Wesley Emert and Tina Emert of CityWide Real Estate Services assisted Alt City NA Bottles and Beer in securing space at 434 Leonard St. NW in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Alt City NA Bottles & Beer offers a selection of zero-proof cocktail mixers, spirits, beer and wines.
The concept started in 2019 by brothers Paul and Chad Clark after realizing there weren’t many non-alcoholic options in Grand Rapids. After spending a year kegging non-alcoholic options to be distributed to bars and restaurants they decided to open a brick and mortar operation.
In 2020, Alt City Beverage Company opened a space in the downtown market to offer non-alcoholic beverages, smoothies, teas and coffees on site.
The brothers developed an extensive list of zero-proof cocktails for guests to enjoy at the Downtown Market. During this phase, they met Neil DeMeester, who had become a regular at the space.
“I asked him to try a non-alcoholic Paloma that utilized a tequila substitute, but he was a little hesitant. I didn’t know Neil had been sober for approximately 7 years at this point and that this could be triggering for him,” said co-owner, Chad Clark.
The cocktail wasn’t triggering for Neil and he began exploring their different zero proof cocktails as well as concocting all sorts of different cocktails at home using the zero proof spirits from Alt City Beverage Company.
In 2021, Paul, Chad and Neil started kicking around a few different ideas related to the N/A space and landed on a non-alcoholic bottle shop. “We had an idea and started looking for the right space to solidify our concept. We wanted to be in an up and coming neighborhood that has character, so 434 Leonard felt like the perfect fit,” said co-owner, Neil DeMeester.
“We saw the tenants that were already in this development and really liked the vibe,” said co-owner, Chad Clark. The 846 square-foot space is located in a mixed-use building on Leonard St NW, just off US-131.
All of the products sold at Alt City NA Bottles and Beer have been tested and sampled by Neil, Chad and Paul. “The brands we sell are all relatively new, so we taste everything to make sure the product aligns with what we want to provide to our customers,” said Neil DeMeester.
Alt City NA Bottles and Beer is launching their own non-alcoholic wine and beer line in about a month. They are also working on a line of cocktail mixers that are specifically designed to pair with zero proof spirits.
CityWide Real Estate Services acquired this project in August 2020 and witnessed that residential and commercial interactions could flourish more dynamically together. “From the beginning, we sought to retain and accentuate the original beauty of the physical structures while adding functional spaces such as parking and green space. Adding clean and affordable apartment housing, and drawing the interest of local entrepreneurs and service providers was also a priority,” said Wesley Emert, owner of CityWide Real Estate Services
