The Delft Theater has been a longtime landmark in Marquette.
Donckers co-owner Tom Vear has big plans for downtown Marquette’s historic Delft Theater: a classy lounge (with full bar), a full-service restaurant, and a mix of live and projected entertainment.
Tom Vear, the latest owner of downtown Marquette's legendary Donckers restaurant and sweets shop, likes to keep busy. When the weekend brunch rush hits the upstairs kitchen, he's a whirlwind of activity, ready to do whatever it takes to please curious tourists and seasoned regulars alike. Even during the midwinter doldrums, when post-holiday regrets and near-daily snowfalls keep patrons at bay, he circulates through his half-empty dining room like a bee seeking spring's first drop of nectar.
Vear is diving into his next project with the same enthusiasm that makes a visit to Donckers so memorable. He has big plans for the historic Delft Theater building, the signature marquee of which practically touches Donckers's second-story cornice. There's no set-in-stone blueprint as of yet, and the Delft's interior remains cluttered with the previous owners' leftovers, but Vear's vision includes a full-service restaurant, a cocktail-and-craft-beer bar, and a "dinner theater" component that could incorporate some combination of live music, classic films and first-run movies.
When he talks about his plans, Vear becomes even more animated than usual. "The idea is to have a place where people can grab a sit-down dinner," he says, that's made with "natural, organic, just plain good ingredients."
The place won't be white-tablecloth fancy, but it'll certainly be classy: On most nights, "we want to give diners the ambience of a movie in the background," says Vear, "and we want the bar to focus on cocktails and local craft beer."
Of course, no dinner theater would be complete without provisions for live entertainment. Vear has that covered, thanks to an existing stage area in the theater's interior and ample connections in the local music scene--some of whom already work for him at Donckers. He figures on keeping the place open until 10 or 11, with the possibility of extending its hours on special occasions. With an earlier closing time, patrons who aren't ready to call it a night could head over to the Ore Dock for a nightcap--or visit the VeraBar, next door, to kick the party into another gear.
"I'm not really a night person," says Vear. "NMU is a great asset for this town, and we hope and expect to bring in plenty of students, but we don't want to be a party bar."
So what do we call downtown Marquette's newest nightlife joint?
"We're going to stick with 'The Delft,'" says Vear.
The Delft was almost something else entirely. A couple of years ago, when Blackrocks Brewery's owners first entertained the idea of expanding their brewing capacity, they approached Vear about moving into the recently purchased theater. It was a powerful idea--a brewery and taproom in an historic downtown structure, right across the street from some of the city's best restaurants--but logistical hurdles proved to be too much.
Vear has no regrets that the Blackrocks deal fell through. "It's probably good for both parties," he says. At the Delft property, space constraints would have limited production to 10 barrels at a time; at Blackrocks' West Washington Street canning facility, they're doubling that.
Meanwhile, Vear gets to open a new kitchen, experiment with a full bar, and curate his own entertainment. He's also planning on linking the new place with his existing shop by, as he puts it, "knocking a few holes in the wall." The Delft's patrons, the thinking goes, might want to snag a few chocolates for the road at Donckers's downstairs candy shop--without having to brave the elements.
A 20-year veteran of Chicago's fast-paced commodities trading business, Vear is used to keeping his cool under pressure. While there are plenty of details to be worked out, and plenty of grunt work left undone, he's committed to turning The Delft into a dinner destination.
For help, he's working closely with Mona Lang of the Marquette Downtown Development Authority. She's the city's go-to resource for entrepreneurs who want to expand downtown businesses or improve the area's building stock. The DDA serves as an intermediary between busy businesspeople and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, which provides business resources like capital, acceleration, community development and support.
MEDC's grantmaking process is different for every business, and Lang isn't at liberty to discuss ongoing negotiations. In general, though, any grants made in downtown Marquette need to create jobs within a 24-month window--which shouldn't be a problem for Vear, who will need to make multiple new hires before he can open The Delft. At least 51 percent of said jobs must go to heads of low- or moderate-income households, with income ranges defined relative to the county median..
Jen Tucker, a community assistance team specialist at MEDC's Hancock office, says one of the agency's aims is to strengthen business districts like downtown Marquette.
"We provide gap financing for property owners who eliminate blight in downtown areas and create jobs while doing so," she says. "We encourage communities like Marquette to increase density in their cores by investing in infrastructure 'bones' that already exist."
That dovetails nicely with Vear's vision for the downtown core, which "needs more residents and activity," he says. Downtown Marquette might not fit the colloquial definition of "blighted"--which brings up images of bombed-out urban cores--but Vear's Delft project will bring more people to the area, adding to its economic vitality, while enhancing its aesthetic appeal with the rehabilitation of a beloved structure. And if a few more folks move downtown to be near their new favorite restaurant, so much the better.
The grantmaking process isn't a cakewalk. It'll take time and attention to detail to get the process through agencies like U.S. Housing and Urban Development, the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office, MEDC, and the DDA, all of which will touch the project at some point along the way.
"The process can seem lengthy and bureaucratic," Tucker says. "Because we're using public funds, we have an obligation to perform due diligence on every project." Above all else, approved projects should spur additional private investment and meet existing needs within the community. "Buy-in" from local leaders also helps, says Tucker: MEDC prefers to see cities or development authorities match or supplement its grants.
For the moment, Vear is focused on cleaning up the theater's interior and keeping his foot on the gas at Donckers. If all goes according to plan, the new-and-improved Delft could be up and running in time for the start of fall classes at NMU--and a downtown Marquette icon will have come full circle.
Brian Martucci writes about business, finance, food, drink and anything else that catches his fancy. When he's not working out of his office on Marquette's East Side, you can find him stretching his legs on the trails or sampling local flavors at Blackrocks and the Ore Dock.
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