gunnerdouzi
-
Posts
26 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Gallery
Project Database
User Guide
Store
Events
Posts posted by gunnerdouzi
-
-
On 3/18/2022 at 12:33 PM, terra firma said:
@ Joe, that would have been a great building to re-purpose but sadly our chances are gone. You are correct about the anti-development sentiment of the owners, we presented offers, they just didnt seem interested..
perhaps their stance will soften in time, as this tragedy i'm sure is hurtful to them (hope they had good insurance!) it will be something one of us can explore re-developing eventually into something appropriate. It's a nice big site, so an appropriately sized retail-residential 2 or 3 story that gives a good nod to its architectural surroundings could be a great fit here.
While their losses are 'complete', others suffer some inconvenience as our tenants next door (Dime & Regal, Palace Flophouse) are temporarily closed due to roof and other structural damage resulting from the demo crew's inadvertent 'removal' of upper floor brick walls collapsing onto our facility, well after the fire crew was gone.
It really sucks for our Tenants, who were thoughtfully selected originally for these in-fill developments and grew to become ambassadors for the Wealthy Street Business District, important parts of what gives this hip retail area it's unique flavor and diverse urban vibe.
eric
Sorry to hear about your building and the impact to these wonderful businesses nextdoor. I wish them a speedy reopening!
I hope the large size of this empty site leaves possibility for something amazing to be developed here... grocery store focused around local/fresh produce perhaps? Something to offer a bit of night life such as a barcade? I hope it doesnt remain demolished pile of rubble for long. Such a great location with tons of potential.
18 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:I'm no expert but I believe arson is almost always an inside job.
Was the Wild Bunch fire also ruled arson? Pretty amazing the similarities between these two fires within a 4 year span. Elk brewing is the only business in between the two fires.
-
1
-
-
A few images of the aftermath of the Tatum building that I took this morning...
-
1
-
2
-
-
@terra firma another thing that this area seems to lack is a gym/exercise area. There is Kula Yoga of course, but nothing else really for the active lifestyle.
To add to my comment about fast-casual restaurant, I feel like a bagel shop would be nice since there are so many coffee shops and even a bakery, but nobody selling bagels. Something modeled after CBA in Chicago would be amazing. Bagel Sandwiches galore. https://eatcba.com/
-
2
-
-
Very cool! Excited to see what you do with it and hope the mural is preserved in some way! @terra firma
I agree, a bar would be nice. Arcade games and yard games would be amazing! There isnt much night life in this section of the street. If a bar is too difficult, I think a fast-casual restaurant would be nice. As a local, I dont always want to get waited on but do enjoy eating out.
As a side note, I really feel like we need a grocery store or fresh produce market - I consider that my biggest need. Probably not doable in this space as it seems small, but I really would love to NOT give my money to the Wealthy Market if I didnt have to when I need the odd grocery item or a case of beer. I feel like the Tatum building would be about large enough for something like this? Thinking similar to Bridge St Market if the space would allow.
-
On 8/7/2020 at 10:01 AM, gunnerdouzi said:
Not sure if this is new or not, but I noticed this morning that the building on the SE corner of Wealthy and Eastern has 'PENDING' on the For Sale sign that has been there forever.
I didnt get a photo but I also noticed the fish building is pending now as well. Anyone know what could be happening at these properties?
-
Not sure if this is new or not, but I noticed this morning that the building on the SE corner of Wealthy and Eastern has 'PENDING' on the For Sale sign that has been there forever.
-
4
-
-
I saw Elk Brewing shared on facebook that they will soon be serving Pronto Pups from their Wealthy St location. I am excited about this!
-
1
-
-
On 1/14/2020 at 9:09 AM, GRDadof3 said:
Update on this project. I'm surprised they went all white on the exterior.
Not sure if you've seen this recently but they added quite a bit of black to the face of the building. Not all white anymore. Looks nice!
-
1
-
-
Shoot, you are both so right... Winchester and Hancock are certainly worth a mention. While we are at it, call out to our awesome coffee shops too: Outside Coffee, Sparrows, Squibb, Rowsters.... I miss every little food/drink place on Wealthy. The Wealthy St Bakery!!
Brick Road Pizza!! Lets get these restaurants packed again once this all passes -
4
-
-
Daydreaming about our beloved Wealthy St restaurants... Anyone else?
What I would give for a Garlic Gyro from Zivio, or a pitcher of guava margs from Donkey, or to finally try Royals for the first time. Hell, I even miss going to the bathroom in the grimy Meanwhile not overly worried about what germs there might be. Hope everyone is hanging in there and really hope these lovely businesses make it through this COVID-19 pandemic.
Cant wait to see you all soon.
-
4
-
-
Looks like Premier is opening their 2nd retail location in the place where Mercy Supply was located... Sometime in April... Maybe...
-
2
-
-
1 hour ago, joeDowntown said:
One thing that kind of made me scratch my head about the Cedar Springs Brewery move, is they're NOT serving food (well, minimal food, "snacks" / not their menu). Seems like an odd move.
Joe
Didnt realize that... agreed that is a very strange choice...
-
5 minutes ago, joeDowntown said:
Anyone else worry that they may be a little late to the game / brew pubs (to an extent) have "jumped the shark"? I wish them all the best, and hope everyone does well, but I would think we have to be getting close to peak saturation / drinking habits are changing, etc.
Joe
Interesting point... In my opinion, as long as they are able to differentiate themselves from the "crowd" and are able to create a unique 'experience', there should be room for more. Speciation seems to be very different from anything else I have seen, much smaller and intimate vibe, almost an ether of exclusivity or membership that people may seek out and want to be a part of. Cedar Springs' pull seems to be more than just their beer, but also authentic Bavarian German culture/cuisine. And it doesnt seem like there are very many distilleries right in town, but perhaps I am just less aware of their existence. I do think we are approaching that point of saturation where some longer standing breweries that fail to differentiate may struggle to stay open (ie Elk Brewing perhaps) - but I would be surprised if that were to deter the new guys from trying to set a new bar.
-
1
-
-
17 hours ago, egrguy said:
Moving or new location?
Sounds like they will be moving, but don't foresee it happening over night.
-
Just a little movement/sneak peak at 928 Wealthy
-
1
-
-
On 7/2/2019 at 7:49 AM, GRDadof3 said:
Update on this project.
Does anyone know an update on the tenants for this space? Anything decided yet?
On 5/8/2019 at 6:40 PM, GRDadof3 said:It's not nearly as big as Bridge Street Market. It's more like Martha's Vineyard size.
Also curious about this one... was the grocery concept approved for this corner?
-
15 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:
I think he thinks you're Cynthia Ayers, current Executive Director of East Hills Council of Neighbors. A simple google search would have cleared that up.
Ah that would make sense! Nope, just an Aussie here, not a Cynthia
-
On 5/17/2019 at 8:07 PM, All-InHospitalityGroup said:
Cynthia, I appreciate the direction of your post, but would it be too much to ask around a little more to get the facts of why we made the service change? I'll tell you, straight from the horse's mouth, we made the change to full service because counter service simply wasn't working here.
Our menu is a little more complex than simply walking into a Five Guys, Panera Bread, or KFC. We offer a handful of side dishes along with champagne (bubbles), slushy drinks, and NA beverages. To bad, so sad...we don't offer or have ever offered Merlot (insert Paul Giamatti comment on Merlot). The prices currently listed have never reflected an up-charge to going with a tip free model (although this was planned in time), so making the change to full service and not adjusting the prices or also changing wages was in no way a money grab; nonetheless, you may see some prices adjust down in the near future as we look at product mixes of what's moving and adjust inventory and labor accordingly.If you've been to the restaurant, you may have experienced anxiety in the ordering process. There's a lot of information that can't fit on a menu board so there's lots of Q&A at the counter. If there are people queued up behind you it creates a very anxious ordering experience; you're either rushed into ordering something or it becomes an experience so uncomfortable you may not back. There's a handful of local counter service businesses that I curse going into because the experience at the counter is just so uncomfortable...and then I'm expected to leave a tip on top of that. In an effort to create a business where to solve one problem, we invariably created a different one.
Another driver to this change was people still felt like they needed to leave tips. Despite placards that stated we were a No-TIP establishment, and the lack of tip line on the CC slip, many guests felt obligated to leave a tip. Choosing to accept these tips and splitting them amongst staff opened us up to potential legal issues in terms of who should receive these tips and how we should accurately account for the cash. Do you share it with the kitchen, dishwasher, busser, server, etc? For the few weeks we accepted these tips, we donated it all to the Next Steps organization, which provides job training and employment for re-entry citizens.
Lastly, the main driver to making the change to full service was looking at how most people interacted with the restaurant space. Despite a tiled sign that prominently pointed people to the counter, most walked into the restaurant dining room in search of a seat. Once seated, they walked to the counter to order. If you're in line and already feeling anxious about the ordering process, trying to find a seat just compounded that anxiety.
As a restaurant operator, my wife and I have a vision of what the business is going to be but sometimes it doesn't work out that way. Rather than trying to fit a square peg in a round hole, we made the prudent decision to change now, even just one month into a new business, vs trying to plod along for 6 months and hope for a different outcome. We know we'll never be all things to all people, but hopefully we check enough boxes that you'll come back. If you're not wanting full service, we plan to offer counter service outside. One half of the patio is dedicated to walk up service at the kitchen window and outdoor bar (our vintage truck is currently in the shop being outfitted and is scheduled to be completed June 1). Our patio furniture should hopefully be delivered this weekend or Monday of next week.In 10 years of being the restaurant owner / operator in our rehabbed historic buildings in the neighborhood, I assure you it's never been a money grab. We've always aimed to be a positive influence in the neighborhood and community at large because we live here and have to show our faces. We've tried to accommodate all the asks from community organizations, like being the title sponsor for the upcoming East Hills concerts at Cherry Park this summer, as well as continuing to give generously to organizations like Student Advancement Foundation (the fundraising partner for Grand Rapids Public Schools) and Friends of Grand Rapids Parks. We hope to be the gold standard for how a restaurant should operate within the community.
I understand this is a forum for people to share their opinions or "insider" information, but please feel free to just ask me directly if you have any questions on what we do.
PaulAll In Hospitality Group (The Winchester, Donkey, What the Truck, Jonny B'z, Hancock)
Hi Paul,
Not sure who Cynthia is (lol) but I assume thats me... I love your response and thank you for adding context. Exactly what I was hoping for when I posted the initial note after hearing from someone I considered to be "from the horses mouth" since he/she was an employee there. Not sure if you just didnt share all of this reasoning with the entire team there, or if perhaps that individual had a personal opinion and only shared the info they wanted to with me. Either way, your explanation makes perfect sense and I hope ALL of your employees are informed of all these reasons as well because it is very insightful
From what I heard, the change caught some of them off guard and wasn't well received by some of the team. (again, this could just be party of one for all I know). I apologize for some of my word choice and inaccuracy, but just had a skewed opinion based on what I was told. Thank you for putting the truth out there and I will certainly be back to give Hancock another try with full service. Thank you for all you continue to do for the neighborhood.
P.S... I tried the Jalapeno Butter Corn Bread yesterday and it was AMAZING
-AyersRock
-
2
-
-
3 hours ago, MJLO said:
Sounds like both the neighborhoods and the HPC had positive things to say about this project. I don't know why I have the "Mikey liked it" line from the life cereal commercials in my head.
Glad to hear this proposal is looking promising. A grocery store would really be perfect for that corner, just what the neighborhood is missing.
-
1
-
-
On 5/2/2019 at 3:18 PM, mpchicago said:
I know some are down on the HPC requiring preservation of these gas stations, but I think Hancock turned out particularly well. I love the neon reminiscent of service station signs. These properties allow for a ton of outdoor dining/activity space. It's going to be great if the weather ever cooperates.
Love love love the look of Hancock as well... However, I heard they are changing their business model next week to being a full service restaurant with waiters/waitresses so they can lower their labor costs below minimum wage (implying that tipping will now be expected)... but no plans to lower the menu prices... All so they can push more wine sales (they apparently have one of the largest wine selections in town? Who knew.)... Not a fan anymore. Who drinks a nice Merlot with fried chicken anyways? Really strange move for a restaurant that seemed to have great momentum behind their opening. I wish them the best, but feels like a money grab type move that will drive customers away in the long run.
38 minutes ago, mpchicago said:Wonder if they have someone in mind for the grocery. Move an expanded Art of the Table down the street? The document says Metric Structures is the applicant. I think they did Hancock reno?
Imagine if the grocery there were something similar to Bridge Street Market... maybe I am just dreaming
-
1 hour ago, GRDadof3 said:
tournaments?
Sign me up!
-
11 hours ago, jonrapley said:
I've always known it as Foot Pool. I don't think there is an official name though.
Sounds like you have maybe played before... if so, is there something special about the balls that will prevent them from bouncing out and rolling into the road? That is one of the first things that came to mind when I saw the renderings. Seems to be some fencing to help but not sure if that will be enough?
After a quick google search, it appears like this game is also known as "Snookball"... the more you know
-
46 minutes ago, twoshort said:
Well, you beat me to it, but I had my headline all planned:
This just in: Johnny Bz to get rid of worlds worst parking lot. Images from planning commission.
Holy Crap!!! When I heard "Summer Yard Games" I cant say I was picturing soccer billiards but I am not disappointed! Thanks for adding some context!
-
1
-
-
Heard over the weekend that Jonny B'z will be getting some renovations this Summer. Sounded like the plans include new arrangement of seating with more booths inside and additional seating outside plus space for summer yard games where the current parking lot is
Brick Road Pizza!! Lets get these restaurants packed again once this all passes 
Wealthy Street Mega Thread
in Grand Rapids
Posted
The spot next to Chartreuse Sisters will be Basic Bee Boutique... moving from their location on Division.