Doing Business
Doing business in Harbor Springs? Whether you’re just getting started, or maintaining an ongoing business, the helpful connections you’ll find here include information and resources that owners and managers need to know.
Harbor Springs has been open for business since the mid 1800’s. Our quaint downtown business district sits on one of the deepest natural harbors on the Great Lakes. Harbor Springs has a business community complete with restaurants, coffee shops, and retail establishments focusing on sporting goods, clothing, shoes, art, furniture, home furnishings, jewelry, specialty foods, kitchen accessories, toys, bicycles and more. Among the many services in our downtown you’ll find dentist offices, hair salons, banks, and real estate offices.
Add to these two beaches, two boat yards, three marinas, and a sailing school all in our downtown area! We know you’ll agree that Harbor Springs is special. And gorgeous!
While the year-round population of the city is approximately 1,500 people, nearly 20,000 year-round residents are within a 30-minute drive and the area swells to many times this amount with its summer population and summer guests. We have a long history as a summer resort. Within a few minutes of downtown you can find nearby industrial parks and uptown shopping with a grocery store, hardware store, restaurants and more.
In the past few years, many retirees have moved into the nearby townships for 8-10 months or more. Our lifestyle is fantastic: biking, golfing, sailing, an indoor community pool, boating, fishing, hiking, skiing—we have two downhill ski resorts within 10 minutes of downtown Harbor Springs—you name it, we have it in our four seasons of outdoor activities. Harbor Springs has a long-standing resort population made up of interesting, well-traveled, and sophisticated personalities that blends with an active, recreationally minded, family-focused year ‘round population.
Living in the Harbor Springs area is delightful. Our schools are top notch, Pellston Regional Airport is 20 minutes away, and our churches, local organizations, and community spirit is evident everywhere. Nearby Petoskey has a nationally ranked hospital, community college, arts center, and more.
What else can we say about Harbor Springs? A history of summer visitors for more than a century. A small urban area that young people and families are more frequently choosing to call home. A gathering place in the warm weather months for summer residents and guests from around the world. A quality of life that creates great schools, families, and workers.
You’ll find that Harbor Springs is a small city ready for business. High-speed internet connections are readily available with free WiFi hotspots throughout our downtown area. The Harbor Springs Area Chamber of Commerce has 400+ members. It actively markets to visitors throughout the Midwest enticing them to visit Harbor Springs. The Harbor Springs business community is a strong one with active business owners involved throughout the community. Harbor Springs is a great place to live and work. Join us!
For more information on the Harbor Springs area, check out these resources:
Harbor Springs Area Chamber of Commerce
Northern Lakes Economic Alliance
Networks Northwest
Available Properties in the DDA
