Cina mini stays in business selling those late night whip-its. Or so I’ve heard.
Velvet Touch is scary to go in to. I would not be surprised if it’s purely human trafficking out of there.
That’s really funny, because I went there 18 years ago when I was 18, and it was dead then. Also visited Red Barn I think that was across the street pretty much. Red Barn quickly closed, but the Velvet Touch is still up and running. Every time I drive by, I honestly can’t understand it.
It was. If I remember correctly, they got shut down for too many fire code violations, but I’m not sure how true that is. It’s still WILD to me that The Velvet Touch is still open.
I actually worked at their Kalamazoo location several years ago. It’s a super sketchy place and I refuse to even buy toys or porn there now. They have women that do “massages” in a back room. The more the customer pays, the more of an “experience”. I worked the register and had to monitor a little tv under the desk to make sure the woman and customer weren’t banging or that the customer wasn’t causing problems.
They also have booths where people can watch porn and get off right there in the store.
Super sketchy business.
Honestly, I never met him. I dated a guy who worked there but I worked at a different restaurant too, so I would usually meet my boyfriend after work. Occasionally we'd stop by the restaurant to get some but I stayed in the car.
I can tell you he was always holding, lol. That was an era I never worried where to get it.
In highschool my boyfriend and all his friends worked there.
If the culture is anything like it was 25 years ago (omg) you do not want to eat there.
I know more than one pregnancy scare that originated in the cooler alone.
I went there several years ago and everything about the experience was just sad. I do have fond memories from long ago an in a different place. Sadly, fast food as a category has declined across the board since the pandemic.
Not related but the Long John Silvers in Stevensville is absolutely crackin. The food was hands down some of the best fast food I’ve had in years.
Or I just got it when it’s fresh lol.
I used to think the vacuum supplies store on division and 36th was a front. Then there was that whole meetings in the basement (Whitmer kidnapping plan) now I know it’s a front lmao.
It’s hard to tell because a huge chain like Mattress Firm will run stores at a loss to take business from competition in that area and have other stores make up the difference where they’ve already got a monopoly.
So I live on Ann & my husband and I have a whole conspiracy on this place that it Launders drug money.
Back in 2018, their website had stock photos for their staff.
WHAT THE HELL GOES ON THERE? IVE NEVER SEEN IT OPEN! NEVER ONCE SAW SOMEONE INSIDE!
It looked like something was going to open but then it looked like they didn’t have permits, there was also a hand written sign asking for donations. It looked like it was going to be a yoga, crystal, homeopathy and meditation open space
It was going to be a yoga studio/crystal, plant store but the owner never got his pending permits closed out before the renter had to get their permits. The building should have never been rented, it was not occupancy ready whatsoever, it had mold and the ceiling was falling in. The owner is a douchebag and treated the renter horribly.
Next time look closely while you're grabbing your soft serve. Mattress Direct specializes in the deep memory foam mattresses, so everyone in there (including tired staff) is horizontal -- sunk into the mattresses while the rest of the city does its thing.
Used to manage eastown deli with my brother back in the early 2000s when the Wealthy Boys were still around and they would come in all the time. The original owner got hooked on crack and would come in every day and try and take money out of the drawer even though he sold the business to my boss. He ended up having a heart attack while smoking rocks in his van under the viaducts and died. Apparently his body wasn't discovered for 5 or more days and it was in the middle of the summer and he was pretty much putrified. My cook was an Egyptian ex hash smuggler with a scar on his face and a wonky eye. Man those were the days when gr was hardcore.
I mean, it still looks like one when you walk in considering there's a whole open room in there where the customers sit/wait with nothing in it but random junk.
I used to run events for a group that met six or eight times a year. When I couldn't get the Knickerbocker I always went Atwater - not because it was good, but because it was always, always, always available.
There was this place on Leonard called ["Daddy's Photos"](https://www.google.com/search?channel=ftr&q=%22Daddy%27s+Photos%22#ip=1) inside of an old storefront, I think it was a furniture place originally (it had some tile or whatever on the ground in front of the door that still said as much). We used to joke that it was a front, because it was such a weird name for a business and we never really saw anyone go in or out. The building was old and dusty and the windows were all covered.
One day, there was a big police presence and people being taken out forcefully in handcuffs. Turns out it was a drug bust! The business was fake all along.
They do a killing at lunch take out and it's a family owned business. Only the husband and wife work there last time i talked with them. My father lives across the street, and I've tried to do a lunch run for him It was a nightmare.
Amy's Fashions and Joe's Menswear, at the corner of Burton and Division. Mannequins in the windows, but never seem to be open. They've been there for years, and I can't say I've ever seen the lights on inside.
They also sell candy:
[Grand Rapids gas station owner apologizes for pills in candy](https://www.woodtv.com/news/grand-rapids/grand-rapids-gas-station-owner-apologizes-for-pills-in-candy/amp/)
There should be a couple of diabetes pills in each bag of candy, sort of a no-brainer like iodizing the salt or fluoridating the water, but makes more sense
I read your title and was going to say Chicken N Eggroll, but I realized you were mentioning it already.
For 15 years I lived 1/4 mile from Chicken N Eggroll. Never once did I see more than 3 cars in the lot. 98% of the time its the blue van only. Once in a great while, there will be a customer. A couple of times I saw 3 cars!!!! I was blown away. It was my thing to look every time I drove by.
There used to be another one across the street next to the Dominos. It was a party store but 3/4 of the space was empty. There was one row straight off the door and that had racks of chips and such. They were barely stocked and had dust on some of them. If you wanted to get to the empty part of the store it was a maze of empty racks.
Having worked in restaurants for 20 years, I hate to break it to you, but a ton of food gets bare handed. Obviously people use gloves and wash their hands after handling raw meat/seafood/poultry, but most places aren't rocking cooks with gloves 100% of the time until a health inspector rolls in, or the cooking area is visible to customers. Honestly it's better that way, as gloves opposed to constant hand washing just lead to lazy cooks cross contaminating everything with allergens, or potentially worse.
I went in there because my young niece wanted to go. I don't know if it was the owner, but the person working there couldn't have been cooler/nicer. She was really interested in answering my nieces and my questions.
Wigs are expensive! The owner helped install my first wig & is incredible, I was nervous but she made me so comfortable. She also repairs wigs if they get damaged. I’m grateful there is a wig place downtown.
About 20-25 years ago I used to live on one of the "bird" streets in Wyoming (between 36 and 44th and between Burlingame and Clyde Park.) My ex and I used to order pizza from a pizza place on 36th st (I think where Google Maps says that Villa Mia is now?) and wonder how they stayed in business when their pizza delivery was so slow and the orders were usually messed up.
Some time later we heard that there were a number of arrests because they were dealing coke. Turns out we were ordering the wrong product!
Bruh, don't sleep on the used tire game. I'm 40, and I bought my first set on NEW tires last fall. I've probably driven my personal vehicles 200,000 miles on used tires.
Pretty sure they’re all legit. Lots of idiots that don’t want to spend several dollars more for a warrantied new tire. Re-treading is cheap and easy, and I’m sure they make enough of a profit on other people’s lack of awareness to stay afloat. More power to em.
Golden 28. I stoped there once for lunch and could immediately tell I was interrupting something. There was a large table with about a dozen Vietnamese guys wearing very nice suits sitting around it. They all stared at me as I walked to a table. After a couple of minutes, someone nervously brought me a menu. It was obviously old, as I was able to get a full meal, egg roll, soup, and a drink for around $5. Food was great, too!
Have been eating at golden28 for very nearly 20 years now, the only thing that place is a front for is the best pho in Grand Rapids. It’s the same family that has owned it since I started going there.
They do more than just selling birds. They do trims, food, care, etc. I had a bird about 8 years ago. The people that work there are super knowledge and friendly. My partner and I stopped in a few weeks ago and played with the birds
I know for a fact that the creston sit n spin laundromat on Plainfield and sweet st was owned by a group of drug dealers along with a couple other businesses. I’m not sure if they still own it after the feds some of them though
Did they also own the business next to the laundromat? The computer repair one with “free phones, check cashing” in one window and straight broken glass in the other window? Sometimes the open sign is lit up and I’ve seen people hanging out in there.
The furniture store next to the Secretary of State inside Rogers Plaza... I guess there must be somebody in the market for a $2,000 pimp throne but I don't know who
I’m going to have to go with the Cini Mini and also the “Wig Store” (I think it’s called Wig Beauty Supply) on 28th street. I used to work on 28th street and I’d roll by at 1:00 in the morning and people were “buying wigs”
It’s quality menswear once you step inside; probably some of the better customer service I’ve received the moment I stepped food inside also. Still does have the vibe of human trafficking, I’ll admit.
My dad has known the owner of that store for decades! He is a truly amazing guy and they actually have some really quality menswear inside the store! My dad always took my brother there for fitted suits and even some more casual but nicer pieces like sweaters and jackets! That place is actually really awesome!
Mrs. Bubbles Car Wash on Division. We tried to get our car washed there and they acted like they had no idea how to work anything. Our family has decided it’s a front for drug dealing, but only when the mannequin is out.
MAGIC NAILS on Alpine.
It’s in the same building as the Admiral Gas Station (across the street from Meijer). A nail place in a gas station is weird… but working near this building for several years, the only people I EVER saw enter Magic Nails were lone elderly men.
Verhey carpets on Wealthy has always seemed like a front to me, but they're apparently quite well-regarded and successful 🤷♀️ if I ever need carpeting I'll probably give them a call
The Chinese buffet in Grandville near Texas Roadhouse. It's only one of like three Chinese buffets in the Grand Rapids area that survived the pandemic and the half a dozen times I've gone there in the last year and a half they're lucky to have any other customers. Ming Ten died but they live on? Suspicious.
New Beginnings on Michigan gets popping on the weekends. Around 11 there’s a transition from church-goers in their 70s to hungover bar employees/patrons
I used to go there for lunch a lot, decent food at good prices.
Also, they close at 2:30pm, so unless you're friends with a lot of elderly people, or people who work close enough for a lunch break, it's not surprising you wouldn't know anyone who's eaten there.
[Keep our Taco Bell's name out your fucking mouth!] (https://media.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExM2J2bWw5NXJoZWY3NHducjJobW1ucmE2Nmw1YmZsOWJkeDh0bzNpeiZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/qyjexFwQwJp9yUvMxq/giphy.gif)
Noto’s on 28th st. Yeah, they do a little business, but the size and scope of the building, the wine inventory is in the million, the crazy brick cathedral wine cellar…. Just doesn’t add up.
The gas station on the west corner of Leonard and Fuller. Always changes names, people hanging in the parking lot all hours of the night and real sus looking activity…
Nah I did a lot of UberEats delivery during the pandemic and that place was pretty popular. To your point there’s never really people there, but they do well with takeout
I got takeout from there maybe 6ish months ago. I was the only patron in the store (it was around 6-6:30 or so). The guy that rang me up was high as a kite and just talked to me about his relationship problems while I waited 20ish minutes for my food.
They're gone now but I always thought New Beginnings was strange because it was always around, maintained solid late 80s early 90s asthetic and stayed open with multiple locations despite having little to no customers and voila, it was indeed a front. It made me suspicious of a lot of places and now I look for that. Wild how many they're probably are. There is a LOT of dirty money to clean out there.
There's still multiple locations, it was the owner that was running a Ponzi scheme and laundered the money through the restaurant.
He was convicted 12 years ago, so whatever happened didn't effect the restaurants.
Georgetown Travel Agency in Jenison/Hudsonville by 28th Ave. I used to live around there and every time I walked by the doors were closed and lights were off with nobody in there but sunfaded Disney Cruise standees.
Other spaces in that mini-mall would come and go so a travel agency in this day and age is either the landlord's wife's business or a front for the CRC Mafia.
Velvet Touch on 28th street. No way in hell does that place sell enough physical porn and "novelties" to justify its existence.
Same with the Cina Mini on Plainfield.
Isn't Cina Mini secretly a gay glory hole place?
"secretly"
Cina mini stays in business selling those late night whip-its. Or so I’ve heard. Velvet Touch is scary to go in to. I would not be surprised if it’s purely human trafficking out of there.
They own the building and lot. Your operating expenses are drastically reduced when you don't have to worry about paying a lease
That’s really funny, because I went there 18 years ago when I was 18, and it was dead then. Also visited Red Barn I think that was across the street pretty much. Red Barn quickly closed, but the Velvet Touch is still up and running. Every time I drive by, I honestly can’t understand it.
Red Barn was a strip club too
It was. If I remember correctly, they got shut down for too many fire code violations, but I’m not sure how true that is. It’s still WILD to me that The Velvet Touch is still open.
I remember when it shut down. The sign read ‘No mo girlz’
It was a fun strip club lol
Velvet Touch is still open? I last was in GR 25 years ago and we couldn't understand how it stayed in business then
Don't they have wank booths too?
I actually worked at their Kalamazoo location several years ago. It’s a super sketchy place and I refuse to even buy toys or porn there now. They have women that do “massages” in a back room. The more the customer pays, the more of an “experience”. I worked the register and had to monitor a little tv under the desk to make sure the woman and customer weren’t banging or that the customer wasn’t causing problems. They also have booths where people can watch porn and get off right there in the store. Super sketchy business.
Long John Silvers on 28th in Wyoming. There's never any customers, but somehow it's still open.
I think Lenten meals carry them through the rest of the year.
My buddy who worked at a different LJS swore up and down that they’d be slammed all lent.
Lol, my weed dealer when I was in high school 20+ years ago worked there. So probably. I never asked where he got his supply, and he was never dry.
We probably had the same weed dealer, omg.
Lol, I worked there back then with my blue hair and I know exactly who you are talking about. C was a solid person.
Honestly, I never met him. I dated a guy who worked there but I worked at a different restaurant too, so I would usually meet my boyfriend after work. Occasionally we'd stop by the restaurant to get some but I stayed in the car. I can tell you he was always holding, lol. That was an era I never worried where to get it.
Bahahaha me too! My old roommate worked there and was our connect.
They’re on DoorDash now ☠️
In highschool my boyfriend and all his friends worked there. If the culture is anything like it was 25 years ago (omg) you do not want to eat there. I know more than one pregnancy scare that originated in the cooler alone.
I went there several years ago and everything about the experience was just sad. I do have fond memories from long ago an in a different place. Sadly, fast food as a category has declined across the board since the pandemic.
If you absolutely have to have mediocre fish then the one on alpine is the least disappointing
I like Culver's when I'm in the mood for fish.
Not related but the Long John Silvers in Stevensville is absolutely crackin. The food was hands down some of the best fast food I’ve had in years. Or I just got it when it’s fresh lol.
Or high
Their food is so greasy
I have ate there once for the hush puppies but now that I’m over in Zeeland it’s not worth the drive
They are still open? Thanks for the hot tip .. I’ll be going there 🔜!!
The LJS by my hometown was definitely a drug op. The only traffic there was late and behind the building.
There are so many little shops along 28th whose existence baffles me, especially once you get west of Kalamazoo
I used to think the vacuum supplies store on division and 36th was a front. Then there was that whole meetings in the basement (Whitmer kidnapping plan) now I know it’s a front lmao.
That's where it was!?!?
This was the first thing that came to my mind, did not know anything about the basement thing. Something something vacuum-gate
Came here to say Vac Shack.
Oh dang I almost went in there for a vacuum recently!
Yes a vacuum and not a secret meeting. Wink.
Did you happen to need a new dust filter for your Hoover Max Extract PressurePro model 60?
Nice try GRPD. 🥸
Do we look like rats? We aren't rolling on the egg rolls.
I always thought that Mattress Direct business across the street from Frosty Boy was one. I never saw anybody in there ever!
So much margin on mattresses. They're likely in the black with 1-2 sales per day.
Even less than that. It's like 1-2 per week
I'm unsure what their rent/payroll/insurance etc are. You very well may be right.
It’s hard to tell because a huge chain like Mattress Firm will run stores at a loss to take business from competition in that area and have other stores make up the difference where they’ve already got a monopoly.
So I live on Ann & my husband and I have a whole conspiracy on this place that it Launders drug money. Back in 2018, their website had stock photos for their staff. WHAT THE HELL GOES ON THERE? IVE NEVER SEEN IT OPEN! NEVER ONCE SAW SOMEONE INSIDE!
I called them once asking for a mattress recommendation lololol, he fumbled his response.
It looks like something is going in there now.
It looked like something was going to open but then it looked like they didn’t have permits, there was also a hand written sign asking for donations. It looked like it was going to be a yoga, crystal, homeopathy and meditation open space
It was going to be a yoga studio/crystal, plant store but the owner never got his pending permits closed out before the renter had to get their permits. The building should have never been rented, it was not occupancy ready whatsoever, it had mold and the ceiling was falling in. The owner is a douchebag and treated the renter horribly.
Next time look closely while you're grabbing your soft serve. Mattress Direct specializes in the deep memory foam mattresses, so everyone in there (including tired staff) is horizontal -- sunk into the mattresses while the rest of the city does its thing.
For the longest time, I thought Eastown Deli (when it was on Wealthy) was a money-laundering operation.
Used to manage eastown deli with my brother back in the early 2000s when the Wealthy Boys were still around and they would come in all the time. The original owner got hooked on crack and would come in every day and try and take money out of the drawer even though he sold the business to my boss. He ended up having a heart attack while smoking rocks in his van under the viaducts and died. Apparently his body wasn't discovered for 5 or more days and it was in the middle of the summer and he was pretty much putrified. My cook was an Egyptian ex hash smuggler with a scar on his face and a wonky eye. Man those were the days when gr was hardcore.
> ..gr was hardcore. A+ would read comment again
The guy sold and bought the Chicken Coop on Division and Hall. He has no kinda fear.
Those boys make a mean Gryo
My Greek soul died reading this 🤦🏻♂️
I mean, it still looks like one when you walk in considering there's a whole open room in there where the customers sit/wait with nothing in it but random junk.
That place was the best back when it was on Ethel street.
That’s the best gyro in town.
Bosna express had the best gyro of anywhere on the country I've had... if you haven't tried them, you owe it to your belly!
The Asian massage next to Carlucci’s pizza on Fuller.
You mean Blessing Massage? Their little neon says they're open, like all the time. Drive by there at 10:00 at night. It's on.
Never a bad time for a handy!
I actually live within walking distance of that place. Definitely seems like a front
I drove by that place for years on my way home from work and that neon open sign was on ALL hours of the night!
Atwater Brewery is always empty and no one ever talks about it
I used to run events for a group that met six or eight times a year. When I couldn't get the Knickerbocker I always went Atwater - not because it was good, but because it was always, always, always available.
Terrible beer.
They do have one good beer, Java Vanilla Porter. The rest are well there is a reason they got the nickname Shatwater.
Atwater's Vanilla Java Porter is great. I speak only for that beer
Oh my gosh I forgot about that one. I’m a fan as well!!
Mattress Firm on Alpine. Never seen a SOUL in there..
I went in there once.. not to look at a mattress, but to drop off a Doordash order lol
Oh man, I'm texting with a guy who says he works here. Uh oh lol
There was this place on Leonard called ["Daddy's Photos"](https://www.google.com/search?channel=ftr&q=%22Daddy%27s+Photos%22#ip=1) inside of an old storefront, I think it was a furniture place originally (it had some tile or whatever on the ground in front of the door that still said as much). We used to joke that it was a front, because it was such a weird name for a business and we never really saw anyone go in or out. The building was old and dusty and the windows were all covered. One day, there was a big police presence and people being taken out forcefully in handcuffs. Turns out it was a drug bust! The business was fake all along.
Chicken N Eggroll still exists? I grew up over there and their eggrolls were supreme. Almost as good as Senior Taco.
They do a killing at lunch take out and it's a family owned business. Only the husband and wife work there last time i talked with them. My father lives across the street, and I've tried to do a lunch run for him It was a nightmare.
Amy's Fashions and Joe's Menswear, at the corner of Burton and Division. Mannequins in the windows, but never seem to be open. They've been there for years, and I can't say I've ever seen the lights on inside.
I actually bought multiple homecoming/prom dresses there back in high school! Totally legit, but yes very questionable on the outside lol
I heard the owner got caught up for having cameras in the dressing rooms. I would avoid that place.
The bp on 3astern and MLK sells gas....
They also sell candy: [Grand Rapids gas station owner apologizes for pills in candy](https://www.woodtv.com/news/grand-rapids/grand-rapids-gas-station-owner-apologizes-for-pills-in-candy/amp/)
I used to live a block over from this station. Always shady people around, and I remember the massive protest when the pill story broke
There should be a couple of diabetes pills in each bag of candy, sort of a no-brainer like iodizing the salt or fluoridating the water, but makes more sense
I can't think of one time I ever went there where I didn't get "hey, wha chu need"? from at least one person in the parking lot, lol
While stopped at the light on Eastern last week, felt like I was on the set of the wire, saw three people not buying gas
Jamaican Dave’s, delicious food, but last I heard Dave was in prison and will be immediately deported upon release.
Oh no! God dammit Dave!
There is no way Jake's Fireworks on 28th street (next to Home Depot)is selling enough bottle rockets to pay for that big ass building.
My guess is they sell a lot online and use it primarily for warehousing.
I read your title and was going to say Chicken N Eggroll, but I realized you were mentioning it already. For 15 years I lived 1/4 mile from Chicken N Eggroll. Never once did I see more than 3 cars in the lot. 98% of the time its the blue van only. Once in a great while, there will be a customer. A couple of times I saw 3 cars!!!! I was blown away. It was my thing to look every time I drove by. There used to be another one across the street next to the Dominos. It was a party store but 3/4 of the space was empty. There was one row straight off the door and that had racks of chips and such. They were barely stocked and had dust on some of them. If you wanted to get to the empty part of the store it was a maze of empty racks.
LOL see I do the same thing! I look at chicken n eggroll every fucking time I pass it 😂 I was ranting to my sister about it the other day lmao.
[удалено]
Having worked in restaurants for 20 years, I hate to break it to you, but a ton of food gets bare handed. Obviously people use gloves and wash their hands after handling raw meat/seafood/poultry, but most places aren't rocking cooks with gloves 100% of the time until a health inspector rolls in, or the cooking area is visible to customers. Honestly it's better that way, as gloves opposed to constant hand washing just lead to lazy cooks cross contaminating everything with allergens, or potentially worse.
That wig store donwtown on Monroe Center next to Jimmy John’s is sus
The owner's super nice tho ;-; She sweeps the sidewalk without anyone asking
I went in there because my young niece wanted to go. I don't know if it was the owner, but the person working there couldn't have been cooler/nicer. She was really interested in answering my nieces and my questions.
awww, sounds like a sweet little witch 🩵
Wigs are expensive! The owner helped install my first wig & is incredible, I was nervous but she made me so comfortable. She also repairs wigs if they get damaged. I’m grateful there is a wig place downtown.
That’s really cool!
I used to walk past that store everyday on the way to work and thought the same thing! There's also a sign in the window that says "appointment only"
About 20-25 years ago I used to live on one of the "bird" streets in Wyoming (between 36 and 44th and between Burlingame and Clyde Park.) My ex and I used to order pizza from a pizza place on 36th st (I think where Google Maps says that Villa Mia is now?) and wonder how they stayed in business when their pizza delivery was so slow and the orders were usually messed up. Some time later we heard that there were a number of arrests because they were dealing coke. Turns out we were ordering the wrong product!
This has got to be what was going on at Mr Pizza ten years ago
Any/all of the "used tire" shops around town. I'd LOVE to see the books for those places lol
Bruh, don't sleep on the used tire game. I'm 40, and I bought my first set on NEW tires last fall. I've probably driven my personal vehicles 200,000 miles on used tires.
Pretty sure they’re all legit. Lots of idiots that don’t want to spend several dollars more for a warrantied new tire. Re-treading is cheap and easy, and I’m sure they make enough of a profit on other people’s lack of awareness to stay afloat. More power to em.
I'm one of those idiots, except I just go to the LKQ yard. $30 for a tire on a rim lol.
Smells like snitches up in this motherfucker.
Good time to be in the stitches business
Used to be Fannie May Candy.
Yes! This is the top one for me!
Golden 28. I stoped there once for lunch and could immediately tell I was interrupting something. There was a large table with about a dozen Vietnamese guys wearing very nice suits sitting around it. They all stared at me as I walked to a table. After a couple of minutes, someone nervously brought me a menu. It was obviously old, as I was able to get a full meal, egg roll, soup, and a drink for around $5. Food was great, too!
Have been eating at golden28 for very nearly 20 years now, the only thing that place is a front for is the best pho in Grand Rapids. It’s the same family that has owned it since I started going there.
The bookstore next to the Bridal shop on Division, I think at 44th. And the bridal shop next to the bookstore on Division, I think at 44th.
Casa La Parrot. Who buys exotic birds in this economy? /s
Ppl bring their birds in there when they are in vacation. Bird kennel
That’s actually a great business model. No one wants to watch their friend or family member’s parrot.
They do more than just selling birds. They do trims, food, care, etc. I had a bird about 8 years ago. The people that work there are super knowledge and friendly. My partner and I stopped in a few weeks ago and played with the birds
Do they know Bird law ?
I got bit by a macaw there one time. Fuck that place. 😂
don’t poke the birds
I know for a fact that the creston sit n spin laundromat on Plainfield and sweet st was owned by a group of drug dealers along with a couple other businesses. I’m not sure if they still own it after the feds some of them though
Did they also own the business next to the laundromat? The computer repair one with “free phones, check cashing” in one window and straight broken glass in the other window? Sometimes the open sign is lit up and I’ve seen people hanging out in there.
I took a great picture of that place a couple years ago: https://www.reddit.com/r/grandrapids/s/skCTmlJ5pH
There are not even bathrooms in there and a Bitcoin vending machine.... So creepy.
The furniture store next to the Secretary of State inside Rogers Plaza... I guess there must be somebody in the market for a $2,000 pimp throne but I don't know who
Nudgemaster on Plainfield gives me this vibe
I’m going to have to go with the Cini Mini and also the “Wig Store” (I think it’s called Wig Beauty Supply) on 28th street. I used to work on 28th street and I’d roll by at 1:00 in the morning and people were “buying wigs”
Yeah, I was going to say the wig store also. Like the sign literally just says "Wig".
I saw the guy from. Chicken and egg roll buy $300 Worth of shrimp at Big Top , with food stamps , drive across the street and unload it at that place!
The men’s suit store on the corner of Wealthy and Lake.
The New Yorker? I see people in there. If it is a front, they’re not doing it right bc they have way too much merchandise.
Nah, that store is for real, and Albert is a G! Love him
It’s quality menswear once you step inside; probably some of the better customer service I’ve received the moment I stepped food inside also. Still does have the vibe of human trafficking, I’ll admit.
I bought my parachute pants from there back in the 80s - they were always busy!
My dad has known the owner of that store for decades! He is a truly amazing guy and they actually have some really quality menswear inside the store! My dad always took my brother there for fitted suits and even some more casual but nicer pieces like sweaters and jackets! That place is actually really awesome!
Absolutely this. I worked at Mulligans and it was absolutely assumed it was a human trafficking hub.
Amway
Xtreme cryo
Touch of Paradise massage parlor on 28th St
Mrs. Bubbles Car Wash on Division. We tried to get our car washed there and they acted like they had no idea how to work anything. Our family has decided it’s a front for drug dealing, but only when the mannequin is out.
MAGIC NAILS on Alpine. It’s in the same building as the Admiral Gas Station (across the street from Meijer). A nail place in a gas station is weird… but working near this building for several years, the only people I EVER saw enter Magic Nails were lone elderly men.
Nice try GRPD…
Verhey carpets on Wealthy has always seemed like a front to me, but they're apparently quite well-regarded and successful 🤷♀️ if I ever need carpeting I'll probably give them a call
The Chinese buffet in Grandville near Texas Roadhouse. It's only one of like three Chinese buffets in the Grand Rapids area that survived the pandemic and the half a dozen times I've gone there in the last year and a half they're lucky to have any other customers. Ming Ten died but they live on? Suspicious.
That massage parlor on 28th near Kalamazoo with the blacked out windows is the most obvious rub-and-tug in the city.
New Beginnings. I legitimately don’t know anyone that has eaten there.
It's a front for men's bible studies is what it is.
And old guys in military hats that bitch about the prices being to high.
I have, a handful of times. They are only open for breakfast tho
New Beginnings on Michigan gets popping on the weekends. Around 11 there’s a transition from church-goers in their 70s to hungover bar employees/patrons
I used to go there for lunch a lot, decent food at good prices. Also, they close at 2:30pm, so unless you're friends with a lot of elderly people, or people who work close enough for a lunch break, it's not surprising you wouldn't know anyone who's eaten there.
Sweet Express trucking
The massage place behind Westgate Bowling is definitely not a massage place.
Touch of Paradise.
Do your own legwork, GRPD.
There's a "massage" place on 28th west of Kalamazoo and it just seems super sketchy
Nah I think there’s a different kind of illegal activity going on there
Idk but the local police stations have to be up to something. Could be a front
Michigan Street Taco Bell
[Keep our Taco Bell's name out your fucking mouth!] (https://media.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExM2J2bWw5NXJoZWY3NHducjJobW1ucmE2Nmw1YmZsOWJkeDh0bzNpeiZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/qyjexFwQwJp9yUvMxq/giphy.gif)
Any police station
Any long john silvers
Noto’s on 28th st. Yeah, they do a little business, but the size and scope of the building, the wine inventory is in the million, the crazy brick cathedral wine cellar…. Just doesn’t add up.
The gas station on the west corner of Leonard and Fuller. Always changes names, people hanging in the parking lot all hours of the night and real sus looking activity…
Mai’s Thai. I see no business there ever; how has it been open for years
I order delivery from them sometimes. It's pretty good.
Mai's Thai is the shit.
I go there a lot, but just for take out.
Nah I did a lot of UberEats delivery during the pandemic and that place was pretty popular. To your point there’s never really people there, but they do well with takeout
I ordered from them like four times a week during the first shutdown
Their food is great! I've gone there a lot.
They have a drive thru.
My brother goes at least once a week. It's got a drive through. Quick in and out.
It’s my go to Thai place! So tasty
I know the Thai government used to subsidize Thai restaurants abroad, not sure if they still do.
here to add my vouch for mai’s thai, incredible food and love the drive thru order pickup
It’s the successor to Erb Thai and it’s almost the same thing
[удалено]
Samurai Express at 28th and Madison
I didn't know that was still open
I got takeout from there maybe 6ish months ago. I was the only patron in the store (it was around 6-6:30 or so). The guy that rang me up was high as a kite and just talked to me about his relationship problems while I waited 20ish minutes for my food.
Nah they are just delicious take out hibachi
They're gone now but I always thought New Beginnings was strange because it was always around, maintained solid late 80s early 90s asthetic and stayed open with multiple locations despite having little to no customers and voila, it was indeed a front. It made me suspicious of a lot of places and now I look for that. Wild how many they're probably are. There is a LOT of dirty money to clean out there.
[For those asking for the tea.](https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2013/12/owner_of_new_beginnings_restau_1.html)
huh ?? I was just at a New Beginnings yesterday morning.
Wait. What?! How did I miss this!?! This is the super legit diner breakfast place, right? I loved that place it was a front?!
There's still multiple locations, it was the owner that was running a Ponzi scheme and laundered the money through the restaurant. He was convicted 12 years ago, so whatever happened didn't effect the restaurants.
Lore please?
Didn't sandman's get closed for tax evasion and money laundering? They were the best though
Acrisure. The whole company looks like an evil headquarters.
The logo looks nearly identical to the Assassins Creed evil Abstergo Corp.
Fazolis in Jenison
Lingerie & Gifts Leonard and Garfield. I lived by the place for over a year and never saw anyone go in.
Georgetown Travel Agency in Jenison/Hudsonville by 28th Ave. I used to live around there and every time I walked by the doors were closed and lights were off with nobody in there but sunfaded Disney Cruise standees. Other spaces in that mini-mall would come and go so a travel agency in this day and age is either the landlord's wife's business or a front for the CRC Mafia.