Good luck, I miss the mitten. If I were lucky enough to be able to move back and got to choose where to go, I'd probably go on the west side of the State as the wife and I have great memories of PJ Hoffmaster State Park (or to East Lansing because I spent 12 glorious years there once upon a time), but the thumb is a nice area too. As others have said, probably not enough clientele to support and LBS, but a nice area. I love the Great Lakes. I remember visiting Cape Cod a few years back and thinking to myself, "psh, the Grand Traverse Bay has everything this place has with out the saltwater and with fewer a-holes". No one with me who hadn't lived near the Lakes could understand that. Best wishes.