Record-Eagle/Jan-Michael Stump – Omena Village Preservation Association Board Public Relations Chair,
Roberta Cohen, stands on the porch of the Lavender Lane Cottage.
On July 8, 2018, a local newspaper, the Traverse City Record-Eagle wrote an article about the Omena Village Preservation Association (OVPA) and the important and significant work that it does to maintain and preserve the charm and quality of life of the unincorporated Village of Omena.
The article shared how our organization was created…
“What we do is preserve and improve,” said Kathy Bosco, one of six original members who banded together in 2002 to make sure the waterfront village along M-22 north of Suttons Bay maintains its late 1800s character. Downtown Omena was listed on the National Register of Historic places in 2017.
The article included information about how members of OVPA worked hard to restore and preserve the Omena Post Office (built in 1857) and the historic Anderson house (built in 1883), next door…
Their first and second projects were to buy and renovate the building that houses the Omena Post Office — then at risk of being closed — and the yellow house next door, which they now rent out. They turned over a lot that came with the deal to the local historical society, which moved a house to the site — now its headquarters, for $1 a year.
In 2018, OVPA purchased Lavender Lane, which was not an historical building from the 1800s, but was a nice example of an early 20th century home. It was being eyed by a Jet-ski company, as a good site for its Headquarters. Lavender Lane actually had once been the site of one of several gas stations in Omena. Then it was converted into a residence. Lavender Lane, as it turns out, is a critical piece in maintaining our village’s charm and ambiance….
Their latest project: a high-visibility “cottage” known as Lavender Lane that had fallen into disrepair in recent years.
Now the three-bedroom, two-bathroom house boasts a “beautiful bay blue” exterior and a cozy, cottage-y interior featuring a brick fireplace laid with birch logs, white kitchen cabinets, wood-look tile and painted gray floors, and local touches like a framed cherry orchard print by artist Kristin Hurlin.
The group will rent out the house by the week during the summer and by the month during the off-season, preferably to a school-year tenant, Bosco said.
The article went on to talk about the benefit that Lavender Lane was also going to bring to the community….
And there’s one other benefit: a new community Wi-Fi hotspot in the back of Lavender Lane’s detached garage.
“There’s no cable in Omena and this house and garage have cable,” Bosco said. “Last week we put Wi-Fi in three spots in the garage, with tables and chairs.”
All members of OVPA use a certain password to access this Wi-Fi. In fact, that is another good reason for people to become members of OVPA. The article ended with a quote from our Public Relations Chairperson Roberta Cohen….
“We are stewards of the village for generations to come,” Cohen said. “We want them to enjoy Omena and appreciate its beauty and personality.”
You can read the entire Record Eagle article at Omena Preservation group wants to keep village quaint



