Sister Bay Votes Yes to Buy Al Johnson’s Boutique

Four years ago, Mike Flood presented an idea to the Village of Sister Bay to revitalize its downtown through land aquisition and rezoning. It seemed at best a 20-year vision, at worst a pipe dream.

Last night, the Sister Bay Board of Trustees made it reality.

The board voted 4 – 1 (John Clove was the lone dissenter) to purchase the Al Johnson’s Boutique property, including a 26-slip marina and boathouse, for $5 million. The purchase comes just four years after the village paid nearly the same price for the Helm’s Four Seasons property, and it gives the village control of 1,936 feet of uninterrupted Lake Michigan shoreline from Waterfront Park to the marina.