Menards

Oh Menards, my favorite holiday store. I love strolling through the enchanted forest, so pretty! I love all the holiday décor, they seemingly have everything you could want or ask for. I particularly love the old school outdoor decorations :) in addition to holiday décor they actually have a decent toy section and I’ve picked up many gifts here. I also usually end up with a random food item or two as well. In the spring and summer I visit the garden center often, great selection and prices on perennials.

Menard’s has a secret side to it that I’m not sure many people know about (at least the one on Main Street), there is a whole area dedicated to food, pets, and more.
I’m not saying this should be your go to grocery store (there’s no fresh produce and what have you), but you might just want to grab that 24 case of bottled water for only $ 2.69, or perhaps you do need that giant bag of Chex Mix while you’re out working in the garage.
There’s a pet section here that has great low prices, Maxx Dog Food is 3 $ less here! Also, raw hides, antlers, and various chew prices are unbeatable compared to any local pet store. Cat items too!

Menards is a big box store where you tar likely to head when you need a widget of some kind to fix that leaky sink or toilet. If you know exactly what you are looking for, it is highly probable that you will find it; however, if you aren’t sure and need to look around, you will likely be wandering around aimlessly for countless hours and come home wondering why you spent $ 125 on stuff you really didn’t need in the first place. This might include a new patio set or enough insulation to redo your garage. They also have gotten into the grocery business and you might come home with 4 boxes of dog biscuits, 3 bags of chips, 2 cans of soup and a partridge in a pear tree if you aren’t careful.

this summer i got laid off. i edited books about 10% of the time, and nobody cared what i did with the rest, except most of them seemed mad at me. this summer i learned the word «co-​dependent» and let it sit in my fridge.
the guy from the verve pipe sits at a desk and writes things that i used to erase and rewrite completely. i bet he got my salary probably & i’d contest he can’t be held responsible. the office dog got my desk. that is what i like to imagine. it was my fifth, consecutive, with lake michigan, and my last. i don’t see the musical fountain with just anybody. i told you that.
at one point i moved to texas and then didn’t. my sister hasn’t spoken to me since she eloped. (my sister eloped)
i’m finding when you get comfortable with the new thing, the old thing creeps back up, like, remember when you were comfortable with me? no, i don’t. yes i do but leave me alone.
i had nightmares about my old job, followed by nightmares about fungus growing on walls where i sleep, followed by nightmares of kneeling near you and reconciling. this fall i met a lot of people. today is the first day of fall.
i asked my boyfriend to come with me to a house where the president of the board of my new company lives. i joked, they call this richland, mi because the xxxxxx family is so rich. turns out, that family also owns the enormous company where my boyfriend works. and you know, i really like to hear him explain his job to old people. you know when you’re hanging out with your mom and she tells the same story like 4 different times in 4 different rooms and you’ve gotta laugh with her all 4 times? have you ever heard a college lecture twice? i would pay to hear him repeat every dumb line from the big lebowski 100 times. let alone tell 8 different old people that it snowed in new jersey.
an older man who went by ‘wally’ looked like my favorite college professor. he said, sometimes it’s hard to tell if it’s love or lust, and is he a keeper? and i said, yeah. and he said, give him & paintbrush and check back in 6 months. that’s really what he said. it’s a right-​brained thing.
the sunset on gull lake was the last one but holy cow. it was warm and i knew it was gonna be the only time. by the end of ‘lost and safe’ we were actually lost and safe. a couple of times you’ve said, the books are too weird, why are they your favorite band? also why are we driving aimlessly?
you said, as long as you’re still in non-​profits, this is gonna be your stitch, and i’m gonna be your trophy boyfriend.
i bought a diet root beer and a root beer at the gas station where i realized i was still wearing my «Hello My Name Is» nametag. at the apple orchard he told me his dad had a friend who went by ‘the ace’ and he would use a permanent marker on his northface jackets to create a kinda erasure poem that just said ‘the ace.‘
this menards is empty as hell you guys. took a sick picture on my disposable.

I like this Menards compared to the Menards in Portage (about 20 mins away). Much more space in this one, easier to find things, and a wider variety of lumber and landscaping supplies.
My only knock is that several times they have not opened up an additional lane when the line gets long, despite their stated objective (add’l lane if more than two guests are in line). Not a huge deal, just don’t have that objective if you are unable to achieve it.
Other than that, the store appears to be run well and has a well trained, friendly staff.

This is the best hardware/​household store in the area. I really like the propane tank system they have. They are the only place I know that has a total DIY propane exchange that seriously takes about 2 minutes and costs on average 2 bucks less than everywhere else. Thanks Menards…