Grand Vin plans to relocate from 15 Ionia Avenue SW to a 20-seat wine bar inside one of downtown Grand Rapids' oldest commercial buildings. The husband-and-wife-owned shop expects to reopen at 125 Ottawa Avenue NW in mid-to-late November, trading its original storefront for space inside the 1874 Ledyard Building.
The move was reported by Crain's Grand Rapids Business, which detailed Grand Vin's plans to expand into a full wine bar at the new address. Grand Vin was founded in November 2021 by owners Tom and Kim Grimm, who opened the business as a retail bottle shop in a storefront previously occupied by Go Java Coffee, according to the shop's own account on Grand Vin's website.
Tom Grimm brings serious wine credentials to the venture. He passed the Certified Sommelier Examination in 2020 and earned a scholarship as the top performer. Before going full-time into hospitality, Grimm spent more than a decade working in industrial fluid power sales.
From Bottle Shop to Full Wine Bar
Grand Vin plans to expand into a 20-seat wine bar at the Ottawa Avenue location, building on its existing wine-shop business.
A Landmark Building Getting New Life
The Ledyard Building itself carries serious historical weight. Built in 1874 by architect William G. Robinson for banker William B. Ledyard, the yellow brick and Ionia sandstone structure at Ottawa Avenue NW and Pearl Street stands as the second-oldest commercial building still operating in downtown Grand Rapids, according to CWD Real Estate Investment. The building has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1983.
CWD Real Estate Investment and Orion Construction began a $12.3 million redevelopment of the building, converting its upper three floors into 40 one- and two-bedroom apartment units, as reported by WZZM13. Existing commercial tenants were consolidated onto the building's south side to make room for the construction work.
The Ledyard project is CWD's second major adaptive-reuse venture, following a recent conversion at The Residences at 111 Lyon. The $12.3 million overhaul is backed by public financing from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority and the City of Grand Rapids, including grant funding, tax increment financing, and a Neighborhood Enterprise Zone designation, according to the Ottawa News Network.
Grand Vin's planned move brings a wine bar to the Ledyard Building as its upper floors are reshaped into housing, placing the business within one of downtown Grand Rapids' more ambitious adaptive-reuse projects. After five years at its original Ionia Avenue address, the Grimms' shop is set to pour its first glasses on Ottawa Avenue later this year.
