Ottawa Beach General Store remains on schedule for Memorial Day opening

HOLLAND — Construction on the Ottawa Beach General Store remains on schedule and all signs point to a Memorial Day Weekend grand opening.

The store has been a fixture in the community for 85 years, serving locals and tourists alike, but ownership determined in 2022 the building had reached the end of its useful life.

The new building, as promised, closely resembles the original. As of Thursday, the same red paint adorns the exterior, the roofline shares similarities and the store’s iconic signs are back.

As for the interior? Store manager Linda Dykert said there are similarities there too, including the old signature counters, the layout, and the skylights.

When asked to describe it, Dykert used one word — beautiful.

"It’s very well done," she said. "The attention to detail is impeccable."

The exterior of the building is largely finished, though work continues on a new, larger outdoor deck that’ll serve ice cream aficionados.

From an operations standpoint, Dykert said she’s already hired her team for the summer, about 35 employees in all, and has been ordering items to stock the shop.

"We are really excited about the sweatshirts and t-shirts we are bringing in that locals and tourists alike love," she said. "We've got new designs, new styles, new additions. Those are the areas where we're always looking to be innovative and on trend."

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But it's allowing people inside that'll deliver the final touch.

"We need the people," Dykert said. "The people are the ones that create the store. When there's a line for donuts, people asking for toys and kids choosing their candy, that's really the heart and core of it."

— Contact reporter Austin Metz at ametz@hollandsentinel.com.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Ottawa Beach General Store remains on schedule for Memorial Day opening