New projects on the West Side

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, GRDadof3 said:

I think a system like the Downtown Market would be great. Free parking for an hour or even half hour in the ramp. $1 or $2/hour after that. None of this $8/hour crap (ahem Ellis) to go grocery shopping. 

But Ellis needs more gold rings and necklaces!

Free hour and a half would be perfect though.

[ChevalierNoir]

1 hour ago, Floyd_Z said:

Can customers get garage parking validated for shopping?

Free for one hour.

[Allison Slater]

According to WOOD, the prices are actually cheaper at Bridge St. than at other locations, to take account for the lack of mperks and coupons available.  I always forget to use those damn things so maybe Bridge St. will be my new go-to location.

https://www.woodtv.com/news/grand-rapids/new-urban-meijer-has-surprising-prices/1405233865

[GRDadof3]

24 minutes ago, ChevalierNoir said:

Free for one hour.

This and route 19 is now free??? The townspeople erupt in jubilation!!! (and spend more at Meijer instead of on the parking). 

[MJLO]

8 hours ago, tSlater said:

According to WOOD, the prices are actually cheaper at Bridge St. than at other locations, to take account for the lack of mperks and coupons available.  I always forget to use those damn things so maybe Bridge St. will be my new go-to location.

https://www.woodtv.com/news/grand-rapids/new-urban-meijer-has-surprising-prices/1405233865

They were noticeably cheaper, I figured it was promotional.

[Pattmost20]

14 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

I think Meijer generally does a really good job with produce. I heard a lot of people rave about Forest Hills Foods and I've shopped there a few times now and their produce section is pretty weak. Same with D&W. 

The place looks beautiful. All of those people crying for a downtown grocery store for the past 15 - 20 years now have a legit one. 

I grew up less than a mile from FHF so it'll always be one of my favorites. That being said, it is getting a little too "Whole Foods" for my taste (and budget). Still hard to beat their butcher counter in terms of selection.

[walker]

14 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

I think Meijer generally does a really good job with produce. I heard a lot of people rave about Forest Hills Foods and I've shopped there a few times now and their produce section is pretty weak. Same with D&W. 

Both D&W and Forest Hills Foods were once known for their produce but the common thread for both is that they were bought out by Spartan-Nash and they are becoming more and more like Family Fare.  I agree that Meijer does a pretty good job with produce, at least at the stores where I shop.  Of course what helps Meijer is volume.  High turnover keeps the produce fresh.    

[RegalTDP]

13 hours ago, Floyd_Z said:

All over Europe actually.  Not cheap either, usually about .25Euro/lb a bag.  It works though, I kept my bags and brought them with me when I backpacked around.

The building is super awesome though.  The area has a ton of potential to be the next section of downtown.  

I've been working on a project around the city and on street parking here will be metered as part of the expansion of parking services.  Can customers get garage parking validated for shopping?

In California, all bags are 10 cents (both paper and plastic).  State law.

I don't think Meijer should unilaterally impose a charge on bags when their competitors don't, but incentives for reusable bags is a good idea.

[thebeerqueer]

22 hours ago, MJLO said:

This is a me question too.  One of the drawbacks of commuting to Grand Haven is not being able to see these things right away lol.  I'm really hoping they have the typical Midwestern things I cook with like cans of soup, and jars of sghetti sauce.  My biggest fear is that it would be an abundance of prepackaged hipster things, and not a lot of everyday practical things. 

There's definitely plenty of everyday staples for the regular home cook. The selection might be a bit more limited but you'll find plenty of cans of soup, pasta sauces, family packs of chicken, ground beef, etc ... it will definitely serve the changing neighborhood and the diverse needs of it. 

 

Bravo Meijer!

[wingbert]

16 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

I think Meijer generally does a really good job with produce. I heard a lot of people rave about Forest Hills Foods and I've shopped there a few times now and their produce section is pretty weak. Same with D&W. 

The place looks beautiful. All of those people crying for a downtown grocery store for the past 15 - 20 years now have a legit one. 

Forest Hills Foods used to have better produce.  Since they were purchased by Spartan Stores there appears to have been a decline in some areas.  Is it a coincidence that Spartan also owns the aforementioned Family Fare?

[ctpgr34]

Went to Bridge St Market today, gates were up so not sure how parking will work.  The plastic bags were the generic "thank you!  thank you! thank you!" in red and white.  All self check out lanes

[GRDadof3]

Checked it out today, it's pretty awesome. Love how it's laid out.

Learned some things: only the ground floor of the ramp is for BSM, but they're allowing people to park on the 2nd floor until the apartments open in a few weeks. No signage on the 2nd floor on how to get to the market so I saw several elderly people wandering around up there lost (like me). oops.

Otherwise hot damn it's cool. A ton of people walking there too. 

[crinzema]

[MJLO]

1 hour ago, ctpgr34 said:

Went to Bridge St Market today, gates were up so not sure how parking will work.  The plastic bags were the generic "thank you!  thank you! thank you!" in red and white.  All self check out lanes

There are full service lanes to the side of the self checkout lanes. 

[mpchicago]

16 minutes ago, MJLO said:

There are full service lanes to the side of the self checkout lanes. 

Do they have a full-service butcher/deli/bakery?  I'm guessing not, because I haven't seen in any pics.  BTW, I like the mural in the garage. 

 I wonder with this new store up and running if SIBSCO will accelerate any possible plans for their property to the east (El Sombrero).

[ctpgr34]

25 minutes ago, MJLO said:

There are full service lanes to the side of the self checkout lanes. 

Worker told me all self serve, maybe just at the time I was there?  No penny horse either

[thebeerqueer]

11 minutes ago, mpchicago said:

Do they have a full-service butcher/deli/bakery?  I'm guessing not, because I haven't seen in any pics.  BTW, I like the mural in the garage. 

 I wonder with this new store up and running if SIBSCO will accelerate any possible plans for their property to the east (El Sombrero).

No deli/butcher/fish monger counter. Plenty of sliced deli meats, salamis, cheese, etc ... packaged for sale. Fish and meat are prepped off-site and brought in daily. 

[GR8scott]

Not much to dislike here! If I was meijer I probably would have had a little more “free marketing” such as the grocery bags and maybe small symbol saying “Bridge street market brought to you by Meijer” also which they would have gotten ahold of that crappy BP gas station, cleaned it up and branded it over.

[GR_Urbanist]

Speaking of markets, I wonder if this is going to seriously affect the "Downtown Market" in a big way despite them being on opposite sides of DT?

I was hoping that a place like this would have opened next to it instead of a parking lot that did.

 

Maybe the Downtown Market will have to seriously revamp its mission or I'm not sure what. I just dont see the reason to go there with this opening.

[EastownLeo]

14 minutes ago, GR_Urbanist said:

Speaking of markets, I wonder if this is going to seriously affect the "Downtown Market" in a big way despite them being on opposite sides of DT?

I was hoping that a place like this would have opened next to it instead of a parking lot that did.

 

Maybe the Downtown Market will have to seriously revamp its mission or I'm not sure what. I just dont see the reason to go there with this opening.

They are very different "Markets"  One is a grocery store  the other is a mini-mall of shops.   Most vendors in the Downtown Market sell ready to eat, take home type food.  

I don't think they compete really at all.  Maybe for fish?

[GR_Urbanist]

4 minutes ago, EastownLeo said:

They are very different "Markets"  One is a grocery store  the other is a mini-mall of shops.   Most vendors in the Downtown Market sell ready to eat, take home type food.  

I don't think they compete really at all.  Maybe for fish?

I suppose they are really different experiences, but all things considered, why bother going to the DT Market when you can get much of the same stuff at an actual DT-ish Meijer with regular groceries, better prices, and a better parking deal?

[MJLO]

45 minutes ago, mpchicago said:

Do they have a full-service butcher/deli/bakery?  I'm guessing not, because I haven't seen in any pics.  BTW, I like the mural in the garage. 

 I wonder with this new store up and running if SIBSCO will accelerate any possible plans for their property to the east (El Sombrero).

They have a fully stocked meat section.  They don't have a meat counter.  It's fairly large, though the selection is more limited compared to a full size Meijer.  I could find almost all meat I typically buy.  The only meat I couldn't find was pork tenderloin in a 2-4lb  cut.  They did have ready to cook pre-cut pork tenderloin in vacuum sealed packages(similar price per pound), which I could  work with.    The only other thing that I couldn't find that I typically buy at regular Meijer was a 2lb bag of pre-cut brocolli.   Adjusting a couple parts of the routine and I have no reason to go anywhere but walk for my groceries, booze, and daily supplies 

 

40 minutes ago, ctpgr34 said:

Worker told me all self serve, maybe just at the time I was there?  No penny horse either

Ahh ok,  When I was there last night it I thought there was a small cashier area similar to what you see at Trader Joes, it must have just been associates helping people use the self check out. 

[mpchicago]

1 hour ago, ctpgr34 said:

Worker told me all self serve, maybe just at the time I was there?  No penny horse either

LOL.  No Sandy?!   That BS!  

[GRDadof3]

3 hours ago, GR_Urbanist said:

I suppose they are really different experiences, but all things considered, why bother going to the DT Market when you can get much of the same stuff at an actual DT-ish Meijer with regular groceries, better prices, and a better parking deal?

What are you talking about? Have you been to the Downtown Market lately? 

Other than architectural styles I can't really think of how they are similar at all. And parking at the DTMarket is free for a 1/2 hour and then $2/hour after that. Not really that expensive. 

I was there this past Sunday and it was packed, as in hard to walk through the aisles packed. I think the BSM will be just as packed on weekends. In fact I can see it being a social scene for some on weekend evenings. They are two entirely different places. And without being too judgmental,  I would say half the people at the BSM I saw shopping there today would be what I consider "disadvantaged," while the other half was upper middle class. It was an interesting dichotomy.

Downtown Market is not that. On Sunday I took my daughter out to lunch at the DTMT and bought a few things at the meat market. It was a lot of fun. Today at BSM I bought Deep Woods Off for a trip up north and stocked up on my favorite beers. Not.the.same.

[civitas]

1 hour ago, GRDadof3 said:

What are you talking about? Have you been to the Downtown Market lately? 

Other than architectural styles I can't really think of how they are similar at all. And parking at the DTMarket is free for a 1/2 hour and then $2/hour after that. Not really that expensive. 

I was there this past Sunday and it was packed, as in hard to walk through the aisles packed. I think the BSM will be just as packed on weekends. In fact I can see it being a social scene for some on weekend evenings. They are two entirely different places. And without being too judgmental,  I would say half the people at the BSM I saw shopping there today would be what I consider "disadvantaged," while the other half was upper middle class. It was an interesting dichotomy.

Downtown Market is not that. On Sunday I took my daughter out to lunch at the DTMT and bought a few things at the meat market. It was a lot of fun. Today at BSM I bought Deep Woods Off for a trip up north and stocked up on my favorite beers. Not.the.same.

If any of you haven’t been to Bridge Street Market yet you should visit soon.  It is much, much, much, much more than Deep Woods Off and an amazing selection of beer.  In fact, most people find it amazing, spectacular, urban-cool, etc.  The selection is complete, fresh, local and well priced.  It is a full-service true neighborhood grocery store like none you have ever seen.  

The west side is an amazingly diverse population - economically, racially, age, education, religion, language,  etc.  Bridge Street Market is intentionally designed to meet the needs of everyone in a sincerely welcoming environment.    Jane Jacobs believed, and I agree, that the best neighborhoods are diverse in all regards.  The best places in such neighborhoods are those where we can come together as neighbors.  This grocery store is just such a unique and wonderful place.   

As for “a lot of fun”, last night (Wednesday) I walked Bridge Street from New Holland to Bridge Street Market and there were people everywhere.  All the restaurants were busy and people were hanging out on the sidewalks just enjoying the vib.   Bridge Street Market is already drawing even more people to the street.  If you haven’t been on Bridge Street in a year, you’ve never been on Bridge Street.  Many more exciting changes are coming.  Come see for yourself.  

I’ll admit that I’ve been working on concepts and planning for this project for many years.  As such my opinion is biased. I’m thrilled to see it open.  I’ve also had the opportunity to work on many other transformational projects over my 50 year career.  This is one that I’m very excited about.   I love it.