ties to Meijer, instead having a background working with Kroger and Aldi. In September 2020, Fresh Thyme announced that it was withdrawing from the state of Nebraska by closing its remaining three stores after closing two stores the previous year. The closures left the company with 70 stores in 10 states. Marketing and sponsorship In 2006, Meijer donated money to Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to create the paid position called the Frederik Meijer Chair of Dutch Language and Culture. The previous chair was unpaid. Its purpose is to promote interest in the Netherlands and Michigan's Dutch cultural heritage. In 2014, Meijer was the first retailer to accept both Apple Pay and CurrentC for purchases in its stores and gas stations despite possible penalties from Merchant Customer Exchange for accepting Apple Pay. Store design Meijer stores are typically designed with the supermarket section to one side and the general merchandise section to the other side. The chain's stores are almost always constructed from the ground up, with very few Meijer stores having been converted from other retailers. Exceptions include the: Lincoln Park, Michigan and Portage, Indiana stores, both of which were former Super Kmart stores, though the latter was significantly renovated during conversion to Meijer Traverse City, Michigan store, a former Grant City store Sterling Heights, Michigan, the former location on Metropolitan Parkway (which relocated to Madison Heights, Michigan in 2002 and has been demolished for a shopping center), which was also a former Grant City, Fraser, Michigan which Meijer converted from its failed SourceClub concept store Newark, Ohio (which was shuttered in 2013), which was one of the stores Meijer purchased from Twin Fair. Some stores built in the 1960s and 1970s, including a since-demolished location on Pierson Road in Mount Morris Township, Michigan (which marked the chain's entry into the Flint market in 1972), included a balcony, containing service tenants such as a barber shop and nail salon. During the late 1990s, McDonald's restaurants also operated inside Meijer stores, primarily in those with balconies, though some locations without balconies like Taylor, Michigan and the location on Alexis Road in Toledo, Ohio also had McDonald's locations; in addition, the first stores in the Detroit area featured a short-lived fast food concept called Thrifty's Kitchen, which also operated a standalone location in front of the Meijer on Alpine Avenue in Walker. Most stores feature a sit-down café, while some