A boutique-and-bistro combination that attracts guests who peruse the nautical gift shop’s displays of carefully sourced, higher-end fare and mix of name-drop items while waiting for a fire table in the lively courtyard.
Or vice-versa: Parties enjoy live music, a selection of handcrafted tiki cocktails and lobster dishes and later meander into the boutique to find a special piece or On the Bay apparel to take home with them.
“Eat, drink and shop — in one stop,” is how On the Bay owner Cher Bell describes it.
Joe Young, who manages the operation and is a partner of 21 years with Bell, says the win-win complementary dine, drink, do retail wins back repeat guests who are local and traveling to experience the St. Clair and Anchor Bay lakefront of historic New Baltimore, Michigan.
“Because Lake St. Clair is one of the best bass fishing lakes in the country, people travel here for some large tournaments, and the town itself is growing and has become a destination because there is so much to offer,” says Young.
Porthole mirrors with nautical rope are among the unique high-end nautical decor finds lining the walls at On the Bay.
Photos: Erin Goodrich
The quaint waterfront village circa 1867 is a northern suburb of Detroit and boasts a collection of independently owned shops and eight other dining spots. Bell moved to the community to build a home there, and in 2016, she serendipitously happened upon a vacant building just a block from Anchor Bay.
This would be her shop, “my special place,” she says.
Bell was no rookie in the retail world. She has four decades of business under her belt, including owning a clothing manufacturing company in California and being one of the few woman-owned motorcycle shops. “I’m definitely an entrepreneur,” she says.
Young is a rough carpenter and man “who wears 100 different hats and manages On the Bay 24/7,” says Bell, who splits her time between New Baltimore and Key Largo, Florida. “He has a wonderful relationship with everyone who comes into On the Bay.”
Young agrees, “This is definitely a fun, ever-evolving business.”
A tiki vibe
A few years after the shop came a bistro/café, and then a liquor license in 2021. Next was an expansion into the parking lot to create a tropical cabana courthouse complete with covered gazebos to house guests during the pandemic, fire tables for cooler nights, fire pits and live music.
“When you go to the Keys, what do you do? You walk around the little shops. So, I combined our bistro and boutique into one — it’s tropical, nautical and it continues to grow.” — Cher Bell
The 2,000 square-foot interior and expanding courtyard, nearly mirroring the size, is an island of its own. Bell and Young infuse Key West vibes and tropical flair into the environment across the shop and bar-grille.
She jokes, “We like to say, ‘We are on Bay time,’” and that’s exactly the experience they want customers to soak in when they visit On the Bay.
Bell explains the evolution from boutique to bistro to a full-blown complementary entertainment destination.
“I always served smoothies and subs in the shop, along with desserts and espresso — a little café,” she says, noting the location close to a beach allows guests to take picnic lunches to go. “Local mothers who dropped off their kids at school would come in for coffee, and we eventually ramped up to five full-time employees making smoothies with fresh fruit.”
The cafe promoted lingering in the shop, which encouraged finding gifts, mementos, name-drop keepsakes as well as higher-end coastal tableware and decor. The lakeside retailer carries pieces from Mud Pie, nautical brass fixtures including clocks, and custom signage by Meissenburg Designs.
Top sellers over the long-term include Spartina resort collections, and special pieces you won’t find in box stores, Bell says. “People go on vacation and they want to come back feeling inspired, so I am selling brightly detailed suns and other metal fixtures for their patios — I keep it high end, it’s not tchotchke,” she says. “We carry take-home treasures.”
Name-dropped T-shirts are a fast-selling item at On the Bay, while in the nautical decor section, fun shelf sitters invite visitors to take them home.
Once On the Bay received its liquor license and expanded into a bistro/bar, the smoothies got boozy and Bell incorporated a Keys-inspired vibe to the experience, from menu offerings like its tropical drinks to wares available to purchase in the boutique.
This summer, On the Bay is adding an expansive, robust tiki bar to its courtyard as well.
The eat-drink-shop combo works. Specials and theme nights in the bistro result in sales in the boutique. For example, On the Bay hosts ladies’ nights on Thursdays, Young says. Fridays are reserved for a local named Yanni who carves pineapples and watermelons into exotic drink vessels that are filled with boozy treats and garnished with fruit kabobs and sometimes sparklers.
Festivity promotes celebrating, which calls for marking the memory with a gift. “When you go to the Keys, what do you do?” Bell relates. “You walk around the little shops. So, I combined our bistro and boutique into one — it’s tropical, nautical and it continues to grow.”
An evolving experience
The bistro and tiki courtyard draw guests — a completely different setting than the town’s other restaurants — and after a day and night of fun, visitors want to take something On the Bay home with them.
Logoed hoodies, T-shirts, hats and glassware move quickly in the boutique, Young says.
“We over-printed the On the Bay T-shirts our staff wears and now customers are buying them up in the shop and loving it,” he says. “Everyone loves On the Bay stuff.”
Young says the shop tested mini insulated (Yeti-style) shot glasses, ordering 300 to stock in February, not a typically busy time of year for On the Bay. They sold out by mid-April.
Aside from On the Bay’s boutique, the company offers a pop-up shop in a nearby marina store. The boutique keeps dedicated shelves stocked with name-drop hats, stickers and sweatshirts along with gourmet staples from companies like Stonewall Kitchen, including Bloody Mary mixes and spices.
Fish are a popular theme at On the Bay due to the popularity of fishing in the area.
The marina gets a percentage of sales, and On the Bay commits to keeping inventory available for boaters. It’s not easy. “It’s a lot of work,” Bell laughs, having managed pop-up shops in two marinas. Overseeing the growing On the Bay operation makes this a challenge.
Young agrees, “We’re moving at a rapid pace.”
On the Bay unveiled a complete facade renovation for summer and is also completing a 20-foot addition to its courtyard for more seating.
The lakeside retailer continues evolving inventory in the boutique, which is presented in collections so guests can easily find the aesthetic they’re seeking: tiki, namedrop, resort apparel or nautical decor.
“Customer service is the key to success,” says Bell of the expansion of On the Bay and its growing popularity. “Our customers are like friends, and when they walk in the door, we treat them as if we’ve known them forever.”
On the Bay is open year-round, and business picks up in winter during the holidays with many New Baltimore community events encouraging locals to eat, drink and shop local.
During the cold season, enclosed gazebos equipped with heat lamps and fire tables — some holding up to 20 guests — allow visitors to enjoy On the Bay’s courtyard and indoor boutique. “It’s beautiful to watch the snow falling,” says Bell. “Then in the summer, it turns into an open courtyard with island music.”
