Photo credit: Colliers International | West Michigan

Two new tenants will fill the former K-Mart building located in Ferris Commons, the retail strip at 1250 Perry Ave. in Big Rapids. Colliers International | West Michigan announced that JoAnn Fabric will occupy 15,000 square feet and Grand Rapids-based CareLinc Medical will occupy the balance of the former big box anchor after signing a lease for 10,000 square feet in March.

“Big Rapids continues to attract major retailers that see the value and potential of the Ferris Commons location. As the interest in the Ferris Commons location increases, so does the attraction to Big Rapids for regional and national retailers, such as CareLinc Medical and JoAnn Fabric,” said Mark Ansara, Colliers International | West Michigan Associate Vice President. “Ferris State University is a major draw, as well as the convenience of US-131 just east of the location, so the right tenant mix for the former K-Mart building noticed the benefits of this location.”

The 80,000-square-foot anchor space was previously occupied by K-Mart, but now holds Family Farm and Home, Planet Fitness and its newest tenants, JoAnn Fabric and CareLinc Medical. Splitting these former big box stores into multiple suites follows a national retail trend and creatively reuses these large buildings. The adjacent strip center also includes Peebles, Dollar Tree, Goodwill, Buffalo Wild Wings and AT&T.

“We are thrilled to see that the former K-Mart building is now filled with strong businesses, including JoAnn Fabric and CareLinc,” said Jennifer Heinzman, Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director. “We have received a number of requests from the community for JoAnn Fabric over recent yeas, so we are confident the store will thrive in Big Rapids. We are grateful for the JoAnn Fabric investment in Mecosta County.”

JoAnn Fabric and CareLinc are both great complements the other existing tenants and accomplishes the growth in retail offerings within the space.