Conversations with Dr. Michael & Melissa Crowe

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Michael & Melissa Crowe.

Hi Dr. Crowe & Melissa, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your back story.
God has led us down an unexpected path the past few years, but He has been so good to us. Three years ago, a low appraisal prevented us from buying what we thought could be our forever home. In the process, we decided to sell our current home and move into a rental until the right home for us came onto the market. Then COVID struck. We still pressed on in our search and in the process, we encountered a beautiful 76-acre plot of farmland. It was on a main road but secluded, with plenty of trees, rolling hills, and a private lake. It was beautiful! We had an idea: we’d add an event barn overlooking the private lake and add short-term stays so other people could come and enjoy this beautiful land. The idea stuck, and we refocused our efforts on our business. 

That land sold before we had a chance to put in an offer. But that was good because it gave us time to refine our idea and see more, better land options. We decided that the event barn would take away the peace and tranquility we hoped to offer, so we nixed that aspect. We also had the chance to discover the industry of glamping. We joined the American Glamping Association, attended the Glamping Show Americas in Aurora, Colorado, and spent a lot of time checking out land across Genesee County. Our research helped us to craft our glamping resort model, and every subsequent piece of land we saw was better than the last. Up until recently, we had an amazing piece of land under contract and were raising funds to break ground.  We are now back to our search for land, hoping to find a landowner willing to lease to, or partner with us. We are also looking for partners who are interested in investing in the glamping industry with us.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The road has certainly not been smooth. We’ve encountered unwilling landowners, opposing neighbors, and many costs. 

In general, finding land has been difficult. First, the land had to be sufficiently secluded, in the right geography, and have adequate space for the privacy we wanted to provide. We wanted our guests to feel like they were getting away – up north, without the drive. We wanted guests to experience the same peace and nature we experienced on the land that inspired the idea. We wanted to be in eastern Michigan, not only because this was home for us, but also because there was an unmet need in the market. And we wanted to have enough room to space out our accommodations, so our guests didn’t see or hear their glamping neighbors while at their sites. And it would also be ideal to have a water feature to support our list of onsite activities. We looked at 15-20 parcels mostly in Genesee County, but some in Oakland and Livingston counties as well. 

We didn’t find a lot of parcels we wanted to pursue. But when we did find one, there was a lot to do. In order to build our resort, we would have to design a site plan and procure township approval, and in order to design a site plan, we’d need things like perc tests, wetlands delineations, and civil engineering services. All of that takes time, and because we didn’t want the land unless we knew we could open the resort on it, we would need a landowner who was willing to take it off the market for all of that time. At minimum, that timeline would extend about 4 months. Of the few parcels that we wanted to pursue, we couldn’t get an accepted offer. That was disappointing, but understandable, knowing the seller would be risking a missed sale waiting for our due diligence period. 

We also learned during this process that there’s some parts of your plan you don’t want to reveal up front. Throughout the process, we decided to document our journey on social media to grow our following and hopefully have that much more of a successful launch when we opened. Through that process, we revealed the exact location of one property we pursued. Some of the surrounding neighbors were not pleased and let us know on social media. We learned that many of their perceptions were of a traditional crowded campground. When we got to speak with some of them, they were much less opposed and, in some cases, supportive of our plans. Nonetheless, we couldn’t get an offer accepted by the landowners, so we were forced to move on. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
Mike Crowe 

Dr. Crowe holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Ferris State University and a Master of Business Administration degree from University of Michigan-Flint. He has hosted a successful Airbnb stay in his previous home and completed the National Association of RV Parks & Campgrounds’ Prospective Owners Workshop; a workshop designed specifically to support entrepreneurs on the path towards a successful park opening. founded his own consulting firm (My Pharmacist Now, PLLC) and the Genesee County Pharmacists Association. In his prior role as manager of the Walgreens local specialty pharmacy in Flint, Mike opened the store in 2018 and grew it to over $100 million in revenue in just over 3 years. Professionally, Mike is most proud of being elected by his peers as President of the Michigan Pharmacists Association (MPA). He is currently serving his last year on the MPA Executive Board as Chairman. 

Melissa Crowe 

Melissa has extensive experience in the service industries and in management, serving in leadership and management roles in healthcare, supply chain management, and childcare. She is skilled in gardening and raising small farm animals. She is keenly interested in nutrition, including clean, healthy food. She brings these skills and interests to our family in the way she shops and prepares meals and hopes to also bring them to our guests at the glamping resort. This sets her apart from many others, along with being an amazing mom to our two daughters (Joslyn – 4, Jolene – 2) and one on the way in December. 

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
The glamping industry is expected to grow nearly 15% year over year for the remainder of this decade. People want to get outside, and they want to experience nature. They don’t want to travel long distances, and many don’t want the burdens associated with traditional camping – “roughing it” and high entry costs. New “glampgrounds” continue to open to meet the demand. Over 10 million households went glamping in 2022, up over 30% since 2020. 

In addition to general demand growing, there’s also the growth of something called “winter glamping.” Glamping doesn’t have to be a seasonal activity. We think our state is beautiful in the winter, too, and people especially want to get out of their house to do something in the winter months. Glamping accommodation manufacturers have for a long time recognized this, offering insulation packages and wood-burning stoves in their tents and domes. But in a lot of cases, these were only to take the edge off during cool fall nights and not necessarily a February in Michigan. Manufacturers are now stepping up their cozy capabilities to minimize accommodation downtime.

Pricing:

• $225-300/night (expected)

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mittengetaways.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mittenglamping/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mittenglamping
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mittenglamping/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/mittenglamping
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mittenglamping
• Other: www.mittengetaways.com/minute