Did You Know: Michigan’s Meijer Was Originally Called This…
I almost feel like I'm an insult to the word "Michigander" as I only recently discovered that our beloved store Meijer, which first opened it's doors in Grand Rapids, wasn't originally called Meijer. Funny enough, Meijer was my first job when I was 14, so I guess that makes me a pretty crappy employee. It turns out that Meijer had a name that was a little more dandy for its time, as their companies history details:
Meijer pioneered the idea of a superstore when, in 1962, it opened its first "Thrifty Acres," a food and general merchandise store that allowed customers to shop for everything they needed with just one trip to the store. Today brothers Hank and Doug Meijer, grandsons of the founder, run the company. It has been 59 years since Hendrik and Fred Meijer opened “Thrifty Acres” in Grand Rapids, marking the birth of the first supercenter nationwide and an innovative concept that would springboard into a retail phenomenon.
Turning 60 in 2022
The Grand Rapids location, which now has a historical marker placed on the property, will be celebrating it's 60th year in business on June 6th, of 2022. There's no word yet on if they have anything special planned as they did when they celebrated their 50th anniversary, but it's still quite the accomplishment, as they remain one of the most dominant grocery stores in the state.
Expansion made in 60 years
Meijer has expanded from Michigan, with one half of their stores located throughout Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and Wisconsin, which totals at 253 stores nation-wide.