A year ago, Plainfield Avenue NE was a stretch of lane closures and torn-up pavement. The City of Grand Rapids listed the Fuller Avenue to I-96 segment as a 2025 reconstruction, with contractors replacing the road and upgrading the utilities underneath it. Last September, FOX 17 reported the City Engineer's estimate that lane closures would run through November 7, 2025.
Creston's 2026 openings are going into buildings people on the northeast side already know: a burger spot that ran for more than 70 years, a brewery, a century-old storefront and a vacant corner. One at a time, they're also adding hours to the corridor's day. If every announced plan comes through, Plainfield will run from a 7 a.m. espresso to a drink near midnight.
The Building That Used To Be Fat Boy
The clearest example sits at 2450 Plainfield Ave. NE. Fat Boy closed in February 2025 after more than 70 years of serving burgers. According to WOOD TV8, owner Theodore Geiger spent the better part of a year renovating before Kobold's Kitchen soft-opened on June 3.
Kobold's Kitchen is a board game café with hundreds of games on the shelves. After four months of soft opening, it held its official grand opening on Thursday, October 1, with free coffee, free gameplay and a board game raffle. WOOD reported that customer feedback during the soft opening shaped several changes:
- A new kids' menu
- More globally inspired breakfast dishes, including chilaquiles
- A tofu version of the "spice bag" appetizer, which normally tosses chicken bites, fries, tots and flash-fried peppers and onions in the house spice blend
- Online ordering
- Revised library memberships, including a $5-per-month tier that covers free play Tuesday through Thursday
"We really feel like we've come into our own and are able to offer a more consistent, high-quality experience," Geiger said in a statement quoted by WOOD TV8. As of late September, MLive reported that the café was open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday.
The $5 membership is built around weeknights, so a Tuesday or Wednesday game night at a familiar address can become a standing plan.
A Brewery Turned Gallery, And A Grocery Near Spencer
Farther south, the pattern repeats. By April, LaFontsee Galleries had moved into the former Creston Brewery at 1504 Plainfield Ave. NE, offering contemporary art, framing and art consulting, according to Revue's April 2026 business roundup. A building people knew for pints now handles picture frames, and it's a few blocks from where the next round of openings is clustering.
Georgie's Farm Market opened in June at 1364 Plainfield Ave. NE, near Spencer. WOOD TV8 described it as a nonprofit market selling fresh produce and local products at prices just above wholesale. Its hours have shifted since opening week. The Georgie's website now lists Wednesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., with Sunday, Monday and Tuesday closed. That's a broader schedule than the one WOOD reported in June, which had the market open only Tuesday and Thursday mornings plus Friday afternoon. Check the site before a Saturday produce run.
Where Things Stand, Address By Address
Here's the corridor from south to north, with each building's past use where it's been reported and its status as of this week.
| Address | Before | Now | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1364 Plainfield Ave. NE | Not reported | Georgie's Farm Market, nonprofit grocer | Open since June 2026 |
| 1415 Plainfield Ave. NE | Ground floor of the century-old Hoxie building | The Hoxie, café and bar | Approved in July 2026, opening planned |
| 1504 Plainfield Ave. NE | Creston Brewery | LaFontsee Galleries | Open, moved in by April 2026 |
| 1801 and 1803 Plainfield Ave. NE | Vacant corner spaces | Abo Coffee Company | Opening planned before year-end |
| 2450 Plainfield Ave. NE | Fat Boy, closed February 2025 | Kobold's Kitchen | Grand opening held October 1 |
The two rows still marked as planned are the ones that would stretch the corridor's day the most.
The Hoxie Would Add The Evening
At 1415 Plainfield, near Caledonia Street NE, owner and operator Angela Tramper is opening The Hoxie on the ground floor of the historic Hoxie building, which is more than a century old. The Grand Rapids Planning Commission approved its special land use request in July. WOOD TV8 reported that a related family entity owns the building.
City agenda documents describe a two-shift business. From 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., it would be a counter-service café with espresso drinks, tea, pastries, salads and sandwiches. From 3 p.m. to midnight, it would become a bar with dinner service, pouring beer, wine and cocktails. Tramper also asked for a parking waiver, pointing to the on-street parking and nearby lots.
Her reasoning at the meeting, as WOOD TV8 reported it, was about the corridor's hours: "Just another reason for people to stay out a little bit later, have some activities, food and beverage options in this neighborhood."
The timeline has slipped since then. In July, WOOD said the plan was daytime café service over the summer, with alcohol and dinner possibly starting in the fall. MLive described the target as late fall. As of this week, The Hoxie hasn't announced an opening date.
Abo Coffee Company Would Add A Corner
Farther north, at 1801 and 1803 Plainfield Ave. NE, Rohmell Matthews and Madeline Haadsma bought vacant spaces this spring for Abo Coffee Company. MLive reported that the corner storefront covers 3,200 square feet across two addresses separated by an old door frame, and that the plan is to combine them into one space.
Matthews is a tribal member of the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi, also known as the Gun Lake Tribe. The couple launched a coffee cart in April 2026 and spent months doing pop-ups and collaborations with other Grand Rapids small businesses. The cart's menu gives a preview of the shop: lattes, hot and iced cappuccinos, cortados, black filter coffee, cold brew, chai and matcha lattes, herbal teas and seasonal drinks. MLive's July report said the storefront aimed to open before the end of this year. As of this week, no opening date has been announced.
And A Deli From A Familiar Chef
The newest name on the list doesn't have an address yet. On October 16, Crain's Grand Rapids reported that chef Steven Martinez is planning Sunday Best, an affordable comfort-food deli and market on Plainfield Avenue in Creston. East-side diners may know Martinez from Asada, which started at the Fulton Farmers Market, later moved to Wealthy Street and served its last meal on Sunday, January 25, according to WZZM 13. An exact location and opening date haven't been announced.
How The Day Adds Up
Here's how the published and planned hours line up along the corridor:
- 7 a.m. The Hoxie's planned café shift begins at 1415.
- 9 a.m. Kobold's Kitchen opens for breakfast at 2450, Tuesday through Sunday. On Saturdays, Georgie's opens at the same hour at 1364.
- 11 a.m. Georgie's opens Wednesday through Friday.
- 3 p.m. The Hoxie's planned switch to bar and dinner service.
- 7 p.m. Georgie's closes on weekdays.
- 9 p.m. Kobold's Kitchen closes.
- Midnight. The Hoxie's planned close.
Today, the open businesses cover roughly 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Hoxie's café and bar shifts would add the early morning and the late evening, and Abo's corner would add another coffee stop farther north.
If you're watching which Plainfield storefront fills next, or wondering what a reused building on the corridor is worth to the people who own one, Polaris Real Estate follows these changes block by block. Ask Us Anything about Creston and the buildings along Plainfield.