A round-up of the new restaurants and other businesses in Grand Rapids and across West Michigan, as well as closings, relocations and other changes.
OPENED: Keke’s Kitchen arrived on the scene at 1269 Madison Ave. SE, south of downtown Grand Rapids. Self-taught chef Keke has been cooking and catering for years, but just recently opened this eatery with a variety of cuisine, including fried fish, breakfast and brunch specialties, Rasta Pasta and more.
Jyoti’s Kitchen joined Gaslight Village at 2230 Wealthy St., Grand Rapids. Here you’ll find handcrafted, authentic Indian cuisine with family-style servings, as well as lunch options (especially popular with EGR students), and even boba tea that the previous eatery, Pink Piggy, offered. The owner and her husband said they’ve been eyeing this space for nearly 10 years.
Right next door at 2232 Wealthy St., Jose Babushka’s has rebranded and reopened as Jose’s Village Social. In their words, “Think a fresh look, an updated menu, and big screens for all your favorite games. We’re keeping the classics you love while adding a whole lineup of new shareables, burgers, wings, sandwiches, wraps, and some seriously delicious salads. There’s something for the whole family to enjoy.”
The new restaurant from local chef Trimell Hawkins has a unique approach. Trust at 117 S. Division Ave., Grand Rapids offers a fixed price ($100 for the standard experience, $125 for the intimate chef’s table), multi-course meal of innovative New American soul food. It’s the kind of experience you’d typically find in larger cities, but West Michigan certainly deserves. Next door is also Tellers Lounge, a new craft cocktail lounge offering small bites and Sunday brunch from Trust.
The New Orleans-inspired Sugah Please Brunch Bar has expanded from Detroit to Grand Rapids at 1 Carlton Ave. It’s known for serving up breakfast, lunch and brunch with soul, including options like Catfish & Grits, Pasta Mardi Gras, Fried Green Tomatoes and Peach Beignets.
The former Union Cabaret & Grille space (125 S. Kalamazoo Mall) in Kalamazoo is now Old Skool Bar, designed to be a place to unplug and reconnect. There’s no Wi-Fi, and they try to give you plenty of activities to stay off your phone, including a big menu of bar food, pool tables, pinball, arcade games, and tons of events.
After years as a beloved food truck, Sweet Racks & Smokin’ Butts BBQ opened a brick and mortar location in Grandville at 2996 28th St. SW. The menu is loaded with meat and mac & cheese in various forms, including sandwiches, burritos, tacos, nachos and the classic meat + side platters.
Stovetop Coffee Roasters expanded with a new location in Holland at 317 Central Ave., roughly two miles north of the roastery and café, and in addition to the Grand Rapids location on East Fulton. Known for carefully sourced coffee from around the world, this new café also offers sweet and savory treats.
After 12 years in business, largely in Grand Rapids’ Downtown Market, Love’s Ice Cream is expanding to Ada at 7333 Bronson. The new location has been a postal barn, a church, an eye doctor, and now will be serving up made from scratch ice cream, gelato and chocolate confections.
There’s a new neighborhood refillery and sustainable swap shop in Grand Haven: Rosewood Provisions. Located at 106 N. 7th St., this store is all about eliminating waste and providing a community space, with everything from cleaning supplies to bath & body products, pantry staples and more. Bring a container (or 10) and fill up!
The woman- and queer-owned Starbird Tattoo Studio opened doors downtown at 349 S. Division Ave., housing a variety of passionate artists of various art styles.
Photo: Grand Rapids African American Museum and Archives new location.
MOVED:
LaFontsee Galleries has officially moved into the old Creston Brewery space at 1504 Plainfield Ave. NE, Grand Rapids. Head in for a contemporary art gallery with a substantial custom framing service, as well as art consulting for residential and commercial clients.
Grand Rapids’ Cocoon Art Space is moving as well, from Division downtown to 1509 Lake Dr. SE in Eastown. Taking over the space previously occupied by Rainbow Resources, this move “will enable us to continue our mission of supporting local artistic expression and helping creatives grow.”
Perhaps the biggest upgrade of all: Grand Rapids African American Museum and Archives moved from Monroe Center to 41 Sheldon Ave. SE, giving them 15 times more space. This move also comes with expanded hours, membership & event rentals, and special events to come. A second phase is planned, adding a gift shop, bookstore, café and more. The space previously held UICA and the ArtPrize Hub.
CLOSED:
Virtue Farm, a gem of Fennville, is moving on after 13 years. Owner Greg Hall sold the farm, cider shop, and production space, which was also home multiple animals and a farm market. However, the Virtue Cider brand will continue with distribution in Michigan and Illinois, with Hall currently seeking a new production space. He said, “I’d like to thank the thousands of customers who visited Virtue Farm, your support meant everything. To our business partners - investors, apple growers, suppliers, bands that played, distributors, and retailers, thank you.”
After 5 years, Basic Bee Boutique (804 Wealthy Street SE, Grand Rapids) is closing doors on Mother’s Day, May 10. Without giving any specific reason, the owner said “The next few weeks will be a celebration of everything we’ve built together. We’ll be hosting a closing sale and saying goodbye the best way we know how, surrounded by the community that made it all possible. This isn’t goodbye… it’s just the end of this chapter.”
Greenbush Brewing in Sawyer is shutting down after nearly 15 years in business. In their words, “We could point to a lot of things in the world economy that finally brought us to a dead end but everyone reads the news and looks around. As is always the case when something ends, the dusty crevices of the inter webs will be rife with speculation, but the simple reality is that the restaurant world is hurting and we were no exception. We kicked the can down the road as long as we could, but as they say, the secret to a happy ending is knowing when to roll the credits, so we’re going to exit stage left and let the sun rise on another day.”
Paisley Pig (501 Miller Drive, Grand Haven) decided to shutter after 9 years in business serving wood-fired pizzas, burgers, barbecue and more. Their statement said, “The combination of high labor costs and the significant increase in the cost of goods had made it financially impossible for us to continue forward. We can’t say enough about the importance of supporting local!”
After 78 years of business, art store and print shop Service Reproduction Co. (340 Summer Ave. NW, Grand Rapids) closed. The owner told Fox 17 that sales dipped and costs rose after the pandemic, and none of it was helped by the nearby construction of the Amway Stadium.
The Fowling Warehouse (6797 Cascade Rd. SE, Grand Rapids) made the difficult decision to close, “faced with risings costs and a changing effort.” Since opening in February 2018, the unique attraction combined football and bowling, alongside beer and food.
