Holland-based Michigan Pantry to open second location in Downtown GR Market

The Grand Rapids Downtown Market will welcome Michigan Pantry on Sept. 10 as its newest local retailer, a second location for the Holland-based business that launched its first location at 210 S. River Avenue in 2013. 

Michigan Pantry promotes not only a variety of Michigan-made food products, kitchenware, art, jewelry, beer, and wine from local producers, but also sells items from its own growing product line of specialty food products like Michigan honey, maple syrup, salsa and blueberry products. 

“There were some things we wanted and were looking for that were Michigan made, and if we can’t find what we're after or the quality isn’t there, then we think, you know what, why don’t we just do it ourselves,” says Michigan Pantry’s owner Robin Nash. 

Like its original Holland location, Michigan Pantry’s new Downtown Market location will carry entirely Michigan-made food and gifts, too. 

“We love the Market and what it is kind of about there and that whole vibe of what’s going on, and we just felt like we were a really good fit for being over there,” Nash says. “Our products are unique; they’re not things you’re going to find all over the place, a lot of them are just sold here.”

Nash said sometime last year she explored opening a second location in a mall or other location, but never felt as if those kinds of venues quite fit the primary vision of Michigan Pantry, which is to support local entrepreneurs and artisans. 

However, when they began talking with organizers at the Downtown Grand Rapids Market, Nash says a Grand Rapids location started to make more sense. Combined with an existing customer base in the Grand Rapids/Hudsonville area, she says she feels good about taking this next step for expanding the physical presence for Michigan Pantry. 

“I think we just wanted to be able to reach more people,” she says. “We love the whole Downtown Market location and what they’re about. It just seems like a perfect fit for us. There’s really nowhere else that I can picture us being that we would be such good fit, honestly.” 

To learn more about Michigan Pantry and its full product line, visit their website here or find them on Facebook. For more information on the Downtown Grand Rapids Market, visit downtownmarketgr.com/. 

By Anya Zentmeyer, Development News Editor
Images courtesy of Michigan Pantry