When Alli and Dan LaFond took the reins at the iconic Driftwood Summer Shop two years ago from longtime owners Steve and Lorie VanAntwerp, they saved one of the most popular spots anywhere in the entire Sister Lakes region, and tonight they celebrated a ribbon cutting on an expansion they deemed necessary because of the growing success in that idyllic resort. 
As Alli and Dan watched their investment become the dream they had hoped for, they also knew that renovations and expansion were a necessary thing if they wanted that success to continue to bloom. So, Dan reached out to Rob Cleveland, President & CEO of Cornerstone Alliance for ideas on how they could effectively continue their dream.
Driftwood is first-and-foremost a wildly popular old-fashioned ice cream parlor, but it’s also a beach supply shop, a game arcade and shopping opportunity for jewelry, clothing and souvenirs. Now, thanks to the expansion, it is also home to a full craft coffee menu with locally roasted coffee beans supplied by Forte Coffee of St. Joseph, new arcade machines and more.
While Driftwood dates back some 73 years, it was Steve and Lorie VanAntwerp who held court there for almost half of that lifetime — some 35 years between 1983 and 2018 — before turning things over to Alli and Dan to build on the great tradition they had developed over those three and a half decades at the heart of the resort community.
Dan says that following the initial contact with Cleveland who explained how the Cornerstone team could help expand the business, Giovana Tovar helped guide them through the microloan process which was essential to expanding into the coffee shop and arcade realms. He calls Cornerstone’s Tovar, “a critical asset in securing the microloan and helping us through the grand reopening process,” which culminated tonight in a 5pm ribbon cutting ceremony overlooking the lake.
The microloan program is a program of the Renaissance Development Fund at Cornerstone Alliance and is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
As he addressed the gathering for tonight’s ribbon cutting, Dan said, “The Sister Lakes community has been tremendous to Alli and me in our first two years at Driftwood. This community would not let the pandemic destroy their spirit or the places they call home. We are lucky that Driftwood is among those places, and we are also ever fortunate to employ the best and brightest young people from this community.”
Driftwood is legendary in Sister Lakes. As LaFond points out, “It’s a place where families have grown up, shared sundaes, chased boys and girls as teenagers, and reconnected with relatives for over 70 years, and we are honored to be the protectors of that legacy.”
The expansion project was handled by CPM Construction of St. Joe, as well as Paint Medics and others. Dan’s brother Nick LaFond helped him to repurpose the old counters as facia for the dairy bar and gift counters. It’s the original wood from Carl Timmons, the man who originally built Driftwood.
The black light artwork adorning the walls of the new arcade was hand painted in neon colors by Aubrey Lake, one of Driftwoods dedicated ice-cream scoopers who put in nearly 100 hours hand-stenciling the pointillistic imaging there.
Thus, a legendary 73-year old resort community business thrives in a space where folks love their summer playground. Check it out for yourself. You can find the Driftwood Summer Shop at 94370 County Road 690 in Dowagiac.
