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Wealthy Street Mega Thread


joshleo

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3 minutes ago, GRDadof3 said:

What would you like to see? Other than a decent grocery store/market. Which I think there may be plans for some type of market announced soon. 

Same things I'd like to see in my neighborhood.  In addition to the decent grocery store/market - a pharmacy,  small gym(not like the Y with the Y stigma's), and cheap practical place to get a haircut.   I know that chains are largely considered evil,  I still think their presence is a bellwether for neighborhood health.   A couple of them sprinkled in with the quaint boutiques would add an echelon of convenience that would cement resident demand in the neighborhood.  

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We really do need a real local grocery. The Wealthy Market is still too much of  a "party store" to ever fill the need.  Would be nice to see a buy-out there, demolish the existing building, and a credible grocery built there.

I'm actually surprised that a gym never appeared on the street. I would suspect that if ever the parking lot at the church at the corner of Wealthy and Eastern is built on, The new building on the Wild Bunch property houses one, or the Kregel building ever gets going, that such a facility will likely emerge soon.

Same with a pharmacy, although CVS and Family Fare seems to fill that need for most despite being a bit of a walk.

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1 hour ago, GRDadof3 said:

What would you like to see? Other than a decent grocery store/market. Which I think there may be plans for some type of market announced soon. 

Hardware, office supply, and pet store.  Would be great to not have to go to Michigan or 28th St for that stuff.

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1 hour ago, Pattmost20 said:

Would the last name Lee happen to be involved? I think I remember there being chatter about him opening a market of some sort.

Yes, that's what I was thinking. He keeps mentioning that they have future plans for other property that they own. 

 

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30 minutes ago, mjak68 said:

 

Hardware, office supply, and pet store.  Would be great to not have to go to Michigan or 28th St for that stuff.

How about all 3 of those combined. :)  I think most small Ace hardware type places have pet supplies, so it'd be a natural fit. I don't know how office supply stores are doing in the age of Amazon.  I personally can just order office supplies online. Tools and hardward stuff, on the other hand, I HAVE to go in person, and I usually need the item(s) THAT DAY. Same with pet supplies. I wouldn't order dog food and dog treats online. 

Especially with all the homes being rehabbed in that area and generally needing a lot of maintenance, a small hardware store would be a good fit. The Ace at Michigan/Fuller always seems to be busy. 

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  • 3 weeks later...
10 hours ago, joeDowntown said:

Overheard someone talking about Georgina’s. The owner of Bosna Express is buying the operation, turning it into an upscale version of what they have on 28th. 

Ordinary people probably don’t realize that we’re always listening for a good scoop. :)

Joe

:rofl: Right? 

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12 hours ago, joeDowntown said:

Overheard someone talking about Georgina’s. The owner of Bosna Express is buying the operation, turning it into an upscale version of what they have on 28th. 

Ordinary people probably don’t realize that we’re always listening for a good scoop. :)

Joe

Let's just say we embrace our inner Gladys Kravitz. 

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With all due respect to the preservation community, this is perfect example of historic preservation gone awry.  How much better wouldn't this be if that old gas station was razed and building was brought to the street (or another building brought in front of it)?  Oh, well.  Wealthy just has so many of these awful old gas stations ruining the urban fabric, and they're all sacred, apparently.

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31 minutes ago, x99 said:

With all due respect to the preservation community, this is perfect example of historic preservation gone awry.  How much better wouldn't this be if that old gas station was razed and building was brought to the street (or another building brought in front of it)?  Oh, well.  Wealthy just has so many of these awful old gas stations ruining the urban fabric, and they're all sacred, apparently.

Agreed.

Looking at the photo though, I couldn't help wondering, where do people along Wealthy buy gas?  There used to be about a dozen (admittedly ugly) stations along the length of Wealthy, three on this corner alone.  Now there are none until you get to Division.  I'd think there'd be more demand for a gas station here than a chicken restaurant.  Now that this is cleaned up, it looks like it would be a good spot for a gas station, except I suppose that soon we will all be either biking or riding the bus or driving electric cars and won't need gas.

On 10/31/2018 at 11:17 AM, mjak68 said:

 

87670FE3-14C0-458D-AB7B-01AB4A2470D3.jpeg

 

HISTORIC NOTE - the first Kentucky Fried Chicken in Grand Rapids was in a converted Sinclair Gas Station on Plainfield around 1964 in the area that's now called Cheshire Village.  It had the same classic 1950's gas station look.   Really appetizing. 

Edited by walker
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32 minutes ago, walker said:

Agreed.

Looking at the photo though, I couldn't help wondering, where do people along Wealthy buy gas?  There used to be about a dozen (admittedly ugly) stations along the length of Wealthy, three on this corner alone.  Now there are none until you get to Division.  I'd think there'd be more demand for a gas station here than a chicken restaurant.  Now that this is cleaned up, it looks like it would be a good spot for a gas station, except I suppose that soon we will all be either biking or riding the bus or driving electric cars and won't need gas.

HISTORIC NOTE - the first Kentucky Fried Chicken in Grand Rapids was in a converted Sinclair Gas Station on Plainfield around 1964 in the area that's now called Cheshire Village.  It had the same classic 1950's gas station look.   Really appetizing. 

6 to choose from in 1.5 mile radius (BP on Lake is only half a mile from this location). I think a new gas station would be a terrible investment. Especially considering you pass one heading to 196, 131, South on Eastern, and out to the East Beltline.

Gas Stations.PNG

Edited by Pattmost20
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4 hours ago, Pattmost20 said:

6 to choose from in 1.5 mile radius (BP on Lake is only half a mile from this location). I think a new gas station would be a terrible investment. Especially considering you pass one heading to 196, 131, South on Eastern, and out to the East Beltline.

Gas Stations.PNG

And gas stations don't make a lot of money selling gas anymore. The real money (profit) is on all the junk food, pop and beer you buy inside. That's why they're all being converted into mega convenience stores (which drove all the 7-11's in the area out of business). The Knapp's Corner Meijer gas station is starting their renovation process, I just noticed, into a mega convenience store. 

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On 11/2/2018 at 3:29 PM, GRDadof3 said:

And gas stations don't make a lot of money selling gas anymore. The real money (profit) is on all the junk food, pop and beer you buy inside. That's why they're all being converted into mega convenience stores (which drove all the 7-11's in the area out of business). The Knapp's Corner Meijer gas station is starting their renovation process, I just noticed, into a mega convenience store. 

They tried to put one in on Fulton. The neighborhood said NO.  The area does not need a gas station.  It is also my understanding that Paul Lee likes rehabbing old spaces, so I don't think he was forced to keep anything that he did not already want. But maybe Im wrong. 

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23 hours ago, EastownLeo said:

They tried to put one in on Fulton. The neighborhood said NO.  The area does not need a gas station.  It is also my understanding that Paul Lee likes rehabbing old spaces, so I don't think he was forced to keep anything that he did not already want. But maybe Im wrong. 

Well, I would disagree.  I'm all for a historic district gas station.  Put one of these miserable urban streetfront holes to its proper use.  8' tall gas pumps with globes on top, and a guy that pumps it for you and cleans your windows, with two oil-change bays.  I think it could be quite the attraction, done right.   And the secret with these things is you only need the two pumps with four nozzles to serve as many cars as a modern 8 pump stations.  The gas blasts out far quicker from the old full-serve style pumps, and you don't have people wandering inside for snacks and smokes.Your gas man has Chesterfields and Lucky Strikes right on his belt!

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2 hours ago, x99 said:

Well, I would disagree.  I'm all for a historic district gas station.  Put one of these miserable urban streetfront holes to its proper use.  8' tall gas pumps with globes on top, and a guy that pumps it for you and cleans your windows, with two oil-change bays.  I think it could be quite the attraction, done right.   And the secret with these things is you only need the two pumps with four nozzles to serve as many cars as a modern 8 pump stations.  The gas blasts out far quicker from the old full-serve style pumps, and you don't have people wandering inside for snacks and smokes.Your gas man has Chesterfields and Lucky Strikes right on his belt!

. . . and he wears a freshly pressed uniform and sings about his job:

 typical fifties gas station

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Looks like Big Willie's is closing up.  They could have done well but the space was way to big for them. They needed a spot much smaller to keep rent down.  The prices were also a bit high and they lacked the side items that usually keep a Hot Dog/ Italian beef shop rolling.   

What does Eastown need?  Burritos?  Can this space be divided up?  Why doesn't GR have more small space fast food in the neighborhood districts?   

https://grandrapids.craigslist.org/off/d/prime-eastown-restaurant/6741324052.html

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2 hours ago, x99 said:

Well, I would disagree.  I'm all for a historic district gas station.  Put one of these miserable urban streetfront holes to its proper use.  8' tall gas pumps with globes on top, and a guy that pumps it for you and cleans your windows, with two oil-change bays.  I think it could be quite the attraction, done right.   And the secret with these things is you only need the two pumps with four nozzles to serve as many cars as a modern 8 pump stations.  The gas blasts out far quicker from the old full-serve style pumps, and you don't have people wandering inside for snacks and smokes.Your gas man has Chesterfields and Lucky Strikes right on his belt!

They had one of those in Kzoo when I was at Western, on Stadium Drive. Not quite as nice as you describe. And he would definitely get you cigarettes from the store. You didn't even have to get out of your car!

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  • 2 weeks later...
Quote

It has been brought to our attention that using the word “igloo” to describe our outdoor geodesic domes may be offensive or culturally insensitive.

To whom? :rofl:

 

From Wikipedia:

Quote

The Inuit language word iglu (plural igluit) can be used for a house or home built of any material, and is not restricted exclusively to snowhouses (called specifically igluvijaq, plural igluvijait), but includes traditional tents, sod houses, homes constructed of driftwood and modern buildings. Several dialects throughout the Canadian Arctic (Siglitun, Inuinnaqtun, Natsilingmiutut, Kivalliq, North Baffin) use iglu for all buildings, including snowhouses, and it is the term used by the Government of Nunavut. An exception to this is the dialect used in the Igloolik region. Iglu is used for other buildings, while igluvijaq, (plural igluvijait, Inuktitut syllabics: ᐃᒡᓗᕕᔭᖅ) is specifically used for a snowhouse. Outside Inuit culture, however, igloo refers exclusively to shelters constructed from blocks of compacted snow, generally in the form of a dome.

I think someone is trolling them. :lol:

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