The Gardner Building 1921 to Present

This solid red commercial building began in 1921 as a grocery owned by Wade H. Gardner and J.H. and Julia Jensen's Bakery. Wade and the Jensens became partners in 1916 when the Jensens purchased the bakery business initially opened in 1900 by Julia's uncle, Fred Lagesen. The building called the Gardner Business Block, cost approximately $30,000. The Jensens and the Gardners built two generously sized apartments above the stores as family living quarters.

An earlier building on the site was the wood-framed general store operated for about 40 years by Wade's father and early Pentwater settler F. (Frank) O. Gardner, a founder of lumber mills and president of the Oceana County Pioneer and Historical Association. Wade clerked for his father until F. O. sold it in 1911. Wade bought back the business in 1916, and in 1921, Wade and Jensen completed the new building.

In 1928, a fire in the basement caused $5,500 in smoke and water damage. The fire, labeled arson, occurred when the town's water supply was "crippled," and someone stole the keys to the fire truck. Wade Gardner and Julia Schmiedt, J.H. Jensen's widow, co-owned the building by then. Julia's second husband was baker and firefighter Joe C. Schmiedt. The blaze was Pentwater's fourth mysterious fire in two months. Schmiedt, overcome by smoke, had to be hospitalized.

By 1931, Wade was a Pentwater Bank officer and in poor health. He sold his grocery stock to a new village resident George Weeks, formerly of Traverse City. Gardner retained his building co-ownership and lived in the second-floor apartment. In 1946, Midland residents Emily Dewyer and Duke (Ovid) Dewyer bought the Bakery, which included the Tourist Lunchroom, and moved their family to the upstairs apartment. Duke was an experienced baker, and Emily was a nurse and the restaurant's cook. The daughters worked as waitresses, and the sons helped prepare the shop's signature donuts and cinnamon rolls. The Tourist Lunchroom hosted meetings of the Masons, the Chamber of Commerce, and many other local groups. In 1949, the restaurant hosted the Junior-Senior Class banquet, filled with speeches and toasts, followed by the prom at the Community Hall. The Dewyers sold their business in 1974 and were voted Citizens of the Year in 1975.

For over twenty years, well-known artists Bert Petri and Cheri Petri operated the popular "Our Gallery" in the Gardner Building. Now Cheri operates the Petri Gallery on Second Street across from the Village Green. Today the north side of the Gardner Building is home to Jilly's Gallery, showcasing her custom fused glass work. The Hair Culture Salon and Spa sits between Jilly's showroom and Green Isaacs on the south side, where you can buy fine Michigan-roasted coffee, a variety of teas, hand-crafted sodas, and breakfast treats.

Sources:

“White Elephant,” Grand Rapids Press 4/1/1921.

“Federal Talesman Drawn for Tern,” Grand Rapids Press 10/2.1919.

“Lunchroom, Bakery in Pentwater Sold,” Ludington Daily News 8/2/1946.

“Pentwater Business of 50-Year Regime is Sold,” Grand Rapids Press 1/16/1931.

“Pentwater Loses Veteran, Pioneer, Grand Rapids Press 10/12/1926.

Pentwater Pride, Summer Newsletter July 2007, Pentwater Historical Society.

“Says Man Admits Pentwater Arson,” Grand Rapids Press 7/12/1928

“W.H. Gardner Sells Pentwater Grocery After Thirty Years,” Ludington Daily News 1/9/1931.