Market House - Service, Variety & Innovation

by Elyse Apel

Next time you go into Hillsdale Market House, it might be for groceries or it might be to eat at one of its many different restaurants.

After recent expansions, Market House now offers its customers Biggby Coffee, Sharon’s House of Pancakes, Blimpie Subs & Salads, Krispy Krunchy Chicken, Underdogs: Sliders, Spirits, and Sports, and Sushi Kabor.

Adaptability and great employees have been key to Market House’s success.

“We have learned over time that the secret to success is great employees and taking care of our customers,” says Brett Boyd, the fourth-generation owner of Market House. “We have the best people in the business to offer more and more food options for our community.”

Brett says that part of the challenge of being a small-town grocery store is how to stand out from the other big box stores, which Market House has done by providing unique dining experiences.

“We try to differentiate ourselves from other stores in our community both through our amazing staff and by providing more food options for our community,” he explains.

Each of the different restaurants fills a specific need, from breakfast food at Sharon’s House of Pancakes, to sliders and a full-service bar at Underdogs, and even an award-winning salad and hot bar.

“About two months ago, we opened Underdogs,” Brett says. “Underdogs is open seven days a week and features 12 on-tap beers, mixed drinks, and fine wine.”

Underdogs provides the first sports bar experience in the Hillsdale community area, which Brett says has brought a lot of new customers into Market House.

“We’ve got 16 large-screen TVs and we show all the major sports,” he explains. “We are getting a lot of folks from the outer communities coming in to check it out, especially because we just have so much to offer under one roof.”

Underdogs also broadcasts all the Hillsdale College games and will soon begin showing UFC and golf events.

Sushi Kabor opened at the same time as Underdogs and can be purchased at Underdogs, or to-go. “Our sushi is made fresh every day,” Brett says. “That’s been highly, highly popular as well.”

Biggby Coffee has been very popular in the community since its opening and is directed by Brandy Boyd, Brett’s wife and co-owner of Market House.

“We opened Biggby Coffee as a part of our renovation in 2018, which is very, very popular with the community,” Brett says.

Ever since Brett’s great-grandfather started Market House in 1941 in downtown Hillsdale as a small meat shop, the store has been slowly making adjustments to remain a successful business in the community.

“We are just continually trying to evolve as a company to better serve our community and take care of our customers,” Brett says.

He adds that Market House’s success wouldn’t be possible without its staff.

“Unfortunately, family-owned supermarkets are continuing to disappear one after another. We are just very blessed and fortunate to have such phenomenal staff,” Brett says. “At the end of the day, it’s one thing to offer all these great alternatives, but we could not do it without great people and we are very blessed to have some phenomenal folks.”

Market House recently launched a “Sip and Shop” program, allowing customers to buy a drink from Underdogs to drink while they shop.

“We’re one of the first places in the state of Michigan where you can enjoy a glass of wine or a mixed drink or a beer while you shop,” Brett says. “We call it ‘Sip and Shop’ and it allows customers the opportunity to shop while they have a glass of wine, a mixed drink, or a cold beer.”

On top of all the different dining options, Market House also offers a full-service supermarket which includes a bakery, a butcher shop with fresh-cut meats and local beef, and a large liquor selection. Market House even has a space that can be rented out for private or corporate events.

“We recently doubled our displays of liquor, fine wine, and beer,” Brett says. “Our customers are enjoying that we have such variety.”

Market House plans to continue finding new ways to serve the community.

“We will continue to add a lot of new things. We are looking forward to adding karaoke, trivia nights, and maybe even Euchre tournaments,” Brett says. “We are really excited about doing some other special things over there for the community.”

These events will include mixology cocktail nights, bourbon nights, and wine sampling nights.

Brett says that none of Market House’s success would be possible without the support from the community.

I want to give a big thank you to the community for supporting us for the past 84 years,” Brett says. “As my grandfather said, good things happen when you are surrounded by good people.

For more information on Market House, call (517) 437-2100.