The Lansing area gained a handful of new retail stores and restaurants in April, and lost a major chain location.
Gains included Finger Lickin Chicken & Fish, the latest eatery to open inside food hall and social club Lansing Shuffle and the area’s first Gardner White furniture store off Saginaw Highway.
The area also lost Smokey Bones. The restaurant was the chain’s last Michigan location and came the same week that the company shuttered all of its remaining locations.
Here’s a look at what opened and closed in and around Lansing in April.
Openings
Finger Lickin Chicken & Fish, Lansing
Where: Inside Lansing Shuffle, 325 Riverfront Drive
The details: Finger Lickin Chicken & Fish opened inside the Lansing Shuffle on April 11. The eatery joins four other restaurants with kitchens in the food hall and social club. They include Takitos AF, Kin Thai, Browndog At The Shuffle and Lalafish. University Weiner, a hot dog eatery in East Lansing, is expected to open a second location at the Shuffle soon.
Finger Lickin Chicken & Fish’s menu includes burgers, barbecue, and fried fish and chicken. Learn more about them on Facebook at “Finger Lickin Chicken & Fish.”
Gardner White, Delta Township
Where: 8748 W. Saginaw Hwy.
The details: Gardner White, a Warren-based furniture retail chain, opened its first Lansing area location on April 10. The store, in a 100,000-square-foot former Art Van Furniture store off West Saginaw Highway, sells everything from living room, bedroom room, dining room and office furniture to mattresses, lighting and rugs.
The company has expanded in Michigan, opening more than a dozen stores in the last year, CEO Rachel Stewart said. It operates a total of 32, including one that opened recently in Ohio.
Learn more about the company at www.gardner-white.com.
Homestead Pantry Meats & More, St. Johns
Where: 2153 S. U.S. 27
The details: Homestead Pantry Meats & More opened its doors on April 10. The farm-to-table store sells farm-raised meats, fresh eggs and seasonal items. Products include fresh asparagus, canned items like pickles, beets and pie fillings, meat, snacks and other items.
Learn more about the business on Facebook at “Homestead Pantry Meats & More.”
Rundezvous (Run. Walk. Strength.), Williamston
Where: 108 W. Grand River Ave.
The details: Rundezvous (Run. Walk. Strength.) opened in early April in a former party store in the city’s downtown. Owner Marie Bowen, a former personal trainer, said the focus of the fitness studio is on running and strength training.
The nearly 3,000-square-foot studio offers free weights, Peloton treadmills and a kids’ corner where children can hang out while adults take classes or enjoy open gym time. Visitors can expect regular classes and access to instructors.
Learn more about the studio at www.rundezvousllc.com.
READ MORE:
Metro Detroit furniture chain opens first Lansing area location
Region’s third Chick-fil-A location set to open in Lansing
Closings
Smokey Bones, Lansing Township
Where: 2401 Lake Lansing Road
The details: Smokey Bones abruptly closed its last remaining Michigan location near the Eastwood Towne Center on April 28. It employed about 20 people, all of whom were notified about the closure that day, location Manager Greg Brown told the State Journal.
It had opened more than a decade earlier.
Last summer, FAT Brands Inc., the global company behind dozens of iconic food chains like Fazoli’s and Fatburger, announced plans to shift business models for the brand. Underperforming locations were to be closed, though it was unclear at the time if the Lansing Township restaurant would be one of them.
The chain announced that same week that it had closed all of its locations.
Contact Reporter Rachel Greco at rgreco@lsj.com. Follow her on X @GrecoatLSJ.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: New meat market, restaurant opened in April, while Smokey Bones closed
Reporting by Rachel Greco, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
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