Located comfortably between the inner suburb of East Grand Rapids and the resurgent East Hills neighborhood, Eastown is the seat of the city's alternative, hipster scene. Some refer to the area as the 'Greenwich Village of Grand Rapids.'The district also is known as the city's gathering place. With coffee shops like Early Bird, blues bars like Billy's, and one-of-a-kind restaurants like Yesterdog, Wolfgang's, Terra, and Matchbox Eastown draws an eclectic mix people from all over the city for breakfast, lunch, and night life.
What happens when one of Grand Rapids’ most beloved restaurants changes ownership after almost 50 years? At Yesterdog, the answer isn’t about reinvention—it’s a genuine dedication to preserving the heart of a neighborhood business.
A new record shop has opened in Grand Rapids’ Eastown neighborhood. Located at 1505 Wealthy St. SE, Vinyl Alchemy purveys vinyl, CDs, and art and pop culture collectibles.
Proposed City of Grand Rapids requirements for lead dust testing would reduce childhood lead poisoning.
Tech Week GR underlines Grand Rapids’ claim to the Silicon Valley of the Midwest. The Right Place and other strategic partners have created a foundation for helping technology companies thrive in Grand Rapids, driven by the live event.
Improving old technologies with new is, in many ways, the heart of improving access for humans. It is also a great motivator for those with the talents to do so. Here are the people behind those efforts and why this work is so important to them and within the region.
Young Money Finances is a Grand Rapids-based mobile nonprofit that aims to educate and empower young people ages 10-17 in financial literacy. Their goal is to provide students with resources and tools not always provided in traditional classrooms.
GRow1000 returns to employ young adults ages 15 to 24 in professional career opportunities and mentorship. One partner organization, Spectrum Health, explains how participants can benefit from this program.
While the pandemic emphasized the importance of the COVID-19 vaccine, it also highlighted a need for other vaccinations to be discussed. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reports significant drops in childhood immunization rates across both county and state levels.
Facing health disparities, many health care organizations are working to answer the question, “How do we deliver equitable care?” Spectrum Health aims to address the issue by providing the community with targeted resources and initiatives.
City of Grand Rapids is using a new model, the Participatory Budgeting Project (PBP), that will give residents more say in how its $2 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds will be spent in each of the city's three wards.
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