BEULAH -- Paula Odette doesn't want to consider what life might be like without her job at Brookside Inn.
She's spent more than 25 years waiting tables at the Benzie County restaurant and inn, and doesn't have a clue what she'll do if foreclosure shutters the place in mid-October, as expected.
"I try not to think about that," said Odette, of Frankfort. "I'm taking one day at a time."
But the days are running out for Odette and more than a dozen other workers at Brookside, a gathering spot for tourists and locals alike, just off U.S. 31 in Beulah. Helpless employees find themselves caught in the middle of a battle between Brookside owner Kirk Lorenz and Honor State Bank, which foreclosed on a $600,000 mortgage due Oct. 15.
Brookside's uncertain future forced employees to cancel an upcoming wedding reception and Christmas parties. Local service clubs have been told they'll need to find a new favorite hangout.
When pressed, even Odette acknowledges she's losing hope.
"I think it's going down," she said.
Almost 30 years of history
Brookside Inn dates to 1981 in a village that boasts striking Crystal Lake. The inn is a blend of quirky contrasts, with 20 rooms that feature rustic decor and hot tubs. A large bakery churns out a variety of baked goods and the dining room is dimly lit, worn, yet comfortable.
Lorenz estimates he's poured more than $1 million into the business through more than a dozen renovations and additions. That he's been able to keep Brookside open year-round in tourist-dependent Beulah is proof, he contends, of its viability.
"It's not that I don't know what I'm doing," he said.
But Lorenz said his relationship with Honor State Bank began to deteriorate about 18 months ago. The bank increased its service fees for a variety of functions, clears the company's checks faster than it used to and "duped" him into signing a financing agreement that tied Brookside to an unrelated printing business he runs -- acts that created financial woes for both companies, he said.
"Those fees have eaten into all our profits," Lorenz said.
Mike Worden, who recently took over as Honor State Bank's president, acknowledged the bank increased service fees and is quicker to clear checks, but said its practices are consistent with other local banks.
"Fee-wise, I think we're still a community-type bank," Worden said.
Lorenz said he tried to find alternate financing last year so he could sever ties with Honor State Bank. But the money didn't come through and the bank launched foreclosure proceedings before he could catch up with delinquent mortgage payments.
"It's been downhill since that day," said Lorenz, who lives just behind Brookside. "I can't book a wedding; I can't do a bus tour," he said. "I can't do anything."
A tough job market
Benzie County's unemployment rate hovers above 12 percent, but it typically increases in the fall and winter. And that means jobs will be tougher to come by just as ousted Brookside employees begin to look for work.
"There's not very many jobs around here, especially this time of year," said Brookside waitress June Engelbertson of Benzonia.
She's worked there 12 years, and cobbles together a living serving food and working a counter at a local gas station.
Brookside cook and jack-of-all-trades John Maier has worked there 19 years and moonlights at a movie theater in Frankfort. He's worked in food service since he was 12 years old, when he tied on an apron at his family's meat and grocery market.
He's "got some feelers out" for a new job, Maier said, but he enjoys his work at Brookside.
"I like it," he said. "A lot of good people work here, and there's good customers."
Job uncertainty has been tough on his family, he said, but he tries not to fret over what he can't control.
"I'm concerned, but there's nothing I can really do about the business myself," he said.
Closing talk troubles Brookside regulars Evelyn and Don Kirby, of Frankfort.
"We've been coming here a long time," said Evelyn Kirby last week. "(Prices are) reasonable and it's very good."
"We'll miss it real bad," Don Kirby added.
A few tables away, Katie Nelson, of Ludington, sat with several friends who visit the Brookside a handful of times each year. She came once for New Year's Eve, and stops on trips to visit friends in Elk Rapids.
"It's a real shame, because we use it a lot," Nelson said.
11th-hour deal?
Steve Hamilton took over as Brookside manager about two years ago, and said the staff is like family. Nearly 30 workers scurried about the inn during peak summer tourist season, but several already left for other jobs or moved away.
Fewer than 20 employees cling to their jobs as the operation winds down.
"All of a sudden the reality has set in with the employees," Hamilton said. "The last week or so has been very hard."
Hamilton said he's approached Honor State Bank officials with various options to keep the inn afloat. He doesn't have the resources to cover the $600,000 mortgage, but is interested in a long-term purchase deal, a lease or a management agreement to operate Brookside for the bank.
"When I would call them up, nothing was ever satisfactory," Hamilton said. "I think I've been painted with the same brush as (Lorenz)."
Worden said "banks don't want to be running restaurants," but he hasn't ruled out finding some way to keep Brookside in business. He wouldn't discuss specific proposals, but said the bank would be "flexible."
"Certainly, if we get a reasonable offer, we would entertain that," Worden said. "When you're dealing with these situations, a lot of things happen at the 11th hour."
Worden rejected speculation that the bank has other plans for the property. Its officials understand the inn's importance to the community and to the employees who've toiled there for decades.
"We're not just going to thumb our nose at it," Worden said.
But with less than a month before its scheduled closing, employees wonder if there's time to save the business, and their livelihoods. They also ponder what the community will do without the year-round operation, particularly those cold winter months when Brookside offered sleepy Beulah a place for folks to come in from the cold.
"It's going to be a desolate stretch through here with nobody open," Engelbertson said.
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