New Shop in Grand Rapids opens for the Sober Curious

Was one of your New Year’s resolutions to stop drinking or drink less? The new movement, called Sober Curious is on the rise. Many people want to still drink but without alcohol. And now a new store, the Alt City NA Bottles and Beer in Grand Rapids, opened to meet the demand for non-alcoholic beverages.

According to www.wxyz.com, the Alt City NA Bottles and Beer opened in Grand Rapids at 434 Leonard St. NW. The co-owner, Neil DeMeester, believes this may be one of the first stores of this type.

“I think there’s a ton of people that want to be sober for different reasons, whether it’s just taking a break for a week, or a month for like dry January, or whether it’s a medication or a life event, that they just want to be sober,” DeMeester told FOX 17 News. “The demand has been overwhelming.”

With the staycations and lockdowns slowly receding into history, social drinking has become more common again. And with alcohol consumption increased by more than 21% during the pandemic, what better time to get sober?

The business was created from the idea of supporting this new “sober curious movement”. They have de-alcoholized wines and mixes to make cocktails. And with the growing rise in this movement, the owners say keeping bottles on the shelves is difficult.

The three co-owners started the business together after opening a similar store in Grand Rapids Downtown Market.

Alt City NA Bottles and Beer opened before Thanksgiving, but their grand opening was just this last Friday the 13th.

Getting thirsty? How about hungry? Check out these Michigan restaurants:

Every Delicious Michigan Restaurant on Food Network's 'Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives'

“Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives,” hosted by Guy Fieri on the Food Network, is one of the most popular shows for food lovers. There’s just something super entertaining about Fieri, and the show is so fun to watch. What’s extra cool is that Fieri has come to Michigan multiple times and picked local restaurants to highlight on the show.

TVFoodmaps.com has compiled a full directory of all the restaurants that have appeared on “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.” Think of this as a list of spots every Michigan food lover should visit. Some of these restaurants are familiar to me, like Krazy Jim’s Blimpy Burger, while others I are not. My parents actually live just a few miles from Zaytoon Mediterranean in Lansing, Michigan, and I had no idea they were featured on the show until now. They do have some great Miditerranean food. Which are your favorite Michigan spots that you think should be featured on the show? Reach out to me on social media and give me some recommendations!

In total, Fieri has highlights 16 different Michigan restaurants on “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.” What can I say- we have some great eating spots here! View the full list of Michigan restaurants featured on the show below, and make sure to visit them at some point. View the full list here.

Hot Scott, aka Scotty, when not wrangling his chihuahua he's writing, painting, and playing games. Loves Dungeon and Dragons, comics, and everything nerdy and geeky. He has an uncontrollable beard and has been known to wear a kilt on the right occasion.