West Michigan Jewelry Store Sells Groceries to be Deemed ‘Essential’

Welp, that's one way to do it.

Krautheim & Swanson GemWorks is located at 4851 Harvey Street in Muskegon. And, like so many other small businesses, they have been itching to reopen after the coronavirus pandemic.

On May 23rd, GemWorks posted on their Facebook page (which has since been deleted; yes, the entire page) that they're open for business. According to MLive, the post said, "We now have a small grocery department so we are an ‘Essential’ business.'”

Restrictions were loosened this week for Michigan retail businesses; they're allowed to have shoppers in-store by appointment only.

Some people were supportive of the move; others claimed that the store has a "total disregard for integrity."

The owner, Karl Krautheim, told MLive that the store was selling dry-packaged goods. They had some peanut butter in stock, but it sold out. Krautheim pointed out that big-chain stores such as Target and Meijer are still selling jewelry; why can't he open?

Look - I get it. Small business owners are mad, and rightfully so. This is a tough time that none of us have ever experienced before. But my question now is...why? Restrictions have been lifted so that you can see retail customers by appointment. So why wait until now to stock your jewelry store with groceries? Why not just...see customers by appointment?

Sorry to disappoint, but their Facebook presence completely vanished, so you won't be able to live in the comments section and argue with strangers who don't agree with you today. Take a walk instead, it's better for you.