Downtown Grand Rapids Is Experiencing A Business Boom In 2022

Grand Rapids, along with the entire country, has had a rough couple of years dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that despite all of the businesses that went under in 2021, it appears that downtown Grand Rapids is booming when it comes to new business.

According to Wood TV, data from Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. shows that for every downtown business that closed last year, roughly two businesses have opened downtown.

Why Is Business Booming In Downtown Grand Rapids?

Grand Rapids retail, retention, and attraction specialist Richard App said the growth is fueled by more people coming to Grand Rapids. Between 2010 and 2020, the city population swelled by more than 10,000 to just under 199,000 residents, a U.S. Census Bureau report shows.

The largest demographic making the move to downtown is people between the ages of 25 and 29, according to App. The census estimates nearly 22% of the city’s population fell into that age bracket in 2019.

What Business Have Opened Up In Downtown Grand Rapids Since 2021