TheLonesomeHobo

Broadleaf Westside announced today that they’re closing, last day will be January 13th.

It’s honestly equaled out pretty quickly over the last few years, just yesterday I had a group of 15 bears fans from the Chicago area who’ve all moved here over the last 3 years doing a fantasy draft.

As someone who runs a sports bar, there is an awfully lot of Bears fans around lately!

Last I knew that location was still owned by Project Barfly, it’s where Mark Sellars originally wanted to open the Shrunken Head back in 2015. When I left the company in 2017 it was being used for storage and maintenance for the rest of Barfly. Curious to see if when Sellars sold Barfly that parcel was part of the sale.

It’s so frustrating seeing (especially on Reddit / other social media) all of these people beating the drum to defend the unhoused community, and all turning up at city commission meetings to raise a stink, when I know none of those people are actively involved in nonprofits or any charitable work to benefit the unhoused. I agree it’s a tightrope to walk, but at the end of the day, you can only do so much to help those who have no desire to be helped. No amount of housing or services can help those who do not wish to be helped, and sadly that is the case with many of these individuals. We can’t bend the knee and maintain a vibrant downtown at the same time. It’s a tightrope to walk and I am not envious of anyone who has to make the hard choices. But, we have to do something before we turn into other metropolitan areas that have just let the issue slide. No one wins in this situation unfortunately.

“DTE Energy Music Theatre”

This is incredibly frustrating, I thought this project was great for the neighborhood. The need for housing in GR currently is unreal as we all know. I was also excited to see a building that no longer fits the fabric on the neighborhood become a thing of the past. I imagine this will sit for a long time to come. Huge bummer.

Anyone know if the crane is going to get raised again? I just drove by and noticed the building is nearing the height of the crane. On a completely off topic and unrelated note, does GRdad not active on here any longer? He always had the most informative posts.

Just a couple places that pop into my head for a good place for a smoothie bar are the old Rak Thai spot at Diamond / Wealthy and where The Plant Parlor just vacated on Calkins / Wealthy next to 40 Acres. I would LOVE to have a smoothie bar anywhere on wealthy though tbh. Excited for the diner! That’s great news.

Thank you for that trip down memory lane, I spent an hour today reading back through the thread. It was especially a blast from the past reading links and comments regarding where I live now!

The first house I rented in the mid 00’s was on Calkins and I always remembered walking by that abandoned McDonanlds. Now, almost 18 years later I live in a building on the lot where that McDonalds used to be.

Noticed the Cherry / Commerce ramp is getting painted light blue? Anyone know anything about that? Seems like an odd color for a parking structure.

I thought they already announced a LGBTQ bar for this location? Did that plan get scrapped?

What part of the building did new New Holland eliminate?

One might say “ the jib is on” All dad humor aside, I’m exited to watch this building go up

I was leaving Centerpointe around 5:30 last night and the line for that Chick Fil A was absolutely insane. Speaking of that, the old toys r us is just a pile of rubble now.

I’m also confused, I was talking with a friend who works for Broad Leaf just last week and he was talking about them opening on Bridge St but this is the first I’m hearing about this place. Does sound cool though!

Couldn’t get a picture but a large section of the ramp behind the new Spectrum project is framed / boarded off.

The large Erickson crawler just showed up about 30 minutes ago along with some other Erickson trucks.

Boom is on site!

There is a town crane being staged in the lot across from studio park!

https://mibiz.com/sections/real-estate-development/developers-plan-4-story-mixed-use-project-in-gr-s-creston-neighborhood?fbclid=IwAR0yhXL7H-M611Eh_CIBOAl7eBAFRwLjd32t7ZZQCERY0XVWsK7HtWYtKPQ&fs=e&s=cl Just stumbled across this on Reddit of all places, interesting to see someone may actually go through with this project.

This is outside of Z’s tonight, I personally GM a bar / restaurant downtown and I can’t put it into better perspective than this of how much we need our establishments staffed. Covid 100% ruined nightlife in Grand Rapids, this is proof of it, everyone in this line with me are out of town people here for a convention. This city is 100% embarrassing itself, it’s Tuesday night, not Friday.

Since we’re talking tacos, Donkey is doing a full remodel of there building over the next couple months. (Per there Instagram page)

Per WZZM; “The few events and facility use over that time were, for the most part, done without any expectation of rent and was done as part of our civic obligation to give back to our community during a difficult time.” Thats a really unique way for Joel Langlois to talk about all of the grifting he let happen while obviously not getting paid, not sad to see this place go at all.