“We just recently opened, and have had some great reception from the community. We’ve had a lot of neighbors that have been really helpful and supportive of us, which has been really cool, too. Opening a business can be intense, but we’ve had really helpful people who are like, ‘Do you need help with filling out some tax paperwork?’ and do you need ‘do you need to know who to talk to about this?’ So everybody has been really cool.
I think regarding the restaurants here in downtown, everybody has their different thing: we’re not doing what Toasted Pickle’s doing, and they’re not doing what Electric Hero is doing.
I’m from Muskegon originally and transplanted down here. It’s a nice community with a lot going on. Downtown is growing into Centertown and Eastown, and there are some really cool things going on over there, and that was a draw for me as a business.
In addition to freshly roasted nuts, Fortino’s has a little bit of everything. Over time, the focus has shifted from groceries to specialty foods, beer, wine, and liquor, and it continues to change. Today, it’s similar to a general store.
Food is such a fun business and I love everything about Grand Haven. When you live here in the summer, every day feels like you’re on vacation. Walking on the beach, watching the sunset, and seeing so many people enjoy your town—there isn’t anything better.
I love our community. We have a lot of hard workers here. Our former city manager showed us that the more we do together, the better Grand Haven becomes.
At the end of the day, our community is about improving this place for both our residents and our visitors.”
—Melita Ewbank, Lakeside Eats
