Eatery plans stall out at former library
Greg Gilmore, the restaurateur behind The B.O.B. and other local establishments, has paused on plans to put a coffee shop and bakery into the former library and banking site at 1431 Plainfield Ave. Yet, with $250,000 already invested, Gilmore remains “passionate” about the project.
According to excerpts from the story:
When Gilmore bought the high-profile former library and bank branch from the city for $95,000 in May 2003, he promised a new coffee shop and bakery within a year.
Gilmore, whose area restaurants include eateries at The B.O.B. in downtown Grand Rapids, Rose’s in East Grand Rapids and The Kirby House in Grand Haven, said he has more than $240,000 invested in the project but still isn’t sure which direction it will take.
“It’s been a passion and a high priority, that’s why we have almost $250,000 in it,” he said. “In this economy, with the numbers that came back, it would be economic suicide. So we’re pausing to understand what happened.”
Read the complete story here.
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