- Aug 22, 2023
- 2 min read

J.bird Provisions | Freshly made grab & go, specialty grocery, and gifts.

Updated: Oct 2, 2023

J.bird Provisions is a new specialty grocery shop located next to the Beaver Island Boat Company in Downtown Charlevoix.

A sunny patio with green metal tables and chairs and bright pink umbrellas.

You’ll find freshly made grab & go items and all your new favorite food and beverage essentials for a successful trip on the water or a day at the beach. Featuring seasonal bowls and salads, uniquely crafted sandwiches, artisanal dips, and so much more. For more information visit jbirdprovisions.com.

We sent questions to Jessica Nagel, owner of J.bird Provisions, so that we could get to know her business a bit more.

Five women wearing black t-shirts that read J.bird Provisions smililng and waving.

Please briefly describe J.bird Provisions | Freshly made grab & go, specialty grocery, and gifts.

J.bird Provisions is a grab and go food and specialty grocery and gift shop specializing is fresh high quality offerings perfect for a day on the boat, evening entertaining and more.

What problem does your business solve?

Charlevoix's need for a quick and delicious lunch/dinner/snack without the wait. Because we offer freshly made grab & go,plus specialty grocery items, and gifts, we are filling a need that has been demonstrated by Charlevoix consumers in surveys over the past few years.

Name some things that your business does that are unlike any other competitor.

J.bird bowls and dips have become very popular and are different from most other offerings in town. Also, J.bird's collaborations with other area businesses have been a lot of fun.

A bag of crackers, three containers of specialty dips, and two bowls, one is the Mexish-bowl and the other is the Mediterranen Bowl, offfered daily in the grab and go case.

What is your background and experience?

I grew up in Ellsworth Mi, working in Charlevoix every summer from the time I was 13 until I was 21 working for the city of Charlevoix as an Umpire and Scorekeeper at the ball fields anda Lifeguard at the city beaches. I have a degree in Marketing and Graphic Design from Northwestern Michigan College and Grand Valley State University.

Five women standing inside of a dark colored store wearing black t-shirts that read J.bird Provisions smiling.

For the past seven years I have worked in Chicago in the food ingredient industry in various Marketing and Creative Manager roles. I have traveled the country presenting food trends and leading innovation groups from such companies as Hershey, Bacardi, Jack Link, Dairy Queen, Hostess and many more. When considering what was next for me and my career I thought about what I’m truly passionate about. I love making food for people. I have so much fun grilling, and putting cheese boards together, making beautiful bowls, delicious dips and tasty sandwiches. I love finding fun and tasty new products and introducing them to people.

Wrapped sandwiches in a grab and go cooler case

What is something about your business that customers do not expect?

I think when people think of grab and go food they think of sad little ham and American cheese sandwiches that have been sitting in a cooler for days and days, not high quality food with everything from comfort food to internationally inspired offerings.

A table of merchandise displaying coolers, tumblers, cutlery, bowls, and other colorful items inside of a dark colored store.

Does your company have a personality and an attitude, and if so, how would you describe it?

J.bird is friendly, fun and funky! When you come into J.bird expect to be greeted with a big smile. We love to help our customers find just the right thing for lunch, happy hour snack or the perfect gift.

Does your business participate in any partnerships with other local businesses?

We collaborate with That French Place, Hotel Earl, Lost Cellars and Traverse City Whiskey.