Welcome to the Grand Rapids Downtown Alliance

Close your eyes for a minute and imagine what your ideal downtown Grand Rapids would look like. What do you see? What do you hear? What do you smell? It’s always fun to dream, but we’re here to help make those dreams a reality. 

Maybe you live in the area and have your go-to spots downtown you feel like no one else knows about (we agree, that place is pretty awesome). Perhaps you’re a frequent visitor and stop by some of the more popular places each time you’re in town (also awesome). Maybe you make it to downtown once a year, but anticipate it for months, waiting for that next bite of food or sip of your favorite cocktail.

We want to hear all those stories and more. But we also want to know what stories you wish you could tell about downtown Grand Rapids because we’re dedicated to its growth. 

For anyone who grew up in a rural area, you know how the success of a downtown contributes to the overall health of your community. For those who consider themselves tourists, you know what aspects of a happening downtown always keep you coming back.

A thriving downtown can define a community and represent an entire area. We want to amplify that effect for Grand Rapids.

There’s already a lot of momentum here, and we want to help push it forward. The Alliance’s goal is to continue creating a vibrant downtown to share with everyone.

What does that look like? It can be a number of things. Close your eyes again and imagine:

• More gathering spaces

• New businesses

• More murals

• More signage

• More connection to others

• New experiences

We’re here to help bring those to life, and we welcome you to join us on this journey. Come follow along and be part of something really cool. It will be worth it. 

- Chris Walker