Loving Scottville, The Bottle and Can is a great fit

By Rob Alway. Editor-in-Chief. 

SCOTTVILLE — Don Pasco says he knows he made the right move when he decided to open his store, The Bottle and Can, in downtown Scottville in the late spring of this year. Originally from Muskegon, Don and his wife, Liz, moved to Scottville after most recently living in Grand Rapids.

“Being here has been wonderful. I couldn’t have asked for a warmer reception from the town and the other business owners,” he says. “Everybody was happy to see me come in and have made us feel very welcome. I know this was a good decision.”

The Bottle and Can is located at 108 S. Main St. The store is located in what was originally the Pratt Jewelry building. For several years, it occupied the northern portion of Nichols Drug Store.

Don describes The Bottle and Can as a speciality liquor store. He sells a wide variety of alcohol and non-alcoholic beverages along with basic snacks and fishing supplies. Don is an avid fisherman, which was part of the appeal of living in Scottville, near the Pere Marquette River and close to Lake Michigan and several inland lakes.

Don and Liz, along with their 1.5-year-old son, live in the upstairs of the building.

Don is a graduate of Mona Shore High School. he received a bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University and earned his master’s degree in business from Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids.

For the past 12 years he worked for Coca-Cola and before that, Kent Beverage. He knows the food and beverage industry and knew Scottville was his market.

“I’ve been really impressed with this market. Our best selling beer is craft beer. We also tend to sell a lot of top shelf liquor and wine.”

He said he is quickly building a customer base. “We have a lot of local customers,” he says. “I’d like to attract more tourists but that will happen with time as our reputation grows.”

Don says he and Liz have fallen in love with Mason County. “It’s just beautiful up here. Coming from Grand Rapids, we just didn’t have country living there. Here there is the state park and the national forest. I always knew this was where I wanted to retire, but then one day I just said why wait until I’m old? Let’s just do it now.

The Bottle and Can is open Monday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. It is closed on Sundays. Hours may change during special events.