When The Butler Pantry first opened its' doors in 1977 in the historic Leland Building, the goal was to create a unique cookware and specialty food store. Since then, The Butler Pantry has grown to become "the" culinary destination of Western Michigan.

Built in 1904 as the "Leland Department Store Building" by Thornton W. Leland, the son-in-law of Saugatuck's most important early industrialist, Stephen Morrison, it was the largest retail establishment built in town. The historic building is now affectionately known as "The Butler Pantry Building".

During the early years, the first floor served as a department store complete with groceries and dry goods, and part of the building's second floor was used as the local Masonic lodge, with a ballroom/auditorium, dining room and kitchen. The building also housed a furniture store, a shoe repair shop and a delivery service.

In the 1920's, the first floor was partitioned to create "Leland's Tea Room", a restaurant that even had a French chef. Its' unique décor was done in gray and lavender and featured a dozen live caged canaries. The tea room also included a soda fountain. The Lelands sold the building around 1930.

After the Lelands departure, the building had many tenants: a Chinese restaurant, antique shops, a small factory, a jewelry store and a dentist's office. In the 1940's, it also housed a bowling alley and tobacco shop.

Today, The Butler Pantry occupies about half of the building's first floor, but at one time, it was the building's sole tenant carrying hard goods, sundries, cookware, and a restaurant and coffee shop on the second floor, that many locals today still have fond memories of.

When you're in town, stop by and see the historic "Butler Pantry Building" and say hello.