MACKINAC ISLAND, MI – On a recent day inside Doud’s Market on Mackinac Island, the narrow aisles were bustling with the afternoon crowd. Island workers were making a late lunch run, picking up sandwiches and salads from the grab-and-go display. Summer cottage owners were surveying the big liquor selection behind the cash registers. And daytrippers were filling baskets with picnic items to take to the nearby park. In the back, grocery orders destined for the far-flung homes were being prepped for delivery.
Opened in 1884, Doud’s Market is celebrating its 140th anniversary this year. Members of its namesake family will tell you they are proud to still be running the oldest grocery store in the United States.
But customers who have stepped inside this fairly small store on its busy Main Street corner can attest that while it’s a slice of Americana, Doud’s Market also has island facets to its business that make it completely …