This Abandoned Meijer Turned Into A BMX Park, Then Into Ruins

Greenville, Michigan, is lauded as the birthplace of the original Meijer Grocery, aka Meijer, the grocery store turned supermarket that now dominates much of Michigan and has spread to neighboring states in the Midwest.

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Generally, once one of these stores opens, it sticks around and becomes a staple of the community. But what if I told you that this Meijer supermarket was abandoned, has been vacant for years, and not only that, but it's also in the heart of Greenville, the place where it all started?

It seems unthinkable that one of these vast buildings would be forgotten, let alone in Greenville, but it's true and has seen some peculiar businesses try to fill the space...like an indoor BMX course of all things.

The History of the Original Meijer Supermarket

After the original Meijer's burned down, the Meijer family saw it as an opportunity to expand their business from a small one into something bigger - literally. This became the first Meijer supermarket, located at 1220 North Lafayette St. However, the title of the first superstore actually goes to the "Thrifty Acres" store, which opened on 28th and Kalamazoo in Grand Rapids in 1962.

This original building continued to grow and evolve with the rest of the Meijer stores. However, according to Retailtopia, the building soon became dated compared to newer buildings, and eventually the company decided to open a new, bigger building on the other side of town. After the opening of the new store, Meijer closed this original building.

READ MORE: The Meijer Members-Only Store That No One Remembers

Life After Meijer

The 100,000 sq ft property was deeded to the Jesus Non-Denominational Church of Greenville in 2008, which opened a food pantry in the former pharmacy area. However, the remaining space was fulfilled by something rather unexpected: a BMX course. With approval from the church, the Thrifty Acres Indoor BMX (inspired by the original Meijer store) took up residence in the building in 2010 and utilized the remaining 90,000 sqft.

Multiple competitions were held here, and the course was well-received. However, it closed in 2015 and was replaced by another BMX business called Rock City Indoor BMX, which also had a short life cycle after not reopening after 2020.

READ MORE: Meijer Seemingly Confirms Move Away From 24 Hour Supermarkets

Since then, the building has continued to fall into disrepair, though charmingly enough, the Welcome sign still works and lights up. The store essentially sits vacant, with the church continuing to run a food pantry inside the building and a small resale shop running on the far end.

This video by Spencer White, who runs the Urban Relics YouTube page, shows a recent exploration of the building for those curious about how things are today.