5 Places that Used to Be Open 24/7 in the Kalamazoo Area
The other day I was having a conversation with a friend about places like Walmart that used to be open 24/7.
Back in college, while working multiple jobs and taking classes, shopping for groceries at 1 am was, at times, the only choice we had. But, these days, it seems like those 24-hour places don't really exist.
Sure, you could blame the pandemic. But, some places started transitioning away from the 24/7 model before 2020. Curious about what other places I've missed out on, I asked the question on Kalamazoo's Reddit:
What used to be open 24/7 in the Kalamazoo area?
Since I'm still new(ish) to the area, I'm actually bummed that I didn't get to experience a few of these.
Here are 6 spots that used to be open 24/7 in the Kalamazoo area:
1. Fourth Coast Cafe and Bakery
U/theKzooKid256 wrote, "First thing that pops out to me is Fourth Coast Coffee. Many late nights there, now they close at 6." Another user, u/HolyDiverKungFu, added, "It’s unimaginable, Fourth Coast closing at 6. That’s when the night was just starting to pick up in the late 90s!"
In fact, if you look up Fourth Coast on Google Maps, their marker still indicates that they're a 24-hour coffee shop. But, according to their Facebook page, that is not true.
Their hours currently have them open from 7 or 8 am (depending on the day) to 6 pm.
2. Meijer
No, I'm still not adding an 's' to the end of Meijer. Regardless, they, apparently, used to be open 24/7. U/TiffkaKitka commented, "I don't do my shopping at Meijer anymore but they used to be 24/7. Saved my ass a lot when I was in college, working, and could only do shopping at late hours." Exactly! My fridge and cupboards would have been completely barren in my college days if 24/7 stores didn't exist.
If I remember correctly, this was a shift that occurred during the pandemic. Now, most stores open at 6 am and close at 12 am with varying hours for their pharmacies. Find your closest store to see their specific hour on Meijer's website.
3. Pharmacies
Speaking of Meijer, u/Oranges13 added, "The 24-hour pharmacy saved our ass several times, sucks that the closest one is now in Battle Creek." YES. Heaven forbid you find yourself in a situation where you're having to visit the ER in the middle of the night. If the hospital doesn't have an in-house pharmacy, what are you supposed to do?
Sure enough, I looked through the websites for Walgreens and CVS, and just did a general Google search for 24/7 pharmacies near me that yielded nothing.
4. Sweetwater's Donut Mill
As a former bartender, there is something especially delightful about snagging a fresh donut at 3 am. Sweetwater's Donut Mill is a place that used to be open 24/7 according to u/mitch_wilkinson. And, he's right.
On their Facebook page, it still says Sweetwater's is open 24 hours a day. However, their website has a banner indicating their temporary hours of 5 am to 8 pm. Hopefully, someday in the near future, we'll see Sweetwater's Donut Mill open 24/7 once again.
5. Stadium Discount Coin Laundry Dry Cleaners
U/CByrdJoke said, "Stadium discount coin laundry. I used to love doing my laundry late at night while playing the video games/pinball machines while downing terrible coffee from the coffee machine."
Ah, yes. The good (were they?) ol' days of having to use a laundromat. I feel like everyone should have to go through this at least once in their lives to really appreciate having an in-home washer and dryer. As of now, Stadium Discount Coin Laundry is not open 24/7. But, they are open from 8 am to 11 pm according to their website. And, at least on Google, there don't seem to be any 24/7 laundromats in the Kalamazoo area.
There were a few more answers on the above-mentioned Reddit thread that I just couldn't find much information on which is why I didn't include them. But, you can see the full thread here.
Missing the 24/7 spots in the Kalamazoo area? Need some comfort? I have just the cure. It's pasta!