For 25 years, Carley and Tom Ball of Wilderness Treasures have built far more than a business in Pickford—they’ve built a gathering place, a service hub, and a heartbeat for families across the Eastern Upper Peninsula.
What began as a humble gift shop and bait-and-tackle store has grown steadily through four expansions, each prompted by one simple question: What does our community need? Over the years, Wilderness Treasures has added a floral shop, a gun shop and even sublet space to a local shoe store. When Carley noticed there wasn’t a place for kids to grab something to eat after school, they opened a café serving sandwiches, smoothies, snacks and warm coffee drinks.
“Everything has evolved to make sure the community is covered,” Carley explains. It’s a philosophy that has guided every decision the Balls have made since day one.
Surviving—and thriving—as a small business in a rural region for 25 years is no small feat. For Wilderness Treasures, the key has always been the local community.
“Eighty percent of our business is local,” Carley says. “So we keep our inventory changing all the time, and we make it a fun and happy place. Good prices are key. We also take care of the school to make sure our kids are happy—make sure the kids are fishing so it ensures the next generation of fishermen.”
Their commitment doesn’t stop at the shop doors. The Balls organize and run two annual ice fishing tournaments and a popular community craft show. If they’re not spearheading a local event, they’re behind the scenes supporting it.
In this way, “local” doesn’t just mean Pickford. Their customers and community stretch from Cedarville to Sault Ste. Marie and the many communities in between. Customers come not only for the products, but for the personal connection.
Carley puts it simply: supporting local businesses sustains the very community residents care about.
“If you want us, as a business, to support the community—whether it’s kids’ school events or donating to benefit dinners and golf scrambles—if people don’t support us as a business, we can’t support them when they’re trying to raise funds,” she says. “It all comes back full circle. If you want us to help you, you gotta help us.”
Then she adds with a laugh, “I’m pretty sure Amazon doesn’t care whether little Johnny has a jersey for next week’s football game. I, however, will embroider his name on it for you!”
It’s that blend of practicality, generosity and humor that has cemented Wilderness Treasures as a rare constant in a changing world of business.
Reflecting on 25 years, Carley’s gratitude is unmistakable.
“We are so thankful for 25 years of support from our community. It’s been an absolute roller coaster ride,” she says. “There is no other community I’d rather be in than the east side of the UP!”
Wilderness Treasures’ story is the perfect beginning to this series on the impact of buying local—because it shows what happens when a community supports its small businesses, and those businesses give back tenfold. Across the EUP, these relationships fuel resilience, traditions and opportunities that can’t be found in any online shopping cart.