Ground Floor Market

Much more than a convenience store!
Ground Floor Market, which opened a couple of months ago in the historic Dryden Building, is known as a «grab and go» lunch spot in the middle of downtown Flint. Its focus is on selling healthy ready-​to-​go luncheon items and snacks to local business professionals and college students who are always on the move and often too busy to sit down and enjoy lunch at one of the nearby sit-​down restaurants. So far, that concept appears to be working.
Featuring bakery items, like pastries, cookies, bread, etc from Fenton’s own Crust (which has a kiosk at the Flint Farmer’s Market) and the Laundry, both of whom are reknown for their baked goods, as well as homemade soups and sandwiches from the Lunch Studio (another popular downtown spot) and Oliver T’s, the market is filling a «grab and go» lunch void dowtown that has needed filling for some time now. The variety of lunch items is pretty varied, with featured soups of the day such as Minestrone, White Chicken Chili, Butternut Squash, Roasted Red Pepper, and Mushroom from the ever-​popular Lunch Studio and Oliver T’s. The Roasted Red Pepper and Butternut Squash are both delicious and savory, but my favorite is the Minestrone– hearty and heart-​healthy as well. Be sure to check out their soup of the day, as it changes daily as the name implies. They also sell a variety of beverages, including coffee, sodas, teas, and sparkling cider from Boylan’s (a seasonal treat), ice cream novelties and plenty of vegetarian-​friendly sandwiches and wraps, all at reasonable prices.
Seriously, a lot of folks that work or go to school downtown just don’t have the time to enjoy a sit-​down meal and tend to eat on the run, but don’t want to be relegated to purchasing over-​priced, unhealthy junk food from the local mini-​mart as they dash back to work or class. That’s where Ground Floor Market comes in to bridge the gap between grabbing Twinkies and bad gas station coffee and sitting down for an hour long lunch downtown. Its central location to the UM-​Flint campus and major businesses downtown is a real plus for those wanting to grab a quick bite within walking distance.
Prices are pretty reasonable, sometimes downright cheap, on just about everything, especially when taking into account that is still considered a convenience store of sorts. After all, convenience stores aren’t exactly known for their low prices and high quality. In fact, low prices on baked goods from Crust and the Laundry are the norm here. Sometimes, they sell Crust cookies for a fraction of their regular price and occasionally they’ve run 50% off specials on pastries and sandwiches from both Crust and the Laundry and $ 1.99 bowls of soup if purchased with a specialty sandwich.
Inside, it looks more like a specialty food market/​café, as opposed to a convenience store, which I’m sure is what the owners were striving for when coming up with this concept. It’s super cute, painted in bright, friendly colors, with exposed brick walls and hardwood floors– a far cry from the dingy convenience stores with bullet proof glass that seem to pervade this city. Personally, I rather like this new concept convenience store/​grab & go lunch spot. It’s a breath of fresh air, plus I love the idea of having new life breathed into the century-​old Dryden Building, one of the city’s most historic downtown structures. Overall, the staff is friendly and the service is prompt, in keeping with the «convenience» theme.