Eastown Antiques to match customer donations to Feeding America West Michigan

From April 1-14, customers at Eastown Antiques in Grand Rapids will have the opportunity to round up their bills for Feeding America West Michigan Food Bank. Every dollar will be doubled because Eastown Antiques has committed to matching up to $500 of the total.

This event marks the second time Eastown Antiques has supported Feeding America West Michigan in the last few months, after donating the equivalent of 2,700 meals to the organization during December’s Uptown Holiday Shop Hop, one of the store’s busiest days of the year.

Owner Mike Dykhouse is enthusiastic about supporting the Food Bank, seeing it as a cause almost everyone can get behind.

“People identify with it. They feel positive about contributing,” he says.

Dykhouse opened Eastown Antiques in the former Hammer and Cortenhof Hardware store on the corner of Lake Drive and Wealthy eight years ago. He personally stocks about a third of the store and rents the remaining space to 50 different antiques dealers. A perusal of the shop reveals a farrago of exotic and historic wares, from fur coats and jewelry to tap handles and vinyl records.

Furniture is the house specialty, Dykhouse says, and early April is patio season. Customers can expect to see a healthy stock of rattan furniture and garden accessories. A frequent curator of estate sales, Dykhouse takes pride in the fact that customers of almost any means will find quality pieces they can afford to take home.

“We have a great mix of things and a lot of dealers who care about what they’re doing,” he says. “We have fun with it.”

This event is part of the Million Meal March, Feeding America West Michigan’s campaign to distribute a million meals to families in need. For more ways to take part, visit millionmealmarch.org.