Our Story

The History

Holly was one of the first railroad junctions in the state of Michigan. The North – South line is at the end of Battle Alley and the East – West line is behind our store. The junction is just a block away. In the heyday of the railroad, there were approximately 20 trains a day going through Holly.

Battle Alley got its name because of all the street brawls that happened between the lumbermen and the locals. Ringling Brothers made Holly their summer headquarters, and one notable street brawl put the circus out of commission for two weeks.

Our shop was one of many bars on this street. The women were not allowed in the front door. However, they could buy a bucket of beer for $1.00 at the side door. Prohibitionist Carry Nation came to Holly in 1908 breaking up the eighteen bars in town, including this one.