Something's a foot at the 28th/K'zoo Meijer

[Allison Slater]

I remember the Clyde Park/28th Meijers quite well. I also remember one being out on the NE corner of Lake Michigan Drive and Wilson as my mom took me with her. Guess things have come full circle as there's now a new Meijers on the SW corner of Lake Michigan Drive/Wilson. I read somewhere that the building at Dickinson and Eastern and the Asian Mall near Divison and 44th (where the Wei Wei Palace is) were Meijer stores at one point too, but I'm not old enough to remember that.

They've still got some of the old equipment too. In the supermarket at that mall there's those old fruit/veggies things that had the misters in them. I remember playing in the mist when I was a kid, and always getting yelled at for it. It's a shame Meijer's doesn't use them anymore.

[Prankster]

Anybody remember the Meijer at the corner of Leonard and Walker? My grandmother took me there when I was a wee young lad. I can barely remember it.

Near there where the post office is now was an old juvenile detention building that always seemed to be in a half state of demolition. As a young one it really creped me out.

Hey, that's my old "hood". I grew up right by Valley Field, and we went twice-weekly to the "Little Meijer", as everyone in the area referred to it. The special once a month trips were saved for the "Big Meijer" on Alpine, where you could spend a whole day doing your shopping. Ahh, the good old days.

[Allison Slater]

I remember when I was little, it was tradition to spend the whole day shopping all along 28th St, but mostly at the 54th St. Meijer every single Saturday.

I remember it back when the shops along the front wall were headed by a brown line with white text... there was a hair salon, guest services (of course), the resturaunt (I think that was more towards the middle of the store.. didn't it have windows? I wonder what happened to those windows) and Ed Venture! I think I still have an Ed Venture sticker somewhere...

Then they did all those changes, added the eating area where it is today, threw in a McDonald's, added the "Purple Cow"... and had those awesome layered pictures for each...

I also remember those kids days where they lined the aisles with games... man, the memories...

Then there's the memories of my sister eating straight coffee beans off the floor there xD

[grrwymg]

Cedar St. store in Lansing had one too. Westnedge Avenue store in Kalamazoo/Portage has one also. In another lifetime I used to call on all the Meijer stores in Michigan outside of the Detroit metro area.

Does anyone on here remember the Meijer supermarkets on Leonard just West of Walker and on 28th St. between Clyde Park and US 131?

I remember the store near Leonard/Walker when I was a wee lad. Whenever mum said we were going to Meijer's I'd always ask: "Big Meijer's or Little Meijer's?"

We were about right in the middle of Leonard/Walker & the Alpine store.

EDIT: Looks like more than just my family called it "Big Meijer" and "Little Meijer".

[Weallneedhistory]

There's a vacant "Ralph's Market" in Standale on the corner of Wilson Ave. and Lake Michigan Dr. which began life as a Meijer Supermarket. That store was closed by Meijer long ago due to slow traffic and focus on the "Thrifty Acers" consept. The building changed hands quite a bit. At the time I moved to the Walker area it was a "Shop Rite" and a dump. It became a Ralph's Merket and a worse dump for a short time before the building went vacant four years ago. It's a shame that the building's owner too stuborn to sell it off to a developer because its a real eyeasore now. But on a bright note, a new David Rockwell designed Meijer store was built on the opposite corner a year and a half ago. So Meijer came full circle here in my area.

I am in total agreement here. I drive through that intersection from Grandville to Standale at least twice a day, often times more, and in another month will be living near there. That new Meijer is ok (although I do miss seeing the old Drive-in), but that faded Ralph's Market is a dump. And although I am into historical buildings, I must admit that I am pleased to see they just took down the old car wash at the SE corner of Wilson and Lake MI Dr. That was indeed an eyesore.

Not sure what I would put in its place; definitely not a Rite-Aide or Walmart.

[tamias6]

I am in total agreement here. I drive through that intersection from Grandville to Standale at least twice a day, often times more, and in another month will be living near there. That new Meijer is ok (although I do miss seeing the old Drive-in), but that faded Ralph's Market is a dump. And although I am into historical buildings, I must admit that I am pleased to see they just took down the old car wash at the SE corner of Wilson and Lake MI Dr. That was indeed an eyesore.

Not sure what I would put in its place; definitely not a Rite-Aide or Walmart.

According to the grapevine, a CVS pharmacy is supposed to replace the car wash. Like we got enough pharmacys in the area. (Meijer Pharmacy, Wal-Green, Family Fair Pharmacy)

As for Wal-Mart, Mejier not only bought out the land they built the store on, I heard they bought up all nearby properties to purposfully keep Wal-Mart out of the Standale area.

[grcitydog]

Back when I was a kid in Kalamazoo, at the Maple Hill Mall location, they had what they called "Meijer's Square", which was a Meijer without the food. as weird as that might sound. The reason is that the building they were in had a Jewel Foods next door to the Meijer, and I guess they made an agreement to not compete there. They later closed that store and moved about a mile down the street and had a full Meijer.

[Occam]

Below is a copy of the original architectural rendering of the 28th & Kalamazoo Meijer Thrifty Acres.

I believe it was the only store that was built by others and leased to Meijer.

Shortly after it opened Fred bought the building.

This rendering is absolutely classic. I love how there is no reference to context or site whatsoever... just a few cars to imply that its not actually floating in outer space. Ahh, the idealism of the 50's... a great time, but thank god we've moved on since then. (I can hear the pitch now... "let me unveil the rendering of your sparkling new asbestos fortified facility"

Anyone have any clue who the original designer was?

[civitas]

This rendering is absolutely classic. I love how there is no reference to context or site whatsoever... just a few cars to imply that its not actually floating in outer space. Ahh, the idealism of the 50's... a great time, but thank god we've moved on since then. (I can hear the pitch now... "let me unveil the rendering of your sparkling new asbestos fortified facility"

Anyone have any clue who the original designer was?

Wold Bowers DeShane and Covert (WBDC) did most of the early Meijer stores, but I don't know if they did this one or not.

[michaelskis]

Maybe it should called

[TenPoundHammer]

Cedar St. store in Lansing had one too. Westnedge Avenue store in Kalamazoo/Portage has one also. In another lifetime I used to call on all the Meijer stores in Michigan outside of the Detroit metro area.

I think Canton has (had?) a balcony. Two of the Meijer stores in Flint do, too - Pierson Rd. @ I-75 and Atherton Rd. south of I-69.

[TenPoundHammer]

Back when I was a kid in Kalamazoo, at the Maple Hill Mall location, they had what they called "Meijer's Square", which was a Meijer without the food. as weird as that might sound. The reason is that the building they were in had a Jewel Foods next door to the Meijer, and I guess they made an agreement to not compete there. They later closed that store and moved about a mile down the street and had a full Meijer.

Was this at the west end of the mall? I know that most of the mall was torn down, but Target seems like it could have been the Meijer Square and Jewel part. (In fact, since you said Jewel, I would even guess that the Meijer Square was originally a TurnStyle, as I was told that there was once a TurnStyle in Kalamazoo somewhere.)

As far as I know, the Thrifty Years book only mentions two Meijer Squares. The other was in Essexville (outside of Bay City), in what I believe was a former Yankee store. That shopping center had a Kroger at the other end, and there was another older Meijer on the other end of town. The Square store closed in the early 1990s and Kroger moved into the space, with the old Kroger becoming a Big Lots (now Dollar General) and ACO Hardware. But in the late 1990s, Meijer opened a small store out in the boonies a couple miles from the old Square location.

[Budgie Frisket]

Does anybody remember the Meijer on Alpine briefly heralded as a "Hypermarket?" Now THAT was truth in advertising.

[solace]

I think they are only repaving the parking lot to the store.

I worked at this location for 3 years, and yes, it IS called the ghetto meijer even by the employees...which are employees of all races and it is because of the run down falling apart held together by a band aid condition of the store and yes the crime in the area. ghetto in the dictionary means run down falling apart. I belong to another board and we recently had a discussion, it's all in how you USE the word. It is acceptable to say...oh that building is ghetto, man look at that furniture! it is so ghetto but if you say to your friend, you are acting so ghetto then it is considered not nice.

For the person who was paranoid of all the cameras in the store, never fear, they FIRED all the store detectives due to lame corporate downsizing and chances are no one is watching you, just a theft deterrent.

many of the meijer stores built in the late 1960s-mid 1970-s have the two tiered fronts in the stores, they used to lease out a lot of business space but now mostly those areas are break rooms and meeting rooms for the employees.

one nice thing to say about this location..it has a basement with a really cool old elevator! in the event of a tornado warning I knew I had a place to go.....

however, on the flip side, it IS falling apart and corporate will probably never close it down unless forced by the kent county health department...it's always been said that if meijer closed this location that the clientele would be forced to go to the other meijer stores and they don't want that....THEIR WORDS not MINE.

and then there was the sewage leaks in the store....

[MrsB918]

Wow, solace, thanks for the update. I was about to do my grocery shopping there after work, but after reading your comments, I'll probably go to another Meijer.

[rallymatt]

oops. wrong Meijer thread!