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Biggby Coffee store in downtown Grand Rapids appears to have closed

Biggby Coffee store in downtown Grand Rapids appears to have closed

Money Moves Grand Rapids, MI local

McKay Tower storefront is closed after 20 years; county licence has been absent since October 9

October 23rd, 2026: Licence absent from 14 consecutive readings

Overview

Updated Oct 24

Biggby Coffee at 146 Monroe Center St. NW in downtown Grand Rapids has closed. Staff were told in March 2026 that the McKay Tower shop would shut on March 8, though owner Tim Offman called the report a misunderstanding at the time. The storefront later had its signs removed and windows covered, and a closed sign said a new tenant would move in.

Kent County's active licence list stopped showing Store 572 after October 9, and Google now marks the address permanently closed. The shop marked 20 years in January 2026, according to a store social media post cited by MLive.

Why it matters

Downtown Grand Rapids loses a 20-year coffee shop inside McKay Tower, narrowing the options on Monroe Center.

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Key Indicators

20
Years at Monroe Center
The store marked its 20th anniversary in January 2026, according to a social media post cited by MLive.
9
Employees at store in March 2026
Assistant manager Sky Rodriguez told MLive the location employed nine people.

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People Involved

SA
Steve Antaya
Franchisee named in a 2008 Biggby announcement
Historical operator; Tim Offman was named as owner in 2026
TO
Tim Offman
Owner of the downtown Grand Rapids Biggby franchise
Denied in March 2026 that the store would close; the storefront was later confirmed closed
SR
Sky Rodriguez
Assistant manager at the downtown store in March 2026
Said staff were told the store would close on March 8

Organizations Involved

Biggby Coffee
Biggby Coffee
Coffee franchise chain
Franchisor; its Monroe Center franchise location closed in 2026

East Lansing, Michigan-based coffee chain that began franchising in 1999.
Kent County Health Department
Kent County Health Department
County health agency
Maintains the public licence list behind this story

The agency that licenses and inspects food establishments across Kent County, Michigan.

Timeline

May 2008 October 2026

8 events Latest: October 23rd, 2026 · 3 weeks ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Licence absent from 14 consecutive readings

    Latest Observation

    Store 572 is missing from every reading since October 9; Google marks the address permanently closed.

  2. Last reading with Store 572 licence present

    Observation

    The licence appears for the final time before disappearing from later checks.

  3. First reading shows Store 572 licence present

    Observation

    Kent County's active licence list, read for the first time, includes Biggby Coffee Store 572.

  4. Staff told of March 8 closure

    Business

    Assistant manager Sky Rodriguez said employees were told the store would close permanently on March 8. Owner Tim Offman later told MLive the closure was a misunderstanding and said the store was not shutting down.

  5. Store marks 20th anniversary

    Community

    The downtown Biggby marked 20 years at Monroe Center in January 2026, according to a store social media post cited by MLive.

  6. Storefront confirmed closed

    Business

    Signage was removed, windows were covered with paper, and a closed sign was posted saying a new tenant would move in soon, WGRD reported.

  7. Downtown store featured in city LipDub

    Community

    BIGGBY's Monroe Center location appears as a sponsor in Grand Rapids' first city-wide LipDub.

  8. BIGGBY announces Monroe Center re-grand opening

    Announcement

    Company says franchisee Steve Antaya owns the store and will hold a re-grand opening.

Scenarios

1

Biggby's Monroe Center store confirmed permanently closed

Likely Resolves by Apr 23, 2027

Discussed by: Kent County licence list and Google's permanent-closure marker; Grand Rapids press would be expected to note the end of a long-running downtown shop

The licence has stayed off the active list since early October, and Google flags the address as permanently closed. Confirmation would come from the list continuing to omit the licence into 2027, or from a local news report on the store's end.

2

Licence lapse is administrative; the store still trades or reopens

Unlikely Resolves by Apr 23, 2027

Discussed by: The observation itself — a licence can drop off for reasons other than closure, such as non-renewal paperwork or a change of entity

A lapsed licence is not proof a shop shut. Non-renewal, an ownership change, or a pending re-inspection could pull the licence from the list while the store keeps serving customers, and Google's permanent-closure mark may be a user edit error.

3

New food business takes over the address

Possible Resolves by Oct 23, 2027

Discussed by: Standard downtown retail turnover, visible in new licence entries at the same address

If the corner is truly empty, a successor tenant — another café or restaurant — could move in. That would show up as a new food-establishment licence issued for 146 Monroe Center NW 155, converting a closure into a routine handover.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

June 2018

Starbucks closes 150 underperforming stores (2018)

Starbucks said in June 2018 it would close 150 underperforming company-owned locations, a larger-than-usual annual pruning driven by slowing traffic in dense metro areas.

Then

Closures concentrated in cities with saturated store counts; the chain said it would open more stores in new formats.

Now

The move framed store shutdowns as routine portfolio management for coffee chains, not a signal of brand distress.

Why this matters now

A single franchise location dropping off a licence list can be one local business decision, not evidence about the parent brand.

2020-2021

COVID-19 restaurant closure wave (2020-2021)

During pandemic shutdowns, tens of thousands of U.S. restaurants closed, many permanently, with independent and downtown locations hit hardest.

Then

Licensing and inspection lists lagged actual closures by weeks or months.

Now

Regulators reissued licences as restaurants reopened or changed hands, muddying what a lapsed licence means at any given moment.

Why this matters now

It shows why an absent licence proves nothing by itself — the county list cannot distinguish a permanent closure from a pause or a paperwork gap.

Sources

(5)
+1
Kent County Health Department BIGGBY COFFEE MLive 97.9 WGRD BIGGBY COFFEE