If sleeping at a convenience store is on your bucket list, then you’ll want to take a trip to Marquette, Michigan, and rent the cabin connected to Phil’s 550.

“It’s a neat location, kind of an area landmark, and we knew others would enjoy staying here,” said Kevin Thomsen, who bought the convenience store with attached cabin and the Phil brand with his business partner, Aaron Leppanen. “The uniqueness of the Phil brand, plus the cabin, made this a cool opportunity for us.”

Phil’s After Phil

Phil’s 550 had been owned for years by Phil Pearce, who had built a quirky brand based on his larger-than-life personality. “I knew Phil and his wife, Deb, since I was a kid, so about a year after Phil suddenly passed away, Aaron and I decided to buy the property and the Phil brand,” Thomsen said.

With his background in retail, Thomsen had the knowledge to reopen the iconic convenience store. “I’ve been doing retail my whole life, so while this is a different industry, I’m putting that experience to good work,” he said.

The store and cabin sit on a country road that “leads to nowhere,” he said. “We’re the last stop before Big Bay State Park—and the last stop for cell service.” That means Thomsen stocked the store with essentials and snacks.

The overall product focus is Michigan-made and the more local, the better. “We try to keep it as local as we can, such as selling Gilbert’s Dairy Ice Cream and Bulworth’s local sausages,” he said. Other locally sourced products include cheese, bacon and maple syrup.

Phil’s 550 has an extensive selection of local craft beer, too, with one entire cooler housing only Michigan beers. “For our beer, we try to keep it to the Upper Peninsula of the state as well,” Thomsen said.

The store also has four local beers on tap to fill growlers. “We have on tap beers you can’t buy pre-bottled,” he said. Customers can bottle their own Phil’s 550 beer in a souvenir can on the store’s canning machine. Next year, Thomsen plans to add another four taps because “growlers sold really well this year.”

One thing Thomsen kept from the original store was Phil’s branded merchandise. “In this area, there’s a lot of goodwill associated with his brand—Phil was a one-of-a-kind guy,” he said. Tourists and locals alike stock up on Phil-branded t-shirts, hats, pint glasses, frisbees and much more. Thomsen also has plans to open a web store to sell the merchandise to a wider audience.

Stay Awhile

Part of the appeal of the property was the cabin and its rental potential. “The cabin was actually the original store—the current store was added on in the 1970s,” Thomsen said. “The cabin had awesome bones, and we wanted to keep the exterior but redo the inside to make it more appealing.”

Thomsen gutted the interior and added a new staircase, appliances, a bedroom and bathroom, while keeping the cabin’s rustic charm. “It’s out in the country with beautiful views,” he said. “And it’s located only a mile away from world-class mountain bike trails and beaches, plus numerous hiking trails.”

We’re the last stop before Big Bay State Park—and the last stop for cell service.

So far, the response has been great. “The cabin rental isn’t going to be a goldmine, but it will get us through the slower winter months,” Thomsen said. He also rents out the cabin as event space for baby showers, birthday parties and community meetings.

The Phil Connection

Phil’s 550 came with a built-in following, so Thomsen has simply enlarged that through social media. “We have a ton of followers on our Facebook page because of the Phil brand,” he said. He uses social media to talk about events and specials at the store.

But he also makes sure he’s connecting with the local community. “We’re a small population, so we want to meet the needs of our neighbors as well as the visitors,” he said. “We want to be that local place for our community as well as ambassadors of our city for tourists, so that they get a sense of how special this area is.”

Thomsen has more plans for the revitalization of Phil’s 550, including adding fresh foodservice. “Each spring, we hope to roll out something new for our customers,” he said. “We’re excited about the possibilities of carrying the Phil brand into the future.”