Monroe Center Shops

Today I grabbed my hot caramel apple cider at Bigby's and took a little stroll down Monroe Center with a friend. Monroe Center grows more and more progressive and trendy every month it seems. There are are all the old Monroe Center standbys such as Bigby's, the Dog Pit, GRAM (gr art museum), Madcap Coffee, Jimmy John's, XO Asian Cuisine, and the General Market. But I couldn't believe all the new shops. First, there is the small area called Mo div with a few different boutiques and Wolverine Footwear. My favorite boutique in Modiv is 6.25 Paper Co. Oh my goodness...want to buy EVERYTHING. They have a ton of Grand Rapids and Michigan t-shirts, artwork, postcards, greeting cards, buttons and bags oh my! The other cute new shop is a branch of Eastern Floral called Bokay. They recently closed their shop in the Amway Grand Plaza and moved to Modiv just in time for artprize 2012.

Another new shop is the Central District Cyclery. Biker's dream house. We went inside to check things out and the staff were great. One guy came over for a chat with a brew in hand...only at a bike shop...LOVE it :)

The new hotel on Monroe Center called City Flats is a contemporary new joint with each room having a unique theme. They have a bar and restaurant on the first floor AND  just opened a ballroom, which will draw in a wedding reception or two I'm sure.
The newest eateries include a froYo (frozen yogurt) place that hasn't even opened, Kilwin's and a Mexican restaurant called Cinco De Mayo that's been open for about a year and a half.

My suggestion? Go for a walk down Monroe Center and bring your appetite.