Douglas, Michigan
Welcome to The Shop
The Blacksmith Shop (herein further referred to as The Shop) has a rich history in the quaint town of Douglas, MI. In the early 1920s, Herman Bekken opened the H.M. Bekken Horseshoeing & General Repairing. As one of three blacksmiths in the region, Herman's skills were used to repair all types of plows, wagons, mowing machines, and sleighs. Folks would bring in their tools to get sharpened and the local farmers would come in to have their horses shoed. With the forge's raging hot fire and anvil, Herman was also able to make his own tools such as hammers, tongs, and vices.
Herman and his wife, Jennie, lived above The Shop where they raised their four children: Everett, Howard, Mildred, and Gerald. Herman retired from blacksmithing in 1960 and passed away in 1963. Jennie lived upstairs until her passing in 1985. That's when The Shop building was handed down to their youngest son Gerald. The blacksmith business was no longer in operation, but the upstairs was used as a rental property. A garage was later added on to the building for the tenant's use and the downstairs was used for storage.
When the youngest of Herman and Jennie's children passed away in 2021, the building was entrusted to the next generation of Bekkens. With fond memories of visiting their grandfather, it was their dream to bring The Shop back to life. During the renovation process, they uncovered several of Herman's tools and artifacts that you'll find hanging in The Shop today, along with the original forge and harness rings where Herman would tie the horses while working on them. The Shop has recently been built out into a one-bedroom fully furnished spacious vacation rental property.
Inside the Home
The home has a bright open floor plan with a fully stocked kitchen and spacious living quarters. The main bedroom has a king bed with a walk-in closet with plenty of storage. The living room has a queen sofa sleeper. The kitchen is fully equipped with all pots and pans, dishes, and utensils. All new appliances including side by side refrigerator with an icemaker, dishwasher, gas range and oven, and microwave. Stackable washer and dryer located just off the kitchen. Eat-in kitchen as well as a table that seats four.
SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS
This home sleeps up to 4 guests.
Main Bedroom- King
Living Room - Queen Sofa Sleeper
Outdoor Space
Walk out your French doors onto a patio that offers a patio table with chairs and umbrella. Enjoy your meals on the patio using the gas grill.
The Location
Steps to downtown Douglas's classic beach town community with quaint shops, restaurants, and parks. A few minutes drive to Douglas's beach and to downtown Saugatuck and Saugatuck's Oval Beach. Stroll through the charming community or spend your day soaking in the sun. Either way, you will keep coming for more.
Thank you for booking The Shop and we hope you enjoy your stay.
*There is a long term renter in the upper unit. The floors have been lined to minimalize noise.
Location. Location. Location. The house was immaculate! Great job with the restoration! You preserved the history and had all the modern touches. Loved the personalized toiletries, The communication was outstanding,
We loved this place. It was super clean and had everything we needed. It was about a 20 min walk to downtown Saugatuck. Which was perfect we would definitely stay here again. Loved this place.
The Shop was exactly what we expected from the listing. Charming little home away from home and extremely clean and new looking space. Location was very convenient to anything you want to do or see in the Douglas/Saugatuck area. We received all the information we needed for check in and out through timely texts. We would definitely stay here again if we are in the area.
Beautiful place, would stay again
Great place to stay! Super Interesting revision of a horse shoeing shop. Great location & nice features. Thanks for the hospitality
We stayed in the shop for four nights on a family vacation. The place is right in town and has a great location. A lot of history being that it’s a re-purposed and completely renovated blacksmiths shop. There is a tenant who lives upstairs and you can hear everything that goes on. If you are very sensitive this type of noise I would avoid. For us overall it was incredible.
Enjoyed the historical part of property as well as the cleanliness and decorating.
We enjoyed a relaxing time in this very updated historic unit in a quiet neighborhood near the small quaint downtown area. It is within 5 to 25 minutes of lots of restaurants and points of interest.
My wife and I genuinely loved the location of the shop, it was within walking distance of everything in Douglas and Saugatuck. Which made for some good evening walks in a very nice neighborhood. Another great thing about the location is you get the music from the brewery right next door which is a great addition. However, someone lives above the shop and you can hear everything they’re doing. It didn’t bother my wife and I but just something to know. Also, there weren’t extra towels and the ones offered were extremely thin. With that being said we loved our stay and will be back in the future.
Great location and great property!
Thanks for a wonderful stay in very nice place and location in downtown Douglas.
We loved The Shop. Location was great. Extremely clean. Very roomy for the two of us. Furnishings and appliances were new.
My wife and I went to Douglas/Saugatuck to celebrate our 30th. Wedding Anniversary. The Shop met all our needs and more. The location is excellent. The house was very clean and nicely furnished. The neighborhood was quiet, yet close enough to walk to all the shops and restaurants in Douglas. The management team was AWESOME to work with, making our stay that much more enjoyable. We would definitely stay there again. Highly recommended.
Very clean unique place.
Very comfortable and Quiet, 1 block off Down Town
Your dates are Available!
Total
Includes taxes and fees