Grocery Store @ 38 Commerce

[Allison Slater]

"According to an application filed with the Grand Rapids Planning Commission, Jeff VandenBerg and business partners plan to open a 3,500-square-foot neighborhood grocery store in the vacant ground-floor space of 38 Commerce Ave. in downtown’s Heartside neighborhood.

The store will focus on grocery staples, specialty food, as well as Michigan craft beer and wine, according to the an application filed by Shark Market LLC."

- See more at: https://mibiz.com/item/23575-partners-plan-small-downtown-grand-rapids-grocery-store#sthash.CbJzHvS8.dpuf

[gvsusean]

28 minutes ago, tSlater said:

"According to an application filed with the Grand Rapids Planning Commission, Jeff VandenBerg and business partners plan to open a 3,500-square-foot neighborhood grocery store in the vacant ground-floor space of 38 Commerce Ave. in downtown’s Heartside neighborhood.

The store will focus on grocery staples, specialty food, as well as Michigan craft beer and wine, according to the an application filed by Shark Market LLC."

- See more at: https://mibiz.com/item/23575-partners-plan-small-downtown-grand-rapids-grocery-store#sthash.CbJzHvS8.dpuf

A Walmart Express is 15,000 Sq. ft. and looking at a floor plan for one of them, this store at 3500 ft. is more of a 7-11 than a grocery store... 

[WMrapids]

3,500 Sq. ft is about the size of the Apple Store here I think. That store is always packed. Like what gvsusean said, this is gas station sized.

[getemngo]

For comparison, does anybody know the square footage of Grand Central Market or Martha's Vineyard? I'm estimating from Google Earth's measurement tools that Martha's Vineyard is between 5,000 and 5,500.

[GRDadof3]

9 hours ago, getemngo said:

For comparison, does anybody know the square footage of Grand Central Market or Martha's Vineyard? I'm estimating from Google Earth's measurement tools that Martha's Vineyard is between 5,000 and 5,500.

If you include the bakery Martha's Vineyard is about 6000. 

Grand Central Market is about 3500. 

I think the best news is that that corner of 38 Commerce will finally have some life in it. 

[mpchicago]

I love what the VandenBerg's have done with their business, and glad to see that spot get filled, but they act like it's the next coming of Christ. This is not the Grocery Store downtown has been waiting for. I still think the best spot for a urban grocery is the 10k SF of ground floor at 20 E Fulton, with it's attached parking.

[GRDadof3]

15 minutes ago, mpchicago said:

I love what the VandenBerg's have done with their business, and glad to see that spot get filled, but they act like it's the next coming of Christ. This is not the Grocery Store downtown has been waiting for. I still think the best spot for a urban grocery is the 10k SF of ground floor at 20 E Fulton, with it's attached parking.

Agreed, 10,000 square feet is a decent sized small scale grocery store. There are 3500 square foot gas station marts, as others have mentioned. 

[egrguy]

http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2015/02/how_trader_joes_in_grand_rapid.html

The Kentwood TJ's is slightly bigger at 12,500. You could do a whole lot w/ 10,000 sq ft.

[GR_Urbanist]

EDIT: Well it looks like I misread the size of this by a mile.

 

This reminds me of the Kress IGA Supermarket in Downtown Seattle.

That store is 17,000 sq. ft, but that extra 7000+ sq. ft. over this one was to accommodate their MASSIVE produce, deli, and ready-made meals section.

So this looks like it may be the real deal *finger's crossed*. We need to make sure this place is supported FULLY if it is. We have no excuses after begging for this place for years to show up.

 

 

 

[joeDowntown]

A lot of negativity for something that will help (not fully solve, but a step in the right direction) fill the gap for people living downtown. 

This forum has become very "sour" lately. Let's try to be a bit more positive. 

Joe

[GRDadof3]

25 minutes ago, GR_Urbanist said:

This reminds me of the Kress IGA Supermarket in Downtown Seattle.

That store is 17,000 sq. ft, but that extra 7000+ sq. ft. over this one was to accommodate their MASSIVE produce, deli, and ready-made meals section.

So this looks like it may be the real deal *finger's crossed*. We need to make sure this place is supported FULLY if it is. We have no excuses after begging for this place for years to show up.

This new store in 38 commerce is 3500 sf, not 10000 sf. 

[GR_Urbanist]

5 minutes ago, GRDadof3 said:

This new store in 38 commerce is 3500 sf, not 10000 sf. 

Doh. Well that's a bit of a difference......yikes!

I guess we are looking at more of a White Hen Pantry type of setup then.

 

[RegalTDP]

13 minutes ago, joeDowntown said:

A lot of negativity for something that will help (not fully solve, but a step in the right direction) fill the gap for people living downtown. 

This forum has become very "sour" lately. Let's try to be a bit more positive. 

Joe

I don't think it's negativity, we're just tempering expectations of what 3500 sq. ft. can give us.  We've all seen how carried away this forum can get with grocery-related news hype . It would seem this will be more of a Grand Central Market-style specialty store than a real supermarket.

This is great news though, 38 Commerce needs something like this, and it's a nice addition to Heartside.  I hope it does well.

[ctpgr34]

http://fox17online.com/2016/04/28/new-grocery-store-proposed-for-downtown-grand-rapids/

Shark Market   Is that really the name & logo

Compete with Lucky's & Z's???  Let's hope not

[gvsusean]

what is also concerning, you have this small store and they want to stock craft beers and the such. how much space is dedicated to liquor? this could just be a gas station mart with a fancy beer list. I have no problem with this, i think DT needs more of those (upscale ones not the shaddy ones on division), but I doubt this will be a grocery store.

 

*EDIT Just read the comment above (not sure how I missed it), so were still in the hunt for a grocery store, moral of the story

[GRDadof3]

They should call it a gourmet market, or something similar, and then knock people's socks off. If they're calling it a grocery store, it will be a disappointment. Under promise, over deliver. 

I think very highly of the Vandenbergs so it's cool that they're investing even more in Heartside though. 

[mpchicago]

I think the most interesting part of this article is that Grand Central Market is expanding into the old West Coast Coffee spot, along Monroe Center.  

Meanwhile, MiBiz's Nick Manes says that the Lyon/Ottawa project could have up to 15,000 SF of space for a grocery! Floor plans presented to the city show the largest ground floor retail at just 6,000 sf.  Maybe I'm missing something?

[egrguy]

On 1/4/2016 at 5:15 PM, jdkacz said:

I got two of those right!

Chick Fil A, Whole Foods make announcements to enter GR. Ikea does not come to GR as we are sandwiched between Detroit's and Chicago's stores.

West Coast Coffee is gone... so there is opportunity for the market to expand.

Olga's is still empty, let's go Cheesecake for 2016!

GRFC announces they have plans to continue to rise up the soccer pyramid.

A new brewery by the West MI Whitecaps. While Atwater is moving downtown, I still feel another satellite brewery will make the plunge to GR. I'm going to go with Griffin Claw this time around.

The long deserted Derby condo project in East gets new life (the non-denominational church on Lake and Croswell has been bulldozed)

The crazy castle project in Grandville does not  get built. (I want an easy one to look back on) 

 

 

5 hours ago, mpchicago said:

I think the most interesting part of this article is that Grand Central Market is expanding into the old West Coast Coffee spot, along Monroe Center.  

Meanwhile, MiBiz's Nick Manes says that the Lyon/Ottawa project could have up to 15,000 SF of space for a grocery! Floor plans presented to the city show the largest ground floor retail at just 6,000 sf.  Maybe I'm missing something?

Yeah! I got one right. It took a couple of years to get it. I hope all of these options succeed. These are all good announcements for DT.

[elcelc]

On 5/2/2016 at 2:30 PM, jdkacz said:

 

Yeah! I got one right. It took a couple of years to get it. I hope all of these options succeed. These are all good announcements for DT.

One and a half.  A new brewery by West MI Whitecaps, and it's a satellite location.  It's GRs own Elk expanding there

[ant33]

Looks like this deal fell through with the banks failing to come to terms.. Sounds like they are considering adding a bar in the space instead..

https://mibiz.com/item/23875-partners-shelve-plans-for-small-grocery-store-at-38-commerce-in-downtown-grand-rapids

[joeDowntown]

I dont think they said a bar is moving into that space. They said they were staying in the bar business. 

Honestly, the best use of that space would be a bar/restaurant. It has an elevator to the roof and, unless they've changed the building, has space for a rooftop deck. I'm surprised a restaurant hasn't landed in this space already.

Joe