Join the Family at Trader Todd’s Marina
Published: Saturday, October 16, 2021
In the fall of 2019, Todd Hyatt, a native of St. Clair Shores and a Chicago businessman for the past 30 years, returned to his hometown to purchase the neglected Harbor Nine Marina at 24030 Jefferson, the start of the Nautical Mile. For Hyatt, it was a dream come true.
In his youth, Hyatt spent countless hours on the waters of the Great Lakes, first in a sailboat he built from plans in Popular Mechanics, and then on to various power boats. Later in life, when traveling through his home waters on his trawler, the Portofino, he fell back in love with Lake St. Clair. He and his wife, Virginia Carstarphen, purchased a condo in Harrison Township and began spending more time in the area. Through friends, Hyatt then learned that Harbor Nine was on the market and, after several months of negotiation, Harbor Nine became Trader Todd’s Marina.
At first, the job seemed overwhelming. Dockage at the marina was below 40%, winter storage wasn’t maximized, many repairs were needed, and a 7,000 square foot restaurant with the Nautical Mile’s best view sat vacant on the property. Originally, Hyatt had planned to keep the marina dormant that first winter. But Leslie Leitch, next year’s Commodore of the Anchor Bay Yachting Association and long-term slip holder at Harbor Nine, offered to join the team and encouraged Hyatt to start work immediately. Together with Captain John’s Yacht Services, their on-site mechanic and manager of launch and haul outs, they nearly filled the storage in their first winter season.
It was a fortuitous start because shortly after that they found themselves, like thousands of other small business owners, in the midst of great uncertainty as the global pandemic took hold. Fortunately, boating was a relatively safe activity and despite the uncertainty, through hard work and diligent adherence to local protocols, Trader Todd’s Marina enjoyed their first summer with 100% occupancy of their slips.
In addition to sprucing up the marina with new docks, new bathroom and shower facilities, and a facelift on the clubhouse, Hyatt was also able to secure a tenant for the restaurant space. Like so many other restaurateurs, Palushaj Food Group, who had originally planned to open Zef’s Dockside Restaurant and Bar in late summer of 2020, was impacted greatly by the restaurant closures. Hyatt, a restaurant owner in Chicago himself, understood their plight and worked with them through the winter with rent abatements. Once restrictions were lifted and Zef’s opened, they became an overnight success and arguably the hottest spot on the water.
When asked about his success, Hyatt says, “It’s all about the people you surround yourself with. We have great people here at the Marina, from our partnership with Captain John’s Yacht Services, our longtime friend Leslie serving as our Harbor Master, and wonderful tenants like Zef’s—it really is one big family here.” But Hyatt isn’t resting there. His earnings are being reinvested into the Marina property with more improvements and additions planned. Plans include flexible use of their beautiful “Anchor Building” which faces Jefferson. Hyatt’s wife, Carstarphen, who holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (1997), plans to host several art shows in the space next summer in addition to renting the venue out for private events like weddings.
For more information about Trader Todd’s Marina, visit their website www.TraderToddsMarina.com.
A version of this article appeared in the Fall Issue (September/October) 2021 of Great Lakes Scuttlebutt magazine.
tags: Company Expansions, Lake Erie, Lake St.Clair, Marina
