R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press Sunrise and Story purveyor Heather Turner, right, hands a cup of coffee to Allen Palmgren. Sunrise and Story is a mobile cart that comes to the Escanaba Marina from 7 to 11 a.m. Fridays through Mondays, weather-dependent.

ESCANABA — A brown sail sign advertising “COFFEE” flutters against a lightpost on the sidewalk along the marina. An enormous metal bowl of water in the grass offers a refreshing pause to passing pups. A beaming woman offers to take photographs of families strolling by — regardless of whether they purchase any of the coffee, tea or snacks sold at her cart.

Such is the setting for “Sunrise and Story,” almost an experience more than it is a business. Heather Turner began operating her coffee stand as a means of providing a service to boaters at the Escanaba Municipal Marina and those who walk its waterfront path. Many customers enjoy lingering for a warm chat.

Turner, who lives in Negaunee, found herself in Escanaba’s harbor in 2024 after inheriting a sailboat that had belonged to her late uncle, David Rowe, a man who had been a beloved figure at Mackinac Island.

Turner had only recently connected with the Rowe side of her family, but said that they had quickly and warmly welcomed her. David had been a “mentor,” Turner said, and she treasures their first interaction over a cup of coffee and the short time they had together.

“I met my biological dad’s brother; a sailor, enigmatic and charismatic, with a beaming white smile as wide as any glorious horizon. At the Watercolor Cafe on Mackinac Island, I stood before greatness and shared one of the best days of my life,” she wrote in an email.

Rowe loved sailing and his golden retrievers — a breed that Turner had also owned. Rowe led youth sail training programs for Scouts; participated in many long-distance sailing races; belonged to the Mackinac Island Yacht Club since 1979; and captained and chartered the sailboat Wild Honey, a Cal 39.

After Rowe passed away suddenly in August 2022, the family bequeathed Wild Honey to Turner, who was not yet experienced in the art and sport of sailing.

Determined to honor her uncle well, Turner and her husband dove into learning. With the help of U.P. Sailing Company, a school in Marquette run by Brian VanWieren; the American Sailing Association’s “Sailing Made Easy” book; and Jim Hansen of Escanaba, the couple began building their skills.

“We both loved it,” Turner said, noting that it was a good bonding experience, too: “You got the keel, you got the wind, and you’ve got to work in tandem and work together; you get more power when you work together.”

Last year, in June of 2024, they were ready to bring Wild Honey from Mackinaw City to a port closer to their home. Though Marquette would be their nearest harbor, they settled on Escanaba because of the more forgiving nature of Lake Michigan compared to Superior. Arrangements were made with Harbormaster Kim Peterson.

VanWieren, Turner and her husband set sail for Beaver Island first. Turner recalled her heart racing as she stood at the helm in four-foot waves, the vehicles on the Mackinac Bridge looking like Matchbox cars as the sloop passed beneath the span.

Upon docking in Escanaba, coffee was in order. That was a trek for the Turners — they walked all the way to Swedish Pantry to find a cup. One mile from the dock.

This year, boaters and marina-walkers don’t have to go nearly that far.

“My retirement dream was to open a coffee cart on a beach in Florida,” Turner said. After a colleague who was only a month older than her recently retired, she thought, “why wait til I retire? I’ll plant a seed now.”

On Father’s Day, Sunrise and Story, LLC set up shop in the little red-bricked sitting area next to the harbormaster’s office. It’s a mobile stand where Turner sells coffee from UP North Roast, tea, and snacks, plus gathers stories from the variety of people who stop.

Though she’s still fine-tuning the business model, Turner has a few goals for Sunrise and Story and its services.

At the cart itself, already her objective of fostering intergenerational communication is alive. That element is a tribute to Turner’s father who raised her, whom she called a “master storyteller.”

But Turner wants to create an online space where people can share, too: “a collective narrative archive that uplifts and validates the depth of human experience,” as she wrote on her website, sunriseandstory.net.

As the business becomes productive monetarily, she hopes to be able to fund the restoration of Wild Honey and also a scholarship for beginning sailors.

“Dreaming big, my hope is to plant marina carts from here to Bermuda,” Turner added, smiling.

Sunrise and Story may be found at the waterfront between 7 and 11 a.m. Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday this summer, weather-permitting.

Photo courtesy of Heather Turner
David Rowe, left, stands with his niece, Heather Turner, at the Watercolor Cafe on Mackinac Island.