The store was built with six-inch (152-mm) thick floors, so should the concept fail, the nongrocery half could be converted into an indoor car dealership. At a size of 180,000 square feet (17,000 m 2), it combined grocery shopping and department store shopping in a single large store. In 1962, Meijer launched its modern format, with a store at the corner of 28th Street and Kalamazoo Avenue in Grand Rapids. By the 1960s, the company had over two dozen stores located throughout West Michigan. The first Grand Rapids store opened on South Division Avenue in 1949. The Greenville store was successful and additional Meijer groceries were opened in Cedar Springs (1942) and Ionia (1946). He also offered staple items, such as vinegar, at bargain prices. After studying trends in the grocery industry, Meijer was among the first stores to offer self-service shopping and shopping carts. The current co-chairmen, brothers Hank and Doug Meijer, are Hendrik's grandsons. His first employees included his 14-year-old son, Frederik Meijer, who later became chairman of the company. Meijer was a local barber who entered the grocery business during the Great Depression. Meijer was founded as Meijer's in Greenville, Michigan, in 1934, by Hendrik Meijer, a Dutch immigrant.
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