Meijer set to open Rivertown Market

Next month, supercenter chain Meijer plans to open its fourth small-format neighborhood grocery store, Rivertown Market, in downtown Detroit.

The 42,000-square-foot market, located at 1475 East Jefferson Ave. in Detroit’s East Jefferson Corridor, is scheduled to open its doors on Oct. 6, according to Meijer, which broke ground on the project last fall. The Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer noted that Rivertown Market represents one of the few supermarkets in the downtown area and will bring a mix of local, fresh and affordable foods.

“I grew up in this town and am very proud to be back with a great team in place to ensure Rivertown Market provides a unique shopping experience to customers in the city of Detroit,” store manager Marcus Reliford said in a statement. Reliford, who joined Meijer in September 2020, has 15 years of retail experience. “We are excited to open our doors, be a good neighbor and work every day to have the best products on our shelves.”

Meijer broke ground on Rivertown Market last fall and plans to open the store on Oct. 6.

Rivertown Market also marks the fourth location for Meijer’s neighborhood grocery store concept in Michigan and its second in metropolitan Detroit. The retailer opened Bridge Street Market, a 37,000-square-foot store on the west side of Grand Rapids, in late August 2018. That was followed by the 41,000-square-foot Woodward Corner Market in Royal Oak, a northern suburb of Detroit, in January 2020 and the 37,000-square-foot Capital City Market in downtown Lansing in October 2020.

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Offerings at Rivertown Market will include a wide range of fresh and prepared foods, including a 4,700-square-foot produce department with a 52-foot wet wall; fresh meat, deli and bakery items; Meijer- and national-brand products at low prices; and approximately 2,000 local artisan items, with brands such as Pizzaman Pizza, Bon Bon Bon, MexiBake Bakery, Crystal Eikcaj Skincare and Crown of a Woman, Meijer said.

The store also will house Great Lakes Coffee cafe specializing in nitro brews and low/medium roasts; an extensive beer, wine and spirits department featuring a 24-by-14-foot liquor wall with rolling ladder; a flower shop with local Avanti greeting cards; and household cleaning products and health and beauty aids from local Black women-owned businesses, the company reported.

Local artists painted a mural of brightly colored produce on the side of the store near the parking lot entrance.

The Rivertown Market store itself will sport open-air elements — a design inspired by local culture in the city’s East Jefferson Corridor — and three garage-style doors that open to an outdoor fresh produce and floral area in warmer months, Meijer said. Local artists Desiree Kelly and Cameron Jenkins also painted a mural of vibrantly colored produce on the side of the market near the entrance of the parking lot, which has 100 surface parking spaces. Serving the immediate historic districts of Lafayette Park and Rivertown, the store will create about 60 jobs.

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All of Meijer’s small-format grocery stores are designed to blend in with the neighborhood and cater to the needs and tastes of their communities.

“After the success of our three other neighborhood markets, we look forward to providing new ways to serve our customers in this area of Detroit that has so much potential for growth,” Meijer President and CEO Rick Keyes commented in announcing the Rivertown Market project last October.

Overall, Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Meijer operates 257 supercenters and grocery stores in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin.