1. near & far
IN OUR BACK YARD / EXPLORING MICHIGAN
A
fter visiting Saugatuck for a birth-
day party, Bill Underdown started
thinking about moving to the lake-
shore community.
He was taken by its natural beauty,
friendly people and quaintness after living
in the Detroit area for 27 years.
That daydreaming soon turned into a
plan to leave the concrete jungle behind.
Underdown and his partner, David Geen,
bought a cottage in neighboring Douglas a
decade ago and became year-round resi-
dents a few years later.
“I just wanted to be there all the time and
change my life,” he says.
Many people migrate to “the art coast of
Michigan” looking for new opportunities, or
they’re drawn by the water, air of escapism
and relaxed vibe.
Underdown became a realtor and joined
Geen in starting Hungry Village Tours,
which offers walking culinary tours of Sau-
gatuck-Douglas and a driving tour of farms
and creative artisan producers in the region.
“What’s really kind of neat is people
move here because they choose to live here,”
he says. “Everyone looks at their stage in life
and how they want to reinvent themselves.”
As one of West Michigan’s most popular
tourist areas, the population of Saugatuck-
Douglas swells in the summer with sea-
sonal residents and vacationers. The his-
toric harbor villages, protected from Lake
Michigan by towering sand dunes, celebrate
diversity, attracting openly gay couples,
art lovers, boaters and families looking to
escape the hustle and bustle of larger cities.
Saugatuck-Douglas has earned a long
list of honors, putting it on the national map
as a travel destination, thanks in part to the
efforts of Felicia Fairchild, founding direc-
tor of the Saugatuck/Douglas Convention &
Visitors Bureau.
Fairchild led the recent campaign to
garner votes for Saugatuck-Douglas as the
2015 Best Coastal Small Town in America.
Saugatuck was nominated by a panel of
travel writers and won top honors in USA
Today’s Readers’ Choice contest. In 2014,
readers voted it the Best Weekend Getaway
in the USA.
“It’s the most important recognition
Art of escapism
Kalamazoo River in Saugatuck
David Geen and Bill Underdown
Saugatuck-Douglas offers refuge from the stress of everyday
life for vacationers, day trippers and year-round residents.
BY MARLA R. MILLER | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHNNY QUIRIN
Reprinted from Grand Rapids Magazine, July 2015. Copyright 2015 Gemini Publications.
www.grmag.com

2. we’ve had in the years that I’ve been here,
and I think it will have a substantial impact
on us economically,” Fairchild says. “We
reached 5 million people and we engaged
hundreds of thousands in the vote.”
Fairchild moved from New York City 25
years for a job in Grand Rapids, but instantly
chose Saugatuck as the place to live. When
local residents got wind she had worked for
Pan American Airways, they recruited her to
help start the CVB in 1990.
“It reminded me of a Long Island sea-
port; it just felt like home,” she says. “It’s very
laid back. It’s nice to live in a small com-
munity where you know so many people.
I’ve traveled all over the world and been
immersed in other cultures, and it’s a very
cosmopolitan place, due in part to people
who come from all over and live here and
the cultural aspects and natural resources.”
Fairchild says Saugatuck-Douglas offers
something for everyone — water, recreation,
shopping and culture — which makes it an
attractive place to live as well as vacation. A
recent survey of visitors cited relaxation as
the No. 1 reason they visit — what the visitors
bureau has billed as “the art of being.”
“We’re known for the arts, but not just
the performing arts and visual arts,” she
says. “We make life here an art form: the
art of outdoors, the art of relaxation, the art
of shopping, the culinary arts. That’s what
makes us different.”
Year-round residents appreciate the off -
season just as much, taking time to enjoy the
seasonal changes and slower pace.
“The off-season is when we enjoy our
restaurants, a little bit slower pace,” Under-
down said. “And I’m fascinated by the beau-
ty of every season. In winter, when Lake
Michigan starts to freeze up, it’s a beautiful
place to be.”
Being situated on the Kalamazoo River,
where it not only feeds into Lake Michigan
but also widens to form Kalamazoo Lake,
adds to the charm.
The river divides Saugatuck and Doug-
las, but they are still close-knit communities
that support small businesses. They share a
school district, with the elementary school
in Douglas and the middle and high school
in Saugatuck.
Despite their popularity as resort com-
munities, the two towns offer a great quality
of life year round. Saugatuck Public Schools
and Saugatuck Center for the Arts are strong
selling points Underdown pitches to pro-
spective homebuyers.
He’s helped create an internship/men-
toring program for college students from
across the state with the Saugatuck Center
for the Arts, city of Douglas, Saugatuck/
Douglas Historical Society, and expand-
ing with Saugatuck-Douglas High School
seniors and the “I Am Justice” team, a proj-
ect-based learning team focused on teen
homelessness.
“One of the things that is very interest-
ing, because we are so well-known as a
resort community, is people … don’t think
of our area as having such a great school
system,” he says.
“The thing that I’m starting to find: Peo-
ple want to live where they vacation. If you
get that vacation feeling; if I’m somewhere I
can take a deep breath and I feel wonderful.
You can telecommute from work and still be
connected.”
Many people come to Saugatuck for the
shopping and art galleries. The downtown
shopping district encompasses several
blocks and includes art galleries, clothing
stores, dockside shops, eateries and mari-
nas. It’s a popular destination for boaters
from other ports enjoying a weekend trip on
Lake Michigan.
The city’s waterfront design includes
green space for picnics and relaxing in the
grass, Victorian-style gazebos for people
watching, and a boardwalk from which to
admire the boats docked or traveling in and
out of the harbor.
Another unique attraction is North
America’s only hand-cranked chain ferry,
which takes visitors across the river to the
Saugatuck-Douglas Pump House History
Museum and the Mount Baldhead stair
climb. It’s a short walk to the city’s Oval
Beach. Many people hike the dunes to enjoy
an expansive view of Lake Michigan or the
harbor.
Saugatuck’s Good Goods, selling Amer-
ican-made arts, crafts, clothing, jewelry and
furniture, is one of several businesses open
all year, but owner Sandra Randolph also
enjoys the slower pace of the off-season.
“In the summer, it’s hopping with boat-
ers and tourists and people with second
homes. There’s a lot of people on the streets;
it’s much busier,” says Randolph. “There’s
Sandra Randolph, owner of Good Goods, examines a hanging mobile in her Saugatuck gallery of fine
design, art and American crafts. At left, James Dorr is a server at Everyday People Café in Douglas.
www.grmag.com
Reprinted from Grand Rapids Magazine, July 2015. Copyright 2015 Gemini Publications.

3. no question it’s tough through the winter,
but we do have some loyal customers.”
Randolph also wanted to reinvent her-
self and gave up her career as a teacher to
sell real estate and eventually open Good
Goods, now in its 26th year. She and hus-
band Travis first moved to Saugatuck in
1967 when his job at Herman Miller was
transferred from Ann Arbor to Zee-
land. Travis’ family had a vacation
home — his mother was the well-
known artist Sylvia Randolph —
and they lived there as a young
couple.
After a stint in Europe, they
returned to Saugatuck and bought
a cottage on the Kalamazoo River,
where they raised two children.
“This spot on the river was so
beautiful,” she says. “It’s just got-
ten better since we’ve lived here.
It’s a real community. The second-
home people kind of come and
go, but the core people here know
each other.”
Randolph also served on the
school board for 18 years.
“Even though it’s a small school, the
opportunity is always there for students to
excel. There’s a lot of diversity in Saugatuck.”
On the south bank of the lake, Douglas
has a population of 1,200 and is larger in
size and population than Saugatuck. The
city is surrounded by Saugatuck Township
and the city of Saugatuck to the north. Sau-
gatuck’s population was 925 at the 2010
census.
Douglas, known as the “sleepier” of the
two towns, features a quaint Center Street
with art galleries, restored historic build-
ings, shopping and dining, and several
parks.
One struggle has been attracting young
families and middle-income folks due to
the affordability factor. Rent for residents
as well as retail space in downtown Doug-
las is on the high end, says Matt Balmer, a
native of Douglas, former mayor and owner
of Everyday People Café.
Balmer’s mother, Margaret, ran The
Douglas Dinette, a breakfast and lunch diner
for the blue collar crowd, for 18 years, and
Balmer grew up working there. He went to
culinary school and joined her as the main
chef in the late 1990s. They changed the
name to Everyday People Café and changed
the concept to include dinner in a casual
atmosphere. A liquor license from the state,
designed to encourage tourism and busi-
ness growth, also provided a boost.
“At the time we applied, there wasn’t a
liquor license in town,” he says. “We applied
for this DDA license and it did exactly what
the state of Michigan intended for it to do.
People don’t go out and do a nice dinner if
they can’t … have a glass of wine or cocktail.
It helped contribute to the growth of the
community.”
Everyday People Café expanded into a
second storefront at the corner of Center
and Main streets and continues to be an
anchor. It’s been honored by The New York
Times, Chicago Tribune and Grand Rapids
Magazine.
“We’ve done farm-to-table before it was
even a term,” Balmer says.
Most of his employees live outside of the
area because it’s so expensive. A large num-
ber of students at the elementary school
participate in the Schools of Choice pro-
gram and come from other communities,
something city and school officials are try-
ing to address.
This winter, Balmer closed the restau-
rant for two months due to the lack of foot
traffic and residents. But despite the chal-
lenges, the locals are very supportive.
“We’ve slowly become a retirement
community, and there’s a lot of discus-
sion locally looking at how do we turn that
around,” he says. “As far as living in this
town, it is truly an amazing community. It’s
a nice, quiet, friendly community to raise a
family. There’s a lot of caring people, a lot
of giving. It’s very centered on the arts, very
centered on the school. There’s a lot of pride
at the high school.”
Douglas, originally known as Dud-
leyville, was first settled in 1851 as a lum-
ber mill town. Residents voted to adopt a
charter changing Douglas from a village to a
city in 2004, and Balmer served as the first
mayor until 2009.
“I love it because we’re a small town
that’s located minutes from the beach,” he
says. “There’s nothing like living so close
to the water. It’s nice in the summertime
near & far
IN OUR BACK YARD / EXPLORING MICHIGAN
Downtown Douglas
Reprinted from Grand Rapids Magazine, July 2015. Copyright 2015 Gemini Publications.

4. As one of West Michigan’s most
popular tourist areas, Saugatuck-Douglas’
population swells in the summer with
seasonal residents and vacationers.
NATIONAL HONORS:
> 2015 Best Coastal Small Town
in America: USA Today
> 2014 Best Weekend Getaway
in the USA: USA Today
> One of the Dozen Distinctive
Destinations in the U.S.: National
Trust for Historic Preservation
> Fifth among the Top 100 Vacation
Destinations in the Midwest:
Midwest Living
> Named one of Michigan’s 19
Coolest Cities by the governor
> Oval Beach ranked one of the
top 25 beaches in the world:
Condé Nast Traveler
> One of the top two freshwater
beaches in the USA: National
Geographic Traveler
> No. 1 of the Midwest’s five best
beaches: Chicago Tribune
> Best Dune Town: Life Magazine
> Among top four Coolest Small
Towns in America: Budget Travel
> Among 28 communities nation-
wide awarded the Preserve America
Community designation by the White
House and Historic Preservation Caucus
of the U.S. House of Representatives
ATTRACTIONS:
> Oval Beach
> Ox-Bow School of Art
> Saugatuck Center for the Arts
and equity summer theater
> Victorian hand-cranked chain ferry
> Star of Saugatuck paddleboat
> WWII amphibious Harbor “Duck” rides
> Dune buggy rides
> Comedy on Saturdays at Coral Gables
> Kayaking, charter fishing, canoeing
and boat rentals
> Chamber Music Festival and
jazz concerts
> Greenmarket Farmers Market at SCA
> Arnold Palmer Golf Course,
The Ravines
> Pump House Historical Museum
> Mount Baldhead stair climb
and dune trails
> Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area
> Saugatuck Dunes State Park
> 100-year-old Saugatuck Drug Store
> Historic Old Schoolhouse, Dutcher
Lodge and library
> West Michigan’s largest
antique pavilion
Oval Beach
Saugatuck Center
for the Arts
www.grmag.com
Reprinted from Grand Rapids Magazine, July 2015. Copyright 2015 Gemini Publications.

5. near & far
IN OUR BACK YARD / EXPLORING MICHIGAN
because there’s a large tourist business, but
it’s a small town so you know everybody,
have fun, make a little bit of money.”
Chicago residents have been escaping
from the summer heat to vacation in the
coastal communities since the late 1800s,
but more and more people from Michigan’s
east side and neighboring states are discov-
ering the area, based on the guests at Park
House Inn Bed & Breakfast, says innkeeper
Tony Trudell.
A few blocks from downtown, Park
House Inn is one of Saugatuck’s oldest resi-
dences. It’s been a B&B since 1984, but the
house was built in 1857 by lumber baron
H.D. Moore, who owned a lumber mill on
the river adjacent to the home. Many original
features have been maintained and others
carefully restored.
“We celebrate the historic building and
the history that’s associated with it,” she
says. “We have a very active historical soci-
ety here in our town and they conduct tours
as well as have displays at our two muse-
ums that tie into that old lumbering busi-
ness.”
Trudell and husband Rick Northrup
took over the B&B in 2005 after 30 years in
corporate America and living in the Detroit
area.
Saugatuck-Douglas is known as the Bed
and Breakfast Capital of the Midwest and
supports B&B’s and privately owned hotels.
“It was a dream I had for 10 years when
I decided to retire,” she says. “If you’re going
to have (a B&B), it’s a good place to be.
We don’t have any fast food, no chain res-
taurants, no Starbucks. People from other
areas are attracted to that because it has
that uniqueness to it. It’s a complete change
from my growing-up years in a big city.
Everybody knows everybody and there’s a
very good spirit of working together for a
common goal.”
Saugatuck-Douglas’ artistic heritage
has ties to Chicago. The idyllic setting has
served as a sanctuary for a creative’s soul
for a century. In 1910, a group of Chicago
artists established the Summer School of
Painting on Ox-Bow Lagoon on what is now
prime real estate between Lake Michigan
and Kalamazoo River.
The strip of land is also home to sum-
mer cottages and resorts, provides access
to the town’s popular Oval Beach, history
museum, and picnic and fishing spots on
the western bank of the river.
Ox-Bow’s affiliation with the School of
the Art Institute of Chicago continues to
draw artists and students for summer class-
es in various fine arts. The area’s scenic
beauty provides a natural canvas — stun-
ning sunsets and sand dunes to the west
and green countryside and orchards to the
east — for plein air painting, ecotherapy and
creative inspiration.
Saugatuck Center for the Arts and its
professional summer theater, Mason Street
Warehouse, are regional attractions. Dur-
ing the summer, the theater brings in equi-
ty actors from New York, Chicago and the
entire Midwest.
Patsy Ramsey, an SCA board member
who moved to the community a few years
ago, says, “The quality of those productions
— of those three summer shows — is amaz-
ing; it is top-notch.”
Established in 2003 by a passionate
group of art advocates, the SCA is located
in a former pie factory near Saugatuck’s
downtown.
The 400-seat venue offers an intimate
concert experience and draws national tour-
ing acts.
Other programming includes art exhib-
its, classes for children and adults, a film
and lecture series, and workshops and
camps throughout the year.
The SCA’s educational arts program-
ming is free for area K-12 students and last
year reached more than 3,000 students from
Van Buren, Ottawa and Allegan counties.
It also runs a weekly Greenmarket fea-
turing goods from farmers and artisans on
Fridays June through September.
“It’s certainly enhanced the whole West
Michigan region; it’s the only equity theater
in the area,” says Kristin Armstrong, execu-
tive director.
“I think we just add a really neat value.
We’re that extra layer that enriches the
vibrant arts economy in Saugatuck, but our
goal is to ripple out and reach all of West
Michigan. It gives you a great reason to get
in the car and go to Saugatuck.”
Patsy Ramsey and husband Randy are
active retirees who made their way from
the Midland area to Saugatuck-Douglas in
2012 after careers with Dow Chemical Co.
They found their “forever” home on 13 acres
in a preservation area along the Kalamazoo
River.
“The waterfowl and the wildlife here are
so fun to watch,” she says. “It’s a different
view every day, and not just deer and turkey.
We see fox and coyotes, the birds when they
migrate through — it’s heaven.” GR
Randy and Patsy Ramsey
at their home on the
Kalamazoo River.
Reprinted from Grand Rapids Magazine, July 2015. Copyright 2015 Gemini Publications.
www.grmag.com