Behind the Scenes – Family Foods Expands Grocery Offerings
While you might have not notice major changes driving by the Muskegon Family Foods location at 1157 Third St, for those who have ventured in recently the changes would be impossible to miss. The most exciting part for downtown residents and patrons is the expansion of grocery products offered, to include fresh meats, vegetables and fruits. Muskegon Main Street visited Chris Kado at his store and caught up on the changes.
MS: Very nice improvements Chris. What exactly did you undertake?
CK: We closed the store for over a week in the fall and remodeled from top to bottom. We put in new flooring, new expanded shelves, new coolers, a meat counter, a veggie cooler, a new public restroom, upgraded surveillance systems, a new bottle return machine, and opened a week later with expanded hours each day from 10:00 a.m. till 10:00 p.m. Our goal was to improve the experience for our customers with a brighter, cleaner environment along with improved convenience.
MS: What has the reaction been?
CK: Our customers love it. Many of our customers are from the near downtown neighborhoods and they have been unanimous in agreeing that is brighter, cleaner and more convenient. For example I just spoke with Ms. Johnson from Muskegon Avenue who has been a customer for 10 years and she told me that she now feels safer and this is the only place she now needs to shop at during the week.
MS: I especially like the meat and veggie expansion. Can you tell us more about that?
CK: Sure, we found that a lot of customers were having to travel a number of miles to a supermarket each week for these products so we studied the issue some and thought that it would be a win-win to add a counter for each of these items. We receive fresh shipments every week, and we have a butcher manning the meat counter every day. Beyond the produce and meat offerings, we recently were accredited for the WIC program, which meant we had to beef up our other grocery offerings as well, so we have more foods and staples in stock.
MS: Now that you have finished up this expansion, are you looking at any other improvements?
CK: We are currently studying the feasibility of delivering groceries to the homes of nearby senior citizens. We have a number of issues to work out including processing orders, payments etc, as well as program details, but we know there are a lot of seniors who live in our neighborhood who might find this service useful.
MS: Well thanks for your time, and congratulations on your expansion and the improvements. Those who have seen them certainly are impressed.
CK: You're welcome.
Check it out on the web
Muskegon Family Foods Business Directory listing
Labels: Downtown Muskegon E-News
Behind the Scenes – Dreamers Blues Series
It's the time of year to enjoy indoor activities downtown Muskegon, except if you relish the opportunity to play outdoor volleyball at SnowFest. And as is pretty much always the case, there are lots of options to make it easy to come on in and be cosy. Muskegon Lumberjacks, Alley Door Club, WSSO, Postcard salon at MMA, or a meal and drink at downtown restaurants, will all warm you up. This year there is a new event on the calendar; the Blues Series at Dreamers, located at 978 Pine. Ann Mahan-McAllister and partner Malachi Williams have high standards for their bi-monthly series, so its sure to not disapoint. The goal is to offer music that you couldn't otherwise hear without travelling to Chicago. Muskegon Main Street caught up with Mr. Williams to hear how the series has been going and what is on tap for the next few weeks.
MS: Great idea to create this series here in Muskegon. How has it been going?
MW: Well, we started the series in the middle of September and the series has been going extremely well. This series is unabashedly about the blues and we are starting to build up that reputation. New customers have been coming from further and further away as they hear about the experience we are offering. We like to say that the Blues Series only promotes the kind of blues that make you sit down and think about how bad you need a bailout!
MS: Who has been the biggest crowd pleaser to date and were there any notable highlights of that show?
MW: Linsey Alexander, the original performer and inspiration for the Blues Series, played a date early in the season in September and it was an amazing show. The crowd was loving it, but the real highlight of the night was when the renowned Little Freddie King made a surprise appearance, arriving at around 1:00 a.m. and played till close with Linsey. It was just a fantastic experience and was even mentioned in the Dec/Jan issue of Big City Blues, a national blues publication. What a night!
MS: How do you go about choosing the artists?
MW: Well, like I said we have tough standards and are really looking for Chicago Blues. We aim to bring artists that are of the caliber, or have already played at the Kingston Mines Club in Chicago. Mostly we book them through contacts with artists that have played the series. Artists seem to like stopping in Muskegon and like the atmosphere we provide here at Dreamers.
MS: Who is coming up at Dreamers?
MW: Our next shows are this weekend, Feb 6 and 7 when Mathew Skoller comes to town. Matthew is a world famous harmonica player hailing from the Windy City. He is a veteran musician who is at the forefront of a new generation who have come up schooled in Chicago's world-renowned and highly competitive blues scene. Another highlight a little down the road is T. Bird Huck. This a return performance for T. Bird and he tore it up the last time he was in town.
MS: Any other details the public should be aware of?
MW: Not really. Just that you should come out the first, or third weekend of the month. Cover is $10, but noone has ever felt it hasn’t been worth it. We are working on adding local bands on the second and fourth weekends of the month, but we’ll be sure to distinguish that from our Chicago Blues Series.
MS: Very cool. Thanks for taking the time and for your efforts to bring this great addition to Muskegon.
MW: Thank you.
Check it out on the web
Dreamers on MySpace
Listen to upcoming Artist Matthew Skoller
Matthew Skoller on YouTube
Muskegon Chronicle article on Blues Series
Labels: Downtown Muskegon E-News
