The employees need a lesson on how to treat customers. Several times I have had to deal with rude,…read moreunprofessional employees. Do better! The one on Plainfield is great. Learn from them!

I went into the store yesterday and asked the owner if he could bring in a specific item for me…read more Super nice guy, heard me out, and today when I came back... there it was on the shelf. That kind of customer service is rare these days. He didn't have to do that, but he did -- and that's exactly why I love shopping here. If you want to support a place where the owner actually listens and cares about the people walking through the door, this is it. Shop here. He cares.

We've gotten into canning recently, and someone recommended we check out De Lange's for raspberry…read morepicking. The weather was a little drizzly, but we had a great time! We ended up picking about 8 lbs of berries, and learned a lot about raspberry plants in the process. The owners are super sweet, and we're looking forward to coming back again sometime!

I've stopped at the "farm barn" twice for strawberries and raspberries this season, and twice I was…read morea berry happy camper. You can't go wrong with berries straight from the farm. De Lange's is pretty no frills overall--a "get your berries and go" kind of spot. I'm pretty sure there were strawberry pie-shaped candles for sale in addition to some dessert-y components that you can also pick up at your local grocery store. It's nice if you're in a pinch, but I say spend your hard-earned dollars on the berries. I can't speak to the u-pick experience outside of knowing that De Lange's offers a strawberry u-pick option down the road. Knowing the quality of the strawbs, I may have to consider u-picking next season.

Speyer's is my current local business obsession. I discovered this Farm Market a couple of months…read moreago and have been back weekly (at least) since then to stock up on groceries. They have a bunch of homegrown produce, other local produce, flowers, pickles, local bread, cheese, eggs, etc. There is plenty of parking, things are priced great, the staff is super friendly, and there are a few adorable market cats often so you can tell them how adorable they are. I am sad that cherry season is over but I'm still stocking up on green beans, melon, plums, kale, etc!

Speyer's is not only my go to for flowers and vegetables plants in the spring to freshen up my…read moregarden, but its on my weekly run to get their produce or locally sourced items at their farmers market when it opens over the summer! They have some of the best products, prices and atmosphere. Their workers are all amazing and the family that runs it are so sweet and I have enjoyed living down the street from.

I've loved this little farm stand since I moved to GR three plus years ago. Not as big of a…read moreselection as Fulton Street, but super close to work making it easy to grab a few staples during the week like tomatoes, corn, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, peaches, and blueberries. And gorgeous little bouquets of flowers! If you are looking for a good old fashioned red slicing tomatoes, this place has some of the best. Great deals on bushels of Romas in September for canning/freezing. Come Fall, look for tons of pumpkins, winter squash, apples, and cider! Used to be located off of Four Mile, it is now off of Walker Road just past Bissel headquarters.

Great fruit and the best corn on the cob ever. People are great that work there. First class place…read more I highly recommend it.

I discovered Peach Ridge Farms while looking for a CSA earlier last year. Many local CSAs had sold…read moreout as it seemed lots of people were scrambling for this grocery store alternative in the height of COVID, but Peach Ridge Farms still had availability. They offer a half share for $245 and a full share for $465. The growing season varies but is usually July to November. Pickups for CSA shares are weekly on Monday from 3-7pm at the farm on the NW side. The half share was a perfect amount for my two-person household, and a great value at about $15/week. An average share might include some carrots, bell peppers, grapes, tomatoes, and plums. The best part about Peach Ridge Farms is that it's also a farmer's market where you can purchase additional seasonal produce, farm-fresh eggs, honey, apple cider, and delicious baked goods from Bristolwood Baked! It was so nice to be able to pick up a dozen eggs whenever we need rather than making a trip to the store or ordering grocery delivery. I've also been really happy to find an abundance of delicata squash at the farm, which I have never been able to find regularly at the store. Farmer Todd is there every week ready to ring up any additional items and provide you with some laughs.

Best place in Grand Rapids to buy produce! Todd is so kind and his produce is unmatched. So much…read morelove and hard work goes into every bite.

I love coffee shops, so I always get excited when I can try a new to me spot, like The Borough. I…read moredon't get to Allendale very often (maybe twice a year) so when I was heading to Grand Valley's campus for an event recently, I made sure to allow extra time to stop by. The parking lot in front is pretty small, and there is only one access point, so if you go past it, you'll have to turn around near the apartments behind it. Don't drive on the sidewalk... I didn't, mostly because there is a sign that says, "This is a sidewalk" which made me laugh. (Truly that should be an entrance into the parking lot!) The space is very bright and airy with cute decor and space to get some work or studying done. I was greeted right away when I walked in and I had a tough time deciding what to order. I wasn't hungry, but I love that they have a full on food menu - including salads, burgers(!!!), bagels, toasts, paninis, pastries, etc. Plus all the regular coffee items, boba, smoothies, and teas. I went with one of the seasonal specials, the banana bread matcha. It didn't take too long to come out and it was very tasty - not really what I was expecting, but I liked it. It reminded me of a very green banana (which is how I prefer bananas), it wasn't super sweet but also not super matcha-y. They are expanding their space, so I am interested in coming back to see what that looks like and to order more delicious drinks and try the food!

We tried The Borough for the first time with the family. This restaurant/ cafe is off of 48th…read morenestled amongst the GVSU apartments. The vibe is welcoming. We appreciated the kid friendly array of games and etch-a-sketch for entertainment. The menu is fun, but you need to search for prices. We ordered fries, a plain smashburger, a panini, and two sodas for around $31. Tipping is optional and the space is bright, playing dream pop tunes and filled with young 20 somethings. The food was good enough. My panini was well grilled, but the tomatoes would have been next level had they been marinated in balsamic vinegar. Winter is tough to find tasty tomatoes so I don't fault them on it... however the tomatoes were the let down of the Turkey PT 3 panini. The smashburger was sufficient. My husband said it tasted on par with Burger King (not sure if that's a compliment or a diss because we love BK). He was disappointed with the fries because earlier pictures portrayed them as hand cut and these were definitely from frozen. Either way, we cleaned our plates. If we come back, I'd be curious to try their breakfast. The açaí bowls look delicious along with the lox bagel and Seoul sunrise. They also have boba drinks, smoothies, coffees, and teas. Glad to have something with chill vibes in the neighborhood, but I definitely feel like the oldest person in the establishment. perhaps I contributed to the aging hipster vibe. We'll be back someday in the morning

This is such a quaint grocery store and home to our favorite coffee shop in GR!…read more There is a huge wall of candies, chocolate covered items and dried fruits. The produce always looks fresh and we have never had a poor tasting item. The meat/ seafood counter has a great selection. There's a mini cheese basket where you can try small amounts of each cheese, we've mostly paid $1-2 each for these! Definitely not a place you can complete all of your shopping but always worth going to.

Their prices are absolutely ridiculous and they just keep raising them. I was looking for a dessert…read morethat I have previously gotten that is gluten-free from rise bakery and they jacked the price up to $17 for a couple of cupcakes. The other options were eight dollars when I went there a couple months ago and purchased the same items they were half the price I won't be going here anymore.

Fulton Street Market is such a fun, cute little farmer's market. The market is held throughout the…read moreyear with lots of extra events such as a BIPOC night. I love being able to learn about local farmers, artisans, and experts in town. They offer several options to exchange funds and many of the vendors take multiple payment options. All of the vendors that I've met have been really kind and fair-priced if not sometimes cheaper than big stores. The social media accounts will often tell you what vendors will be at the market each day and I think that can be really helpful! There's free parking which is really nice but the market does get busy VERY quickly. I know the Saturday markets during the summer can be suuuper busy so I'd recommend going early or knowing you may need to walk.

What a great market! Vendors are so friendly and not pushy. They smile and say hello and let you…read moreperuse their items. I kept seeing all this produce and wanted just one apple. Good thing they asked if I had a question! I got my answer and received my Apple. Yay! They have some stands that make coffee and breakfast and lunch items but I had already eaten. Next time I'll try some of the food stands. I walked the whole market up one side and down the other. There is a small portion that is indoors. All in all, I spent about 20-30 min there. I grabbed some baked goods and some handmade goods as well. The vendors do have bags but I recommend you bring your own. Some take cash, all take credit. There is some cover if there is rain. Parking is plentiful and free!

Ken's Fruit Market is a grocery store that stocks local items and the Plainfield location has a…read morelarge greenhouse/garden center. Nate and I stopped in after breakfast at Real Food Cafe recently and picked up some groceries and a hanging basket for my mom. The layout of the store is kind of strange and crowded, so it was difficult to maneuver the large cart at times. It took me a bit to find some items since this isn't my regular grocery store, but I was able to find 99% of the stuff on my list. I didn't see many employees around to ask for help finding things. The garden center was a similar situation with only one person who looked to be working there. I wasn't sure which hanging baskets were for sun vs. shade, but some were labeled. They had tons of flowers, vegetables, and other plants available for sale. I can't really comment on pricing since I'm not the plant person in my household, but I'd rather support a local business like Ken's over Lowe's or some other big box store.

Love Ken's. Even more now since they are carrying Palazzolo's gelato and sorbet. This gelato is out…read moreof this world. I used to drive to Douglas just to buy some. I also love that you buy their pineapples (which are great) and they have a machine the cuts away everything you don't want to eat. Gresat fund for kids and grandkids!

old Amsterdam cheese is the best!! Prices are great and all Dutch food taste amazing!read more

This is such an AMAZING STORE! Get the almond cake! I'd been wanting to visit for a while -and I…read morewish I'd visited much sooner! There's such a big selection of European eats -lots of Dutch and other counties. Beer, cheeses, frozen pastries -so many treasures! I highly recommend. I'm telling all my friends and we'll be back!