Roger's Department Store Site

[Veloise]

Exactly one week ago the Press predicted it would take a miracle to revive that section of 28th St

Methinks they may have seen this coming?

[aowwt]

yeah that place is called Flowerland and only has been since like forever. But I think they would go to them just for the plants and stuff the design work should come from somebody who can do a true bang up job.

[Grandrapidsne]

Not to sound pessimistic, but I dont see how Klingmas will be a draw to the city of Wyoming. An upscale furniture store in that area just really seems like it would be out of place. The area is full of cash stores, fast food outlets and pawn shops just dont see people making the trip to wyoming to buy there furniture. I however hope the store does well, because if Klingmans does well it may attract other retailers to the area and maybe will see Rogers plaza begin filling up many of those vacancies .

[GRDadof3]

Not to sound pessimistic, but I dont see how Klingmas will be a draw to the city of Wyoming. An upscale furniture store in that area just really seems like it would be out of place. The area is full of cash stores, fast food outlets and pawn shops just dont see people making the trip to wyoming to buy there furniture. I however hope the store does well, because if Klingmans does well it may attract other retailers to the area and maybe will see Rogers plaza begin filling up many of those vacancies .

[tamias6]

It won't be just a Klingman's. Otherwise, why move a 3 story Klingman's from EBL/28th (which has been downsizing due to slumping sales) to a 3 story Klingman's at Clyde Park/28th?

[aowwt]

From what I read it appears Bob Isreal had bought Klingmans to have a show room style brand. His Isreal Design studio is great for the ones that want a more customed styled but for the everyday furniture buyer who would prefer to walk in and out with thier purchase it just doesnt work that well. The Klingmans name is well known in Grand Rapids and with the location being on 28th street and by 131 it fits really well.

My thinking is that he and his sons made a deal where they will have two seperate companies. One would do the specialized furniture design and the other would be a showroom style store. The deal is that if the showroom fails to prosper they just close it off and keep the design place going. The essential ingrediant was that his sons wanted a named store that already had a name recongination before attempting it. Its a lot easier to build a business if your name is already out there. The one thing I like about this plan is his showroom will offer a collection that has every name brand company represented. It provides a good mix and should be successful. Also from my reading it seems he wants to make it a desitation store at first and as a result should help the local businesses in expanding their customer base. Getting people further away provides a better chance they will a make a day trip and spend time in other shops in the area.

As for Rogers it is a two story building if I recall and does have a basement. So if you call it a 3 story building by those means it is. Otherwise I think the building may get a 3rd floor. I do think if this business is sucesful he will branch out within the first 3 years.

[GR Pyro]

I heard that we should be expecting a Johnny's Lunchbox with a drive-thru, in a new out-building in front of this plaza. This would be in addition to the one on Monroe Center and 28th at Lk Eastbrooke.

[snoogit]

Having a business that draws a lot of people will have a ripple effect. I'm sure this will just be the first step.

[MJLO]

I can't imagine they would put Klingmans there. From a business standpoint it makes little sense. Unless they are intending on re-imaging the brand. Klingmans at its' current location, is near it's customer base, The east side of the metro area contains much more $ than the west side. Why would you move your building further away from the people that can afford your overpriced furniture into an area where people can't afford valu city furniture across the street. I don't think the cascadian residents are going to want to go into the drearyness that is "downtown Wyoming". Unless they had, Wy-man to protect them.

[GRguy]

You are right MJ, the key to all this is Wy-man.

[Allison Slater]

I still think Klingman's would have been best downtown. Downtown is in essence a destination location, and Klingman's is a destination store. It would work very well with close proximity to his furniture-oriented developments near 6th. Roger's Plaza is just.. out there. Out of one failing retail area into the next.

[highwayguy]

Overall, I'm optimistic about this plan. As MJLO mentioned, it seems further from their typical customer base. But there is a real opportunity with the move to change the image and offer furniture that is still of high quality, but more affordable than their current inventory. It would be almost impossible to do that staying in the current location. I think the fact that Bob Israels has "plans to create a new furniture mecca using his recently acquired Klingman's brand" indicates that the new store will not simply be a relocated version of the current one. If successful, this can only help the City of Wyoming and the 28th St corridor, which is indirectly good for all of us in Grand Rapids. I know that WyMan, "Promoter and Protector of Wyoming Town Center Business", would agree!

[jbr12]

Wow... I thought all this Wy-man stuff was a joke.... I am absolutely amazed it is a real creation

I am speechless... wow...

[wingbert]

I can't imagine they would put Klingmans there. From a business standpoint it makes little sense. Unless they are intending on re-imaging the brand. Klingmans at its' current location, is near it's customer base, The east side of the metro area contains much more $ than the west side. Why would you move your building further away from the people that can afford your overpriced furniture into an area where people can't afford valu city furniture across the street. I don't think the cascadian residents are going to want to go into the drearyness that is "downtown Wyoming". Unless they had, Wy-man to protect them.

[tamias6]

I think Bob Isreals has done quite well for himself so far so the idea that he has somehow lost his marbles and is blowing a whole load of money on a poorly thought out lost cause seems a little odd. I say let's have faith and support him if you can.

[suydam]

Wow... I thought all this Wy-man stuff was a joke.... I am absolutely amazed it is a real creation

I am speechless... wow...

[francishsu]

Shhhh... Keep WyMan a secret

[aowwt]

considering I live and work in wyoming when I saw the caped Wyman I just cracked up laughing. Memories of just after the downtown wyoming transformation into blankness. Frankly I am at a crossroads with my thinking of wyoming. I agree the downtown needed the revival that has happened but I also know that development has to occur in wyoming to keep it from falling down and turning into GR of the 1980's.

Will this spur developement is keyed on wether the council wants to buck the traditional and just support what the city is and make what it is the framework to make the city better. The need for 28th street is necessary I just wished they use the tools more often. BTW I dont like sprawl like anybody else does but on the other hand we cant limit development and hope it doesnt spread to all points. Its best to use the corridors that are already here and use them for developement. I can think of only one new area that is going to get massive development more so than it already has and thats the Byron Center Corridor by M6. I think as a region we need to make sure thats it and embrace the 28th, Alpine, Dtown, Plainfeild, 44th, and east beltline developments and make them stronger and keep them strong. When and only when those areas become completely developed should we ponder building a new one were there is a strong community support for it.

[MJLO]

I think Bob Isreals has done quite well for himself so far so the idea that he has somehow lost his marbles and is blowing a whole load of money on a poorly thought out lost cause seems a little odd. I say let's have faith and support him if you can.

[Floyd Z]

It would be cool if Wyoming could adopt some kind of plan to make that stretch of 28th Street look more like a downtown, similar to what Standale is doing with Lake Michigan Dr. IMO Lake Mich Dr looks WAY better than 28th street. Why not tear down all the crappy 1 story cell phone stores and drive thrus and replace them with nice 3-5 story buildings right up to the street with a sidewalk. 28th street does have a lot of potential, but right now it just looks like any other rotting suburb in America.

[Eridony]

It would be cool if Wyoming could adopt some kind of plan to make that stretch of 28th Street look more like a downtown, similar to what Standale is doing with Lake Michigan Dr. IMO Lake Mich Dr looks WAY better than 28th street. Why not tear down all the crappy 1 story cell phone stores and drive thrus and replace them with nice 3-5 story buildings right up to the street with a sidewalk. 28th street does have a lot of potential, but right now it just looks like any other rotting suburb in America.

[francishsu]

Wyoming does have a vision for that stretch of 28th Street. It's in their 2020 land use plan, designating 28th street between Burlingame and Clyde Park as their "Downtown Center", and they recently created a special zoning code for it. But it's going to be a slow transition. Luckily, Israel's purchase of Roger's and the adjacent parcels represents a major piece of the puzzle.

[Yankee Fan]

Maybe this is just me, but when I drive past the new Metro Health campus, I feel like that is going to become the new "downtown" of Wyoming.

Mass and height are what I think of when I think of a downtown. With the many buildings being built there that are professional, that are 2+ stories, and are not all located on one street, I really think that this area now feels like where downtown Wyoming is (or should be).

I have a really hard time looking at 28th street and calling a 1 mile stretch of an 8 mile "strip mall" a downtown area.

[GR_Urbanist]

If Wyoming, and some of the merchants along 28th street, had a little imagination and pride in the place, they could have easily created a real downtown along that corridor.

*They could have sliced up Roger's Plaza's parking lot with new streets creating actual blocks. Seriously the parking lot is longer than an aircraft carrier!

* All of Wyoming's civic buildings, which were all recently renovated, could have been rebuilt around the area of 28th and Burilingame. Clustering them together would have been an excellent starting point in which to build outward on those new city blocks created out of RP's parking lot.

* 28th street could have a planted median, and a reduced speed limit.

* Roger's plaza could have had a better exterior renovation.

* Better aesthetic standards should have been made on existing buildings, and absolutely required on new ones.

Lot's of could offs, but if these guys were on the same page, Wyoming would have long ago turned the corner instead of hoping that faux Victorian street lamps, and a furniture store, will be their savior.

[Talking Up GR]

We're not thinking outside the box.

The first thing I thought of when I heard this story was "Good's Furniture." (www.goodsfurniture.com)

Good's is in Kewanee, Illinois - the "hog capital" of the midwest, I believe. If you have ever listened to WGN radio, you've likely heard an announcer do a live ad for Good's (and those are NOT cheap ads to buy. Their television spending is also large). Kewanee is a two and a half hour drive from Chicago on a good day.

Good's has become a weekend trip for folks with a little cash to burn to get out of Chicago, buy their nice furniture, and stay for the weekend. They have a bed-and-breakfast there, a restaurant, the whole shot.

Now - this development doesn't need those things right on the grounds as we have plenty to work with in the surrounding area. Kewanee (population 13,000) doesn't have these things anywhere else. But Bob's probably thinking "Why not get 'em to spend their money here?"

No, Wyoming folks may not shop there - but Wilmette folks might.