Glenn Stores

Out here between Saugatuck and South Haven, you're in farm country with orchards on the horizon and a two-lane rhythm that hasn't rushed in decades. The Glenn Store itself is the actual center of gravity—a locally owned convenience store and deli that stocks one of the best liquor selections in the county, with a real eye for craft beers and fine wines. There are a handful of art galleries scattered through the area, studios where potters and painters have set up shop because the light and the pace suit that kind of work. What makes this place stick around in people's minds, though, is the pancake tradition: back in 1937, during a three-day blizzard, locals served pancakes to over 200 stranded motorists, and the community still holds pancake breakfasts to keep that story alive. The oldest continuously operating rural school district in Michigan started here in 1854, which says something about how long folks have decided this particular stretch of Allegan County was worth staying for.