Abby Poirier

Grand Rapids

Reporter at Crain’s Grand Rapids Business

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Articles

Downtown coffee shop to quadruple roasting capacity, eyes national sales with new facility

1 week ago | crainsgrandrapids.com | Abby Poirier

Downtown Grand Rapids specialty coffee shop Lantern Coffee Bar & Lounge has opened a dedicated roasting facility where it will quadruple roasting capacity in a move into e-commerce sales. Lantern’s new, approximately 1,000-square-foot roastery operates out of the ground floor at 563 Cesar E. Chavez Ave. SW in Grand Rapids’ Roosevelt Park neighborhood, sharing space with cold brew coffee and chocolate company Roast Umber’s fulfillment center. Keep up with all things West Michigan business.
New Holland Brewing plans pinwheel takeout restaurant in Grand Haven

2 weeks ago | crainsgrandrapids.com | Abby Poirier

New Holland Brewing is opening a takeout restaurant in downtown Grand Haven in June, selling quick food options that complement the company’s adjacent spirits tasting room. A year after opening the tasting room at the former Grand Theatre at 24 S. Washington Ave., New Holland Brewing is expanding next door with the addition of Pinwheel Kitchen.
Woman-owned furniture store expands with new Grand Rapids showroom

2 weeks ago | crainsgrandrapids.com | Abby Poirier

A boutique furniture liquidation store that started on Grand Rapids’ west side is relocating its showroom to Godfrey Avenue with an expanded showroom and offerings. Retailer Furn on Leonard LLC, which opened a 4,000-square-foot showroom at 444 Leonard St. NW in early 2022, is moving to 1035 Godfrey Ave. SW, where co-owners Meg Giampapa and daughter Emma Giampapa have built-out a new storage warehouse and retail space. Furn on Leonard closed on Jan.
Vel Sushi and Pho to open in downtown Grand Rapids’ Studio Park

2 weeks ago | crainsgrandrapids.com | Abby Poirier

Studio Park is adding a new Vietnamese sushi restaurant that plans to open by the end of April. Vel Sushi and Pho is setting up shop in a 1,200-square-foot suite at 122 Oakes St. SW. Owners Anu Sung and her husband, Aceu Thawng, named the new restaurant after their five-month-old son, Vel Thawng. The spot will offer pho, sushi, boba tea and fried rice for lunch and dinner.
Michigan's lone James Beard finalist built its reputation 25 guests at a time

3 weeks ago | crainsdetroit.com | Abby Poirier

Intimate Traverse City farm-to-table restaurant The Cooks’ House is the only Michigan restaurant to advance as a finalist in the James Beard Awards, a move that co-owner Eric Patterson said came as a surprise. Patterson and co-owner and Chef Jennifer Blakeslee have been nominated as the best chef in the Great Lakes region, which encompasses Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois.
Rachel Gorman | Women of Influence 2025

3 weeks ago | crainsgrandrapids.com | Abby Poirier

President and CEO, Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of CommerceRachel Gorman traced a path from intern to President and CEO of the Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce after “falling in love” with her work at the organization. Along the way, one of the most important lessons Gorman learned as a young woman in leadership was to pursue her goals unapologetically. “If you never make known what you want, you can’t be upset when you don’t get it,” she said.
DeVos-owned Fox Powersports expands with deal for three troubled dealerships

3 weeks ago | crainsgrandrapids.com | Abby Poirier

Fox Powersports has added a trio of dealerships in a deal for the assets of Lakeside Motors, a distressed family-owned company that’s faced a string of lawsuits from lenders in recent months. In a transaction that closed April 1, the Dan DeVos-owned Fox Powersports acquired Lakeside Motor Sports & Marine’s two locations in Mecosta, east of Big Rapids, and Nelson’s Speed Shop in Greenville.
Michigan’s craft beverage makers fight to survive

3 weeks ago | crainsdetroit.com | Abby Poirier

Five years after the COVID-19 pandemic began, Michigan’s craft beverage makers are fighting to regain their footing as economic challenges hit discretionary spending, younger customers look for healthier alternatives and tariffs challenge an industry still in recovery. At the Michigan Craft Beverage Summit in March, cider makers, wineries, craft brewers and distillers gathered at Lansing Brewing Co. to tackle a wide range of issues their industries face and explore new ways to grow.
Inside Michigan’s craft beverage makers and their fight to survive

3 weeks ago | crainsgrandrapids.com | Abby Poirier

Five years after the pandemic, Michigan’s craft beverage makers are fighting to regain their footing as economic challenges hit discretionary spending, younger customers look for healthier alternatives and tariffs challenge an industry still in recovery. At the Michigan Craft Beverage Summit, held this month at Lansing Brewing Co., cider makers, wineries, craft brewers and distillers gathered to tackle a wide range of issues their industries face and to explore new ways to grow.
Sidebar to expand and redesign downtown Grand Rapids cocktail bar

3 weeks ago | crainsgrandrapids.com | Abby Poirier

The small downtown Grand Rapids cocktail bar known as Sidebar plans to reimagine its 500-square-foot space with a new look and additional seats amid a growth spurt. Located in the basement level of the Aldrich Building at 80 Ottawa Ave. NW, Sidebar offers classic and modern cocktails in an intimate, Chicago-inspired bar that shares an entrance with the adjacent Big O’s Pizza restaurant.