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Old Posted Nov 2, 2018, 4:44 PM
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deja vu deja vu is offline
somewhere in-between
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: The Zoo, Michigan
Posts: 3,496
Second, the downtown Biggby Coffee (located at 121 E. Michigan Ave.) has just closed its doors. Citing lower-than-expected profitability, they are announcing a relocation to the former Hoekstra's Hardware Store building, which is located near the corner of Crosstown and Portage St. This is surprising in a sense, because it is a run-down, industrial area with many abandoned buildings and almost zero foot traffic. On the other hand, it is a large, 2-story + basement structure about 25,000 SF total, with plenty of room for free on-site parking and a drive through (both of which the downtown location suffered for a lack of). It is also located along one of the primary commuter routes for folks who travel to / from downtown for work each day.

The city has been trying to revamp this area for years. Hoesktra's closing several years back was literally the end of an era - the company was in business for 149 years! Oft considered the longest-running retail business in the city, it was basically the Lowe's / Home Depot of the city, serving the burgeoning post-war neighborhoods surrounding downtown. Hopefully it's relocation here triggers more development, and helps play a role in connecting downtown further south to the Edison Neighborhood, where lots of effort has been concentrated to revamp that small business district centered around Washington Square.

Quote:
Biggby Coffee Closes Up Shop in Downtown Kalamazoo
Dave Benson | WKFR 103.3
November 1, 2018

The East Michigan location was a part of the redevelopment of that block of Michigan Ave. At best, it has been only marginally successful. The proposed new location mentioned in the post is another that city planners and developers are trying to bring back to life, so far with little success. It was two years ago that historic Hoekstra Tru-Value Hardware shut it's doors.
From a Biggby Facebook Post:

Quote:
Thank you so much for your patronage. We will be closing our doors for business at this location on November 1st. We will be relocating to the corner of Crosstown and Portage Rd in Spring/Summer of 2019. This new location will have a Drive-thru and dedicated free parking. Please keep a look out for our grand reopening. We sincerely apologize to all of the regulars that found a home in this location and look forward to rekindling the relationship with you all down the road!
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