Alpine Meijer To Get New Face

[tamias6]

Almost forgot to post a head on view of the predicted store front to illustrate exact position of the entrances.

[tamias6]

Construction Update:

First things first, the plywood paneling over the location of the new retail entry has been taken done revealing a large gaping hole in the wall. Being its a cloudy day today one could see the store lights within all the way from Alpine Ave. Via this gaping chasm a Bob Cat was hauling away large chunks of concrete flooring removed to make way for modifications to the building's foundation to accept the new retail entry. Also the Pharmacy's drive through window as been installed.

Inside, toys, office/school supplies, and seasonal dept. which have been moved into the addition last week, are slowly getting organized but are open to the public. Next, a 25' by 40' area, just west of the existing jewelry display cases along with 3' x 25' foot strip along the location of the old exterior south wall in fount of the new seasonal department's new home, and a section of the fast disappearing south concourse have been sectioned off and are in the process of having new flooring installed. Meanwhile a new jewelry dept. is being constructed across the checkout lane waiting area from lane 15. Made of maple veneered materials, trimmed in polished chrome, and enhanced by an illuminated rectangular box shape dept, sign hanging over head, the new jewelery display cabinets look like they have been transplanted from a high end New York City department store. Surrounding the new Jewelry dept. is the appearance new department labeled "Misses" which sells clothing to older teen girls and college aged woman followed by a "tween" girls dept. labeled "Juniors" which is located next door to the revamped Women's dept. Lastly more ceiling panels have been installed in the new drop ceiling directly above the checkout lanes.

To finish off today's update here's a photo of the gaping chasm that will eventually become home to the new retail entrance.

[pcdoctor]

Doc's Construction Update:

Few warnings to announce. If you plan to go to Alpine meijer today, I do want to let you know that parts of the store are cold! It was quite cold in the grocery area today. Next, except for some places in the store, it is really hard to navigate around there right now. More so over by where toys and sporting goods used to be, and some of those other areas as well.

The New Jewelry department is now open for business and construction crews were in the process of dismantling the old jewelry department in preperations to add more lanes in the future.

There was an area in the clothing department that was sectioned off and all of the tiles removed from there.

I also got to quickly go into some new parts of the store, and hopefully it's temporarily, but some of the isles look a little more crammed then they used to be. Like in toys and where stationary products are now located. Stationary is now known as Home and Office Supplies or something like that. They are now by the e4 dept. Speaking of e4, it's still not 100% stocked over by the video games yet.

Well that's all I have to say for now. Look for future updates.

[tamias6]

Doc's Construction Update:

.... They are now by the e4 dept. Speaking of e4, it's still not 100% stocked over by the video games yet.

Well that's all I have to say for now. Look for future updates.

[pcdoctor]

It seems like it's going to take weeks, maybe even months before the two new entrances open up. I looked inside the grocery entrance today and there were still lots of poles hanging in the path yet. Hopefully they hurry up and get one of the new entrances open soon.

[tamias6]

It seems like it's going to take weeks, maybe even months before the two new entrances open up. I looked inside the grocery entrance today and there were still lots of poles hanging in the path yet. Hopefully they hurry up and get one of the new entrances open soon.

[pcdoctor]

Based on what I heard:

The New Pharmacy is now completed and is now open for business. The old one is of course closed, but have not heard that it had been demolished yet. However, the health and beauty care products are still in the same area, but I anticipate that they will move during the week. Also, the drive thru window is open as well.

I've also heard that they added more lanes now, I think it's up to 5 or 9, something like that. And the area where the old pets/seasonal and stuff like that is now sectioned off.

Again, this is what I heard from my brother. I wasn't actually at the store today.

[Zomby-Woof]

Based on what I heard:

The New Pharmacy is now completed and is now open for business. The old one is of course closed, but have not heard that it had been demolished yet. However, the health and beauty care products are still in the same area, but I anticipate that they will move during the week. Also, the drive thru window is open as well.

I've also heard that they added more lanes now, I think it's up to 5 or 9, something like that. And the area where the old pets/seasonal and stuff like that is now sectioned off.

Again, this is what I heard from my brother. I wasn't actually at the store today.

[tamias6]

Construction Update:

Despite no visible changes to the exterior since my last visit. Quite a bit as happen inside the Alpine Meijer. The most important development in this update is the opening of the new Pharmacy and it's drive-thru window. However Over-the-counter medicines as well as Health and Beauty are still at there existing locations at the back of the sales floor next to bottle returns. But they too will soon move as brand new shelving and fixtures in the new pharmacy area have been installed and are awaiting to be stocked.

Moving westward along the south wall of the addition, the area where the bicycles and board games, along with the area of E4 where the televisions and bookshelf stereos are displayed, has been closed off for more electrical work up on the ceiling.

Moving northward up the back concourse, one will find that the former locations of the old music dept and greeting cards has received new tile work on the floor and paint work on the ceiling. Though the back wall in that area still needs to be painted.

Further to the north, one will find that the old pharmacy service desks have been completely demolished and new stud work going in to fill in the gaping chasm in the wall left in the demolition's wake. Again over-the-counter products along with health and beauty products are still in there existing locations.

Turning east and moving along the north concourse towards the fount of the store, a worker, with blueprints in hand and an indelible marker in the other, was placing markings on the floor through out the produce area to indicate changes that will soon occur there. I am assuming these markings indicate where new sub grade pipping and conduits are to be installed.

Meanwhile, in the central portion of the store, the new shoe dept. is open while work on the mens dept. was under way. Also, the Infant and Toddler supplies have been setup in their final locations. However next to the Infant and Tots, are found some of the men's clothing. The remainder of the men's clothing are found in areas of the men's dept. not affected by construction as well as in the former locations of the old music dept. and greeting cards.

Lastly, moving to the checkout lanes, one will NOT find any new lanes added yet. Its still 31 -15 plus the existing south end U-Scanners with lane 21 closed for repair work on a few broken/ defective floor tiles. But, an area of the floor, between the south end U-Scan lanes and the new Pharmacy area, has been sectioned off and striped of its old tiles. Workers within this area were in the beginning stages of laying the new tile work. Also the ceiling above this area has been painted and new lighting installed. So in just a matter of a few weeks we may see the rest of the new check out lanes added.

[Raildudes dad]

Completion date: I talked with my cousin today. His company is doing all the painting except the new addition exterior. He said they expect to be all done by June 1st. He was telling me they double cover the grocery section and then paint the ceilng over the groceries. They have to station an employee at the end of a covered aisle and the employee goes and retrieves the item for the customer. Obviously they are painting these areas in the middle of the night when the customer count is low.

Has anybody noticed where Veloise's "steam shovel" was working, it appears the new valve / water service is leaking?

[pcdoctor]

So I see. Well like I said, some of it was based off of what I heard. Were they already having electrical problems in the new areas already? And some of the new floor work that has been done by the checkout lanes was already in need of repair? So do they plan to tear down the old pharmacy or just cover it all and make it all walls?

Raildudes, for some reason, I can't seem to understand what it is you are saying when it comes to the part where construction are painting the ceiling in the grocery area. Do they also plan to put in new shelving, flooring, and even change the light fixtures in the grocery area to make them be like the light fixtures on the rest of the sales floor?

I would also like to find out when they plan to replace the tile between the checkout lanes and the shop fronts? For some reason, that area to me would seem harder to replace because of too much traffic around there.

[Raildudes dad]

Raildudes, for some reason, I can't seem to understand what it is you are saying when it comes to the part where construction are painting the ceiling in the grocery area. Do they also plan to put in new shelving, flooring, and even change the light fixtures in the grocery area to make them be like the light fixtures on the rest of the sales floor?

[tamias6]

If one were to visit a new Meijer store such as the Standale Meijer on Lake Michigan Drive and Wilson, one will notice that in addition to the sale floor lighting, there is a continuous band of lights circumnavigating the sales floor washing the perimeter walls with ambient light. The electrical work occurring by the bicycles, board games, and E4's TV displays is most likely to bring portions of that same type of lighting in the Alpine store into working order.

The repair work going on in lane 21 is a result of glitches one normally sees in a construction project of this size and scope.

The old pharmacy has been completely and utterly demolished. Judging by new stud work already filling in the resulting chasm, the space of the old pharmacy is most likely to become solid wall with the exception of the two back room doors next to bottle returns . This wall will eventually accommodate the fish, birds, and small pets, display units since this area will become the new pet supply dept once health and beauty along with over-the-counter medicines are moved to the new pharmacy area.

As for the grocery area being painted, none of that has happen as of yet. Also I'm expecting a complete revamping of this area since the bakery and deli will be moved to the former location of the small pets at the north east corner of the store and the existing grocery entrance. This would mean at the very least new paint on the ceiling and walls, new lighting, followed by the re-tiling of the floor, then capped off by a mix of new and existing shelving and fixtures.

But there is more to the prospects of the grocery section's future than that. Meijer seems to have opted to follow their latest chain wide format to the letter as indicated by the planned move of the deli and bakery. In that case, one will see frozen foods and refrigerated aisles moved towards the front of the sales floor to the current locations of aisles 1-3. The freezer cabinet and other various coolers and refrigerated cases will be black in color and accessible via glass doors in a similar manner as the milk and eggs. Next, one will undoubtedly witness a complete and total overall of the produce section. Then, if Meijer follows the latest format faithfully, the meat and seafoods will be moved forward 30 feet to roughly the current location of the deli. Lunch meats and cheeses will be between them and the milk and eggs. Bread and buns, currently located in the same aisle as breakfast cereals, will be relocated along a new perimeter wall between the new Meat and Seafoods and the new Bakery. Soft Drinks will be move to the back where paper towels and toilet paper are currently sold. Displaced by the incoming soft drinks, toilet paper and paper towels will join facial tissue paper, storage bags, and various disposables one to two aisle eastward. Finally, along with many other revisions too much to list here, alcoholic beverages, coffee makings, teas, and salty snacks, will span two aisles that will replace the current location of frozen foods. These new aisles will be highlighted by fancy displays of Meijer wine offerings.

So I see. Well like I said, some of it was based off of what I heard. Were they already having electrical problems in the new areas already? And some of the new floor work that has been done by the checkout lanes was already in need of repair? So do they plan to tear down the old pharmacy or just cover it all and make it all walls?

Raildudes, for some reason, I can't seem to understand what it is you are saying when it comes to the part where construction are painting the ceiling in the grocery area. Do they also plan to put in new shelving, flooring, and even change the light fixtures in the grocery area to make them be like the light fixtures on the rest of the sales floor?

I would also like to find out when they plan to replace the tile between the checkout lanes and the shop fronts? For some reason, that area to me would seem harder to replace because of too much traffic around there.

[Veloise]

If one were to visit a new Meijer store such as the Standale Meijer on Lake Michigan Drive and Wilson, ...

[tamias6]

Just for that I'm going to include a suburban strip mall with oodles of Big Boxes in the GVSU lot across the street. That'll fix ya.

Quit the dang shopping and work on my Bicycle Factory!

[please]

[Veloise]

Just for that I'm going to include a suburban strip mall with oodles of Big Boxes in the GVSU lot across the street. That'll fix ya.

[gvsusean]

i was just hinking that there is alot of posts for this... but who really cares what the inside of the alpine meijer looks like?

[jbr12]

How about anybody who uses the Alpine Meijer on a consistent basis? Its actually been quiet fun watching one of the oldest existing Meijer stores bee transformed in a very short amount of time. Its amazing how much of an effect new flooring and better lighting can have on a space

[snoogit]

The Alpine Meijer could also be considered the "downtown" Meijer through adoption, only because it's the closest Meijer store to downtown. Which is why I think its getting a lot of interest here.

*Before the boos begin*

I know its not DT, but its the closest Meijer to DT!

[tamias6]

I, for one, do. I've been shopping at that store for almost two decades. Despite that it was outdated aesthetically, it was a nice store to go to. Employees have been helpful while products I've purchased have, for the most part, served their proposes without trouble. I would like to believe that many others who shop at that store or any Meijer location feels the same way. The store, as old as it may be, is not broken or down on hard luck. So Meijer could have left well enough alone regardless of the pending Wal-Mart super center that will replace the Wal-Mart just down the street. If need be Meijer could have opted to conduct a simple cosmetic update to the interior and a couple of fresh coats of paint to the outside as was the case the last time the Alpine store was updated. That alone would have more than satisfied me. Meijer also could have conducted a renovation similar to the renovation recently accomplished at the Jenison store complete with addition but would have resulted in a building that looked pretty much similar as it did before the renovation. In fact, that option was what I predicted when I first caught wind of the Alpine store's renovation. Also, Meijer could have chosen to forsake the existing Alpine Store all together to build a brand new Alpine store somewhere else in that corridor. Any of these options would have been valid choices in preparing the Alpine Meijer to successfully face Wal-Mart and other rivals in the heat of competition.

However, in my opinion, Meijer has opted to go a step beyond those lesser options to completely and utterly transform the old work horse into arguably one of the finest Meijer stores in the entire chain. To me this sends a loud and clear message that Meijer is indeed committed to its customer base within the Alpine store's market reach and that Wal-Mart's new super center, when built, will have to fight tooth and nail to pry any customers out of Meijer's hands.

That is why I'm excited over this renovation.

i was just hinking that there is alot of posts for this... but who really cares what the inside of the alpine meijer looks like?

[Zomby-Woof]

I, for one, do. I've been shopping at that store for almost two decades. Despite that it was outdated aesthetically, it was a nice store to go to. Employees have been helpful while products I've purchased have, for the most part, served their proposes without trouble. I would like to believe that many others who shop at that store or any Meijer location feels the same way. The store, as old as it may be, is not broken or down on hard luck. So Meijer could have left well enough alone regardless of the pending Wal-Mart super center that will replace the Wal-Mart just down the street. If need be Meijer could have opted to conduct a simple cosmetic update to the interior and a couple of fresh coats of paint to the outside as was the case the last time the Alpine store was updated. That alone would have more than satisfied me. Meijer also could have conducted a renovation similar to the renovation recently accomplished at the Jenison store complete with addition but would have resulted in a building that looked pretty much similar as it did before the renovation. In fact, that option was what I predicted when I first caught wind of the Alpine store's renovation. Also, Meijer could have chosen to forsake the existing Alpine Store all together to build a brand new Alpine store somewhere else in that corridor. Any of these options would have been valid choices in preparing the Alpine Meijer to successfully face Wal-Mart and other rivals in the heat of competition.

However, in my opinion, Meijer has opted to go a step beyond those lesser options to completely and utterly transform the old work horse into arguably one of the finest Meijer stores in the entire chain. To me this sends a loud and clear message that Meijer is indeed committed to its customer base within the Alpine store's market reach and that Wal-Mart's new super center, when built, will have to fight tooth and nail to pry any customers out of Meijer's hands.

That is why I'm excited over this renovation.

[snoogit]

Although it probably was never an option from the get-go, but I think that it would have been even neater to have seen Meijer be an anchor in a large retail development at the old Lear plant. Still I do like what Meijer is doing now, and perhaps with this renovation could help revitalize Alpine south of 3 Mile a tad.

[tamias6]

I'm hoping the Alpine Meijer renovation spurs revitalization in that area too. I would be happy to see the Lear plant buildings converted into something like....

This urban development in Chicago

Its features urban iterations of major retail stores, smaller shops, and mix use spaces. Something like this would help revitalized the neighbor hood across the street, as well as bring up property values in the Richmound Park 'hoods. It would also bring in massive amounts of tax dollars to walker to make up for the closure of the Lear Plant.

[pcdoctor]

Today's Construction Update from Doc!

We will start outside beginning at the garden center. They were putting some brown covering up on the canopy. I do have a picture of it, but don't know how to post it here on this site. Next, the retail entrance hole was open again, so you could see inside there.

Moving inside. At the checkout lanes, there is of course 31-15, but then there's 9, 8, 7, and to the new u-scan lanes that are at the opposite end. They weren't running though. If one would notice, the u-scan lanes on the south end of the building are outside of the drop ceiling area. I am not sure if they plan to put anymore drop ceiling in or not. Next. You can see where the retail entry would be located from the inside, and from what I am predicting and it maybe true, you will be walking in the retail entry and you will see the u-scan lanes in front of you. Between lanes 9 and 15 where there isn't lanes, they still have to replace the floor there yet.

Moving to the Pharmacy area. I saw the new pharmacy was open, and wow it did look like there was actually some more room to wait in lines, and sit in front of the pharmacy. There's still a lot of empty shelving in that area, but they are slowly getting really to move the health and beauty care products to the new area. Lights on the ceiling over by the pharmacy weren't on yet. And some areas are still sectioned off.

The other day, Tamia had mentioned that they had parts from toys to e4 sectioned off for more electrical work. I can now say that there are new lights that are shining on the wall.

Next: In the former paint/electrical locations, areas in that area were sectioned off in preparations for new flooring there. Plumbing and Electrical have moved down to the old greeting card/music area. No ceiling fans up on display or any of the lighting yet.

Next: The old pharmacy location has been drywalled and was getting painted today. Oh and over the current HBC section, it received new paint and new lights up and running.

Speaking of the lights, I've noticed that a lot of the light fixtures old and new are very crooked on the line. That don't look too good.

Finally: The men's department is slowly but surely getting rebuilt. They were installing shelves and stuff like that there. There is however carpet in some parts of the mens yet to be torn out.

All in all, the store is starting to take some shape, but they have yet to renovate/remodel most of the area where the former toys/sporting goods, stuff like that in that particular area. Ceiling needs to be painted, new flooring, light fixtures, stuff like that is needed. I am predicting that it could be maybe a month to a month and a half until all of the remodeling on the retail side is completed.

Something that I didn't like today. The shelving in the new part of the store looks like exhisting shelving and it looked kinda ugly. I hope that isn't permanent. And also on all the light fixtures, I've noticed a lot of them like every 2 or 3 lights is out as well. One other thing regarding the new retail and grocery entries I found out about. The retail entry is most likely going to be the first entry to open up. I found this out from of the greeters at the door today. He didn't say when it would open, but anticipates that it maybe a few weeks yet. He is for positive that it will be the first to open up.

[tamias6]

Hmmm... It seems kind of odd that the new south end U-scanners are outside the drop ceiling area as a cart holding area should be located on that spot. Next time I go the Alpine store I have to see for myself. As for the new retail entry being opened in just a few weeks I'm have my doubts. Unless allot of progress has been made since my last visit, workers still need to demolish the rest of the front wall in the new entrance's way along with a 30 foot square section of roof over head then build the new eye brow roof and glass curtain wall defining the entry then do finish work all in a very short time span. But construct is going on 24 hours a day so we will have to see.