Some grocery stores are places you visit because the refrigerator is empty. Kingma’s Market on Plainfield Avenue in Grand Rapids is the kind of place that can make you look forward to grocery shopping.
The appeal goes well beyond its deli sandwiches. Fresh produce, specialty meats, cheeses, baked goods, flowers, and local products give this neighborhood market a personality that is difficult to find in a typical supermarket.
There is also something refreshing about a store where lunch can become part of a larger outing. You might arrive for a sandwich, wander through the aisles, discover something interesting for dinner, and leave with a few more bags than expected.
What makes Kingma’s special is the combination of everyday usefulness and old-fashioned market character. It feels like a place built for people who genuinely enjoy food, whether they are planning a family dinner or simply looking for a good lunch.
A Neighborhood Market With More Than 90 Years of History
Kingma’s Market has been part of Grand Rapids for more than 90 years, and that history is one of the biggest reasons it stands apart from ordinary grocery stores. What began as a small neighborhood grocery on Kalamazoo Street eventually grew into the specialty market that shoppers know today.
The business built its reputation around fresh produce, personal service, and products that were not always easy to find elsewhere. Those priorities still shape the store at 2225 Plainfield Avenue NE, even as the selection has grown considerably.
In 2014, Alan Hartline took over ownership and began carrying the market’s legacy forward. His sons, Andrew and Nathan, are now involved in the business, continuing its emphasis on local food and customer service.
That combination of history and gradual change gives Kingma’s an interesting personality. It has the familiarity of a neighborhood grocery but enough specialty departments to make browsing feel like a small food adventure.
You can stop for everyday essentials without feeling out of place, yet there is always something more interesting to discover. That balance is exactly what has helped the market remain relevant through generations of changing shopping habits.
For visitors, knowing the history makes the experience more meaningful. You are not simply entering another grocery store but a long-running Grand Rapids business that has adapted without losing its neighborhood roots.
A Produce Department Built Around Michigan Farms
Fresh fruits and vegetables have been central to Kingma’s Market since its earliest days, and the produce department remains a defining feature. The store emphasizes relationships with local farmers, bringing seasonal Michigan ingredients into a neighborhood grocery setting.
According to the market, produce deliveries arrive regularly, sometimes directly from the fields. That focus on freshness gives shoppers an opportunity to buy ingredients that reflect what is growing in the region.
Michigan’s changing seasons make this particularly interesting. Spring greens, summer berries, tomatoes, and autumn squash each bring different possibilities to the kitchen, so the selection can feel different throughout the year.
For home cooks, that variety is useful. Instead of planning every meal around the same ingredients, you can let the produce department inspire what goes on the dinner table.
The store also carries fruits and vegetables beyond what is grown locally, making the department practical for everyday shopping. You can pick up familiar staples while keeping an eye out for seasonal specialties.
One detail that makes Kingma’s different from many small specialty stores is its commitment to maintaining a substantial produce selection. It is not simply a place to buy gourmet extras.
If you are visiting for sandwiches, take a few minutes to browse the produce before heading out. You might find the ingredients for a fresh salad or an easy dinner to enjoy later.
An Old-Fashioned Butcher Shop With Serious Selection
A traditional butcher counter is becoming harder to find in many grocery stores, which makes the meat department at Kingma’s particularly interesting. The market maintains an artisan-style butcher operation with an emphasis on carefully selected meats.
The selection includes beef, poultry, and other cuts, with attention given to Michigan sourcing. Kingma’s also offers grass-fed beef, dry-aged options, and hand-cut poultry, giving shoppers choices beyond the standard packaged meat case.
That is useful whether you are planning a weekend cookout or looking for something special for dinner. Having access to a dedicated meat department can make choosing the right cut feel less intimidating.
The seafood selection is another feature worth exploring. Kingma’s lists fresh and frozen seafood, including salmon, shrimp, scallops, and crab cakes.
One particularly unusual offering is its recurring two-day seafood roadshow, which the market says brings in more than 20 seafood varieties during the event. Checking the schedule could be worthwhile if seafood is a major reason for your visit.
The butcher department helps explain why Kingma’s attracts shoppers who care about ingredients. It offers a more specialized experience than simply picking a package from a refrigerated shelf.
Even if you originally came for a deli sandwich, the meat and seafood counters may give you a reason to return when you are planning a bigger meal.
The Deli Counter That Makes Lunch Worth the Trip
The deli is one of the main reasons to visit Kingma’s Market, especially if you enjoy sandwiches made with freshly sliced ingredients. It is also a good example of how the store combines everyday convenience with the attention to food you might expect from a specialty shop.
Kingma’s offers deli meats and cheeses sliced to order, including ham, turkey, and salami. Its selection also features regional favorites such as Sy Ginsberg’s meats and Buscemi’s cheeses, bringing recognizable Michigan connections to the counter.
The market prepares sandwiches and salads in-house, along with a selection of gourmet soups. That means lunch does not have to involve a complicated order or a long sit-down meal.
You can pick up something ready to eat, browse the surrounding departments, and collect a few ingredients for dinner before leaving. It is a convenient setup that makes a lunch break feel more productive without becoming rushed.
The bakery selection adds another reason to linger. Kingma’s works with West Michigan bakery partners, so shoppers can find baked goods alongside the deli offerings.
I like that the deli is part of a larger food experience rather than a separate sandwich shop. You can start with lunch and end up discovering a new cheese, a loaf of bread, or something interesting from the specialty grocery shelves.
More Than 300 Cheeses From Near and Far
If you enjoy browsing specialty foods, the cheese selection alone can make Kingma’s Market worth exploring. The store advertises more than 300 domestic and imported cheeses, a surprisingly large variety for a neighborhood grocery.
That range opens the door to everything from familiar everyday favorites to cheeses you might normally expect to find only in a specialty shop. It is especially appealing when you want to build a cheese board or try something different with lunch.
The selection also connects naturally with the deli. Freshly sliced cheese can transform a sandwich, while a carefully chosen wedge can become the centerpiece of an appetizer spread at home.
For shoppers unfamiliar with certain varieties, the easiest approach is to start with flavors they already enjoy. Someone who likes mild, creamy cheeses might explore different styles of Gouda or Havarti, while fans of stronger flavors can look toward aged or sharper options.
The department also makes Kingma’s useful for entertaining. You can gather cheeses, crackers, fruit, and other accompaniments during one visit rather than stopping at several stores.
I would allow a little extra browsing time here, particularly if you are shopping for a gathering. A large cheese selection has a way of turning a quick errand into a longer decision.
It is one of those details that separates Kingma’s from a basic convenience-focused grocery store.
A Bulk Food Section With Hundreds of Choices
Kingma’s Market has another department that rewards anyone who enjoys browsing: its bulk food selection. The store advertises more than 250 offerings, ranging from nuts and dried fruit to candy, chocolate, and snack mixes.
The variety makes this section useful for different kinds of shoppers. Someone planning a hiking trip might look for nuts or trail mix, while another customer may be searching for something sweet to enjoy at home.
Bulk foods are also convenient when you want to put together your own snack assortment. Instead of relying on a single packaged mix, you can choose different flavors and textures that suit your preferences.
The department changes with the seasons, too. Kingma’s highlights holiday-related items throughout the year, giving regular shoppers another reason to browse.
This is the kind of section where you can easily discover something you did not know you wanted. A quick look at the dried fruit might lead to a bag of chocolate-covered treats or a new favorite snack.
It also adds to the market’s appeal as a destination for gift shopping. A few specialty snacks can become part of a thoughtful food basket without requiring much preparation.
For me, departments like this capture the pleasure of an independent market. You arrive with a practical shopping list, but there is enough variety to make exploring worthwhile.
Catering and Gift Baskets for Special Occasions
Kingma’s Market is not limited to individual lunches and everyday groceries. Its catering services and curated gift baskets make it useful for celebrations, office gatherings, and occasions when you want to share good food with other people.
The market offers party trays, including sandwich and deli-style selections. These are practical options when you need to feed a group without preparing everything yourself.
A sandwich tray can work well for a casual family gathering, while a selection of meats, cheeses, and accompaniments offers something more suited to grazing throughout an event. Checking the current catering menu is the best way to see what combinations and quantities are available.
Gift baskets are another distinctive part of the business. Kingma’s offers themed collections built around local flavors, snacks, celebrations, and other food-focused ideas.
Some baskets emphasize Michigan products, making them especially appealing as gifts for people who have moved away from the state. Others are designed around treats and specialty foods that work for a wide range of occasions.
The market also offers charcuterie arrangements, which fit naturally with its extensive cheese and deli departments.
I like that these services build on what Kingma’s already does well. Rather than feeling disconnected from the grocery store, the catering and gift selections draw on the same emphasis on specialty ingredients and local food.
For larger orders, contact the market ahead of time to confirm availability and pickup arrangements.
A Garden Center That Changes With the Seasons
One of the more unexpected features of Kingma’s Market is its garden center. You might arrive looking for sandwiches or groceries and discover that the store also has a substantial selection of plants and seasonal outdoor decorations.
During spring and summer, the garden center offers nursery plants, hanging baskets, vegetable plants, flowering shrubs, and berry bushes. That makes it a useful stop for gardeners preparing their yards or starting a small vegetable garden.
Gardening supplies are part of the selection as well. The market lists compost, fertilizers, tools, and other products designed to help customers care for their plants.
As the weather changes, the department changes with it. Late summer and fall bring seasonal decorations such as straw, cornstalks, and chrysanthemums.
Winter brings another transformation. Kingma’s offers locally grown Christmas trees, wreaths, garlands, and holiday planters, extending the market’s usefulness well beyond the growing season.
This seasonal variety adds personality to the shopping experience. The store does not look or feel exactly the same throughout the year, which gives regular visitors something new to explore.
I especially like the idea of combining a grocery run with a visit to the garden center. Picking up dinner ingredients and a few plants in one trip is a pleasant kind of convenience.
It is another example of how Kingma’s has grown beyond the traditional neighborhood grocery format while keeping its community focus.
Why Kingma’s Is Worth Visiting Even Without a Shopping List
Kingma’s Market has something that many larger grocery stores struggle to create: a clear sense of identity. It combines the familiarity of a long-running neighborhood business with a specialty food selection large enough to attract visitors from outside the immediate area.
For first-time visitors, I would recommend arriving with enough time to explore rather than heading straight to the deli. The sandwiches may bring you through the door, but the rest of the market is what makes the stop memorable.
Kingma’s Market is located at 2225 Plainfield Avenue NE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49505. Its official website currently lists hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
It is the kind of place that reminds you grocery shopping can still be enjoyable, especially when the store itself gives you something worth discovering.
Share this story
