The State of Downtown Grand Rapids Retail

[fotoman311]

When I was reading about Lee & Birch I came across another GRBJ article about a new clothing store opening on Bridge Street.  So I guess it's not all bad news.

 

http://www.grbj.com/articles/79436

 

'“It’s certainly possible, but hard to predict,” Harney said. “One of challenges of downtown is there isn’t a lot of space to cluster retail together. People want to park once and walk and shop. There’s a challenge of how to get multiple retailers to group together . . . forming shopping clusters.” '

 

Wonder what causes all those gaps in the "clusters".  Oh yeah, all the parking garages and surface lots.  Guess we can't win.  And people were wonderig why the DDA didn't want a dentist in the space across from Rosa Parks Circle.  That's the other part of it.

[GR_Urbanist]

Something is happening at the corner of Jefferson and E. Fulton! Whatever it is, it isnt a minor renovation. This is good to see as this little building is long past due for a major facelift. May attract some better retail to it.

 

Edited November 11, 2014 by GR_Urbanist

[Allison Slater]

Wasn't there a pawn shop there?  I went in it once and they must've had some total of 12 items for sale.  I was rather boggled by it.

[SupercityGR]

I would like to see something similar to water tower place in Chicago. Build it on one of the big surface lots downtown. Dining and shopping on the bottom floors, with another 10 or so stories of apartments above it!

[Allison Slater]

I'd much rather have a street of those shops, than all of them crammed inside one building.

[GRDadof3]

This is a pretty cool project in Detroit. Sort of like MoDiv but with high end retailers from Somerset Collection all taking over an abandoned building downtown.

 

http://blog.thedetroithub.com/2014/11/16/downtown-detroit-ready-to-become-a-winter-wonderland-as-season-of-winter-magic-begins/

 

Could possibly be done in the ground floor of Morton?

 

[mpchicago]

Absolutely, but maybe not on the same scale or with some of the higher end retailers that this pop up has. Every time we are in town, and head downtown, we stop by MoDiv.  Looks like Detroit has some fun activities planned for the holidays as well.

[Allison Slater]

In the Morton, the old bank space seems like it'd be perfect for this, with entrances on Monroe Center and Ionia, and the large windows.

[GR_Urbanist]

Diplomat Pharmacy on E. Fulton looks to be done. Driving by I saw a huge moving truck out front. The outdoor sign is gone, and the interior looks cleaned out.

Looks like we can add that to the bookstore of things downtown needed that are now gone.

[GRDadof3]

Diplomat Pharmacy on E. Fulton looks to be done. Driving by I saw a huge moving truck out front. The outdoor sign is gone, and the interior looks cleaned out.

Looks like we can add that to the bookstore of things downtown needed that are now gone.

 

You think that Diplomat Pharmacy fit the role as a downtown pharmacy? It's sad to see a business close but they were from a different era.

[GR_Urbanist]

You think that Diplomat Pharmacy fit the role as a downtown pharmacy? It's sad to see a business close but they were from a different era.

 

I think it was about as good as we were going to get. But yeah, it really wasn't the same as going to a CVS by a long shot.

[GRDadof3]

I think it was about as good as we were going to get. But yeah, it really wasn't the same as going to a CVS by a long shot.

 

I wouldn't say that. I'll bet a one legged duck that a national pharmacy will go in South of the arena at some point. Will it be allowed to have a drive-through though? That will be the big debate.

[Gorath]

Facade improvements are on the way for Reynolds and Sons

 

Fox17 : Downtown GR storefront marking 85+ years in business, prepares for major renovation

 

[organsnyder]

Can't say I'm too fond of the rendering—it still looks out of place with the classic architecture surrounding it—but it's a huge improvement over what they have now.

[mpchicago]

About time!  I don't necessarily mind the modern, but execution and materials is always important.  It's always hard to tell from renderings, but anything is better then what they have now.  Congrats to them for making it 90+ years in downtown Grand Rapids.  Not any easy feat!

Edited January 26, 2015 by mpchicago

[walker]

Facade improvements are on the way for Reynolds and Sons

 

Fox17 : Downtown GR storefront marking 85+ years in business, prepares for major renovation

 

 

Off topic I suppose - As the Fox17 story mentions before it was Reynolds and Sons, it was Reynolds and Brown and before that Goebel and Brown.  It’s kind of an obscure store now but the original owner, Paul Goebel, was a pivotal figure in Grand Rapids and Republican politics.  He had been an all-American football player at the University of Michigan in 1922 and later was a professional football player.  He was a friend of the Ford family and he recommended the young Jerry Ford as a prospect to the U of M football coach who was a former teammate of his.  In 1940 he was part of a group that worked to overthrow the political boss Frank McKay who pretty much controlled the Republican Party in Michigan back then.  Goebel was instrumental in helping get Ford elected to congress after WW II and he himself ran for mayor in 1950 and was elected three times.

 

Goebel was also elected to the U of M Board of Regents.  I don’t know if the store has a relationship anymore but at one time it was a major supplier to U of M of athletic uniforms and equipment as far back as the 1940’s.  

 

Wikipedia has a pretty good biography of Goebel if you are interested:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_G._Goebel

 

My father took me to the store in the mid-fifties to buy me my first pair of ice skates.  I can remember my father pointing out the mayor who was standing nearby.   

Edited January 26, 2015 by walker

[GR_Urbanist]

It's almost like the end of a era. The last of the crappy 50s/60s attempts at modernizing DT retail building facades is finally coming down.

 

The new look definitely gives it some class. It almost looks like it should be a store with fancy fashion items instead of sporting goods.

[GRDadof3]

That's awesome. Here's a full size version. Looks like there will be tile or masonry at the base to tie in with the next door Children's Museum.

 

[GRJohn]

Why does it look like the tiles along the top are about to fall off?  That woman walking in better watch out!

[ctpgr34]

It may be Dri-Design out of Holland??

 

http://www.dri-design.com/

[mpchicago]

It may be Dri-Design out of Holland??

 

http://www.dri-design.com/

 

It looks like it could be their tapered panels? I've seen their product used at an Audi dealer by my house.  Didn't know it was from Holland!

 

65 Monroe Center would have been better off using this product.  

[GRDadof3]

It looks like it could be their tapered panels? I've seen their product used at an Audi dealer by my house.  Didn't know it was from Holland!

 

65 Monroe Center would have been better off using this product.  

 

 

They may have to soon!

 

Cool applications with colors. This is interesting. I wonder if it's the panels used on the Cherry and Division and Herkimer projects?

 

[x99]

That's awesome. Here's a full size version. Looks like there will be tile or masonry at the base to tie in with the next door Children's Museum.

 

 

Is the original facade completely destroyed?  This design definitely isn't going from bad to great.  More like a '60s version of crappy to a modern version of crappy. 

[Veloise]

There's some design review going on over at The Salon, e.g. someone's pointed out the impracticality of a plate glass window that goes all the way to grade. My guess: this is a beta artist rendition, perhaps sponsored by an athletic shoe company.

[Gorath]

 

This is the earliest facade I've seen.  I'm guessing early 50's. I assume the building is older then that and that the above facade isn't original.  But the storefront entry in the above image may be original to the building. But that storefront is long gone.

 

I have no idea what is behind the existing mansard? Awning? I'm not sure what you call it.