s Delight moved her restaurant from across the street and opened at this location in 2010.The building to the immediate west was a dime store operating under the names of F.R. Woodworth, Rodericks, Shoemaker’s, and Denholm’s. Diana's Delight expanded its restaurant business and opened the Tap Room 32 in this space.Diana's Delight and the Tap Room 32 both closed in 2021.In the spring of 2022, the family-owned restaurant, Marmalade &amp; Co., began serving its breakfast and lunch menu in the building previously occupied by Diana's Delight.

This is the 6th of 10 plaques placed on historical buildings in downtown Gaylord by the local Rotary Club in 2017

Nelson Drug Store

A.B.C. Comstock started his hardware store here in 1878. He later sold the business to John M. Brodie and his father-in-law S. E. Qua in 906. Brodie became the sole owner in 1919. Twenty years later, Brodie sold the hardware store to Robert Audrain.Audrain Hardware anchored this corner in the heart of Gaylord's business district from 1939 through 1999. Robert Audrain closed the hardware for two years during WWII to serve in the military. The dental practice of Dr. Saunders was located on the upper level. He later relocated to his residence on North Center Avenue.Audrain Hardware was a family business with Bob's wife, Helen, and their children Toni and Biff all contributing to the store's longevity and popularity. It was one of the first downtown buildings to convert to the alpine architecture in 1964.After the hardware store closed in 1999, various businesses occupied the building. These included Sue's Stamp &amp; Scrap, G Willikers, and Great Rooms Furniture. Gary Kosch bought the building and converted it into a trendy restaurant Main Street Market. He later revamped the menu and dining concept into the current restaurant CRAVE.·

This is the 7th of ten history markers presented by the Rotary Club of Gaylord in 2017.This building was a hardware store from the late 1800s until 1999. Today (2022) it is a restaurant named CRAVE with a yoga and dance studio located in the back of the building.

Audrain Hardware

The Sugar Bowl was originally owned and operated by John Gocha. He sold the business to George Doumas and his brother Harry in 1919. At that time, the Sugar Bowl was a candy store and ice cream parlor. As the business grew, it transformed into a full-service restaurant.The building underwent several expansions and renovations. The first expansion occurred in 1938, when the Doumas brothers purchased the the building to the immediate west of the Sugar Bowl. In 1964, a new bar and formal dining room were added added to the east in what had been the Glasser Drug. The pharmacy was relocated to the vacant building to the east that had once been the A&amp;P grocery store. George’s son, Robert, took over ownership of the Sugar Bowl in 1972 and operated the downtown landmark until selling the business in 2016. Just three years shy of reaching the 100 year milestone of being owned by the Doumas family, the Sugar Bowl was the oldest continuously operated eating establishment in Otsego County.Today (2022) the iconic Sugar Bowl is gone and replaced by El Patron Grill.

This is the 9th of ten plaques placed on historic building by the Rotary Club of Gaylord in 2017.

Sugar Bowl

This building was built in 1907 after the original building was destroyed by fire in 1906. The Gaylord State Savings Bank (later renamed Gaylord State Bank) occupied this location from 1893 until a new bank building was constructed one block to the east of this site in 1964.Later occupants of this building include the Big Boy Restaurant and Main Street Shoes. The upper level housed the Union Library (later renamed Gaylord City Library) for several years before it moved to the Municipal Building on South Court Avenue. Today, SitzTax, a tax and accounting business, occupies the building in the heart of Gaylord's downtown business district.

This is the 10th of the ten plaques placed on historical buildings by the Rotary Club of Gaylord in 2017.

Downtown Gaylord Walking Tour - 10 Plaques by the Rotary Club of Gaylord

Kramer's Busy Big Store

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context