The 280-acre property is up for sale. Isabella Helms | Collegian

Owen Glei and his children are selling Glei’s Orchards and Greenhouses after the century-old family business permanently closed last spring.

The 280-acre property, at 3500 Milnes Road, is listed for $3.5 million through Swisher Commercial, an Ann Arbor-based real estate group. According to the listing, the location includes 135 acres of vacant land, 79 acres of orchards, 43 acres of woods, and 19 acres of facilities.

“It’s such a nice facility, it’s been a staple in the community for so many generations,” associate broker Charlie Koenn said. “I think there is an opportunity for somebody to work with because there’s so many different markets that you can cater to. You’re not very far from Detroit, Lansing, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Toledo, or Jackson, so there’s just a lot of different markets that have concerns for that.”

The family business began in 1918 when mother Alma Glei, an immigrant from Germany, and her son Carl purchased 40 acres along Milnes Road. What began as only 50 apple trees rapidly expanded to 100 acres of orchards after Carl married Ruth Haskins in 1929. The couple’s sons David and Owen continued the business. According to their family history video, posted on Youtube by a Glei family member, Owen’s children have since been responsible for managing the company.

The Glei family announced through Facebook on March 30 that the farm would not open again in spring 2023. The company Facebook page says all harvests have been distributed to stores across southern Michigan.

Carolyn and Steve Wallen, owners of Crimson Greenhouses in Coldwater, Michigan, are one of the new apple distributors. Their store was originally the location of Glei’s extension store, which operated from 2014 to 2022. They purchased the Coldwater store out of receivership, an early form of bankruptcy.

“They don’t want to close down,” Steve Wallen said. “They are looking for a qualified purchaser to come in and keep the apple trees going. The problem is, it’s such a large financial undertaking. We’re not up on the Fruit Ridge north of Grand Rapids. We’re down here in Hillsdale and Coldwater. If they were up north, it never would have even gone to market; it would have been absorbed by a neighbor almost instantaneously.”

Koenn said he’s experienced similar issues when marketing the property.

“There are really not a lot of apple orchards in southern Michigan,” Koenn said. “From that standpoint, it’s kind of rare to have a big greenhouse and growing production operation. The buildings were all new in 2011. That’s quite an opportunity for somebody to take advantage of everything that is there.”

During the 2019 pandemic, the Glei family registered the orchard store as a corporation, rather than an LLC. Due to legal issues, the family lost access to the business’s finances. The Coldwater extension store was the first to close, with the Hillsdale location following this year.

“We don’t have any prior experience with produce and baked goods,” Steve Wallen said. “For us it was a learning experience, but it’s been fun. Retail is very difficult. The margins are very, very, very small. You just have to separate yourself from the big box stores, and you have to separate yourself from your competition.”

During the operation of Glei’s farm, the family grew more than 30 varieties of apples, 200 perennial flowers, 300 annual flowers, several Christmas trees, and various vegetables. After a fire in 2007, the damaged buildings were replaced with a new packing and storage space, workshop, and store.

According to Glei’s Orchards and Greenhouses Facebook page, Carl Glei was known for giving “regular” customers a discount. 

Senior Anna Julia Bassols said she made many memories at the orchard.

“It’s always sad to see a local business close,” Bassols said, “but Glei’s is especially disappointing because I used to love stopping by there with my mom when we went back and forth between Hillsdale and my hometown.” 

Prospective buyers can contact Koenn through email at ckoenn@swishercommercial.com, or by phone at 734-926-0230.