Portage Lake Trading Post

06/17/2026

When you realize that the building is now growing its own clovers. Hopefully, there is a 4-leaf one in there for luck.

06/16/2026

We posted in Pinckney Community but haven’t found the owners yet.

Your crocs are missing you….

We often see children’s shoes on the side of the road but this is a first for us. If you recognize these Crocs they are by the river out behind our store.

06/15/2026

A lot of you know that we carry Hot Wheels but you may not know the reason why. THE REASON WHY IS PROSTATE CANCER.

When I purchased this store one of my best friends, Bob, was going through treatment for prostate cancer. By the time he paid attention to his body, he was at Stage 4. If you know anything about cancer, you know that this is not good. Bob started to become very vocal on his social media encouraging other men to get their checkups. He would write extensively about his story and what he was going through.

Bob worked putting up signs in addition to doing pools in the summer. If you bought a Lions sticker here, he made it. As time went on, the treatment and the cancer wore Bob out. He stopped working but knew that he couldn’t stay in the house all the time.

Bob, was a Hot Wheels collector. I don’t mean like he had a few, no, he had a few thousand. He always had one in his pocket, he took them on trips, they were in his car, he even had a room devoted to them.

When he realized that he would not be beating cancer he decided that he needed to thin out his collection. He didn’t want to leave it all for his wife and children to take care of. He came to me and said, “You should really sell Hot Wheels in your store.” I laughed and joked that he only wanted me to do that so he could come here and go through them. You see he didn’t want me to sell just any Hot Wheels, he wanted me to sell his. He came up with a plan, half for me, half for him, and he would come in and replenish them as they sold. We made a deal. It worked for me, I got to spend time with my friend, and he made it feel like I was helping him. He would come in, fill a few, and make them look all pretty.

As time went on, I could tell that he was getting increasingly tired. He would sit on the step stool to put up the Hot Wheels. He was getting too exhausted from walking from the car to the store.

Then he called me on a Wednesday night to ask if I could take him to the emergency room when I got out of work, his wife was on driving restrictions. I said that I could and true to Bob fashion, he got impatient and drove himself. That night I went to the hospital; we joked about him being impatient and I said that I hoped that he would be out soon. Little did we know that when he came out it would be on hospice. We lost him soon after, March 16, 2024 to be exact. 4 years. It took 4 years.

I haven’t given up on carrying Hot Wheels. I buy them and when I do, I share his story. I want people to remember him, to think about him when they see Hot Wheels. I know that every time a little kid buys a Hot Wheels, or an avid collector finds something that they can’t live without, he is smiling at that.

I say all this and share this story because I have a customer who I see every day. He shares a lot of his life with me. He had an elevated PSA and has gone in for a scan. He has prostate cancer. Not aggresseive but he has it. I've shared Bob's story with him. I knew he would want me to share it and to encourage my new friend. While I wait for him to share with me after his next doctor’s appointment what course of action they will take it makes me think of my friend Bob, of how he wanted to spread awareness. No one can tell you what to do, how to proceed but I want to make sure that I continue to just make sure that people are knowledgeable and that they understand the importance of early detection.

06/14/2026

Took a trip to River Raisin Distillery this morning for their famous Bloody Mary. They did not disappoint. Totally worth a trip. If you want to concoct your own, we carry their spirits.

06/13/2026

Just in time for this hot day!

06/12/2026

06/12/2026

Willett Distillery Just arrived Straight Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey. The bottle with its purple crest compliments the green crest on the Straight Rye Whiskey.

06/11/2026

When we are looking to add to the store, we are not only looking for products that you have been asking for but we are also looking into keeping the cost down AND finding other small businesses to work with when we can. We love supporting our friends and enhancing what we carry here.

This is one of those times. Redrock Mercantile is a 4th generation farming family. Their children train with my child. We see them 3 times a week almost every week. I was chatting with other small business owners whose children also take lessons with mine. Ryan from Schley Family Farm who we get local honey from (and brought us Lloyd’s Maple Syrup from a friend of theirs) and RJ from Price Heating and Cooling who makes sure that your beverages are the coldest in town and makes sure you don’t walk into a sauna and melting chocolate. Kristin Ferris, from Redrock Mercantile, asked me what kinds of things I had in the store as we were all chatting. She said they recently got their wholesale license and would I want to try some of the beef in the store. “Yes, yes, ma’am I would!”

As a small business owner, you find yourself including your children in your business. My son, Adin, works here on Thursday nights. My son, Griffin, who works for Jim’s Roofing and Construction was seen on my roof replacing it and doing other general construction/repairs. My youngest, Leighton, just gives me a hard time about not bringing him home Nee-dohs right now. Little does he know, his time is coming.

What I discovered about Redrock Mercantile is that the kids are the ones who have the beef portion of the business. They can be seen at local farmers markets, bringing product to their classmates at the gym, and making special deliveries like they did yesterday. Since they were here, we took the opportunity to take a picture of them so you can see a face behind the product. You know we love kids who hustle! Side note, Wade, in the red shirt is competing in the Youth National Championships for MMA in 2 weeks. WISH THIS BOY SOME LUCK!

06/11/2026

Want to go back to the days of getting snail mail? Remember how fun it was to get something from your friend, your grandma or grandpa, or just making new friends? We have the perfect postcard to send from PINCKNEY.

06/10/2026

Just in High Line bourbons located right in Dexter. Grab a bottle to drink over the rocks, make an old fashioned, whiskey sour, manhattan, or a high ball.