Lumberman’s Vault Is Banking on Flavor in Muskegon, MI

Core Plaza

“There’s nothing like this in Muskegon,” says Derek Edlund of Lumberman’s Vault, a food hall that opened inside a historic bank building at First Street and Webster Avenue in December 2024. 

Muskegon native Edlund, general manager of the Vault and of its bar, Liquid Assets Cocktail & Wine Bar, should know. His grandparents and parents owned restaurants in the area (“My grandma retired a few years ago at the brisk, young age of 82,” he says), and Edlund has worked in hospitality his entire life. 

The six-story building that houses Lumberman’s Vault opened in 1962, and was home to National Lumberman’s Bank (among other financial institutions) for decades before Core Realty Partners began transforming it into mixed-use development Core Plaza in 2021. The former bank lobby is now home to a “big-city concept,” as Edlund describes the food collective: A central bar, five restaurant tenants and seating for roughly 140 guests on the first floor. Event space on the second floor can accommodate 55 people, and a brand-new patio can hold another 90 visitors. 

“There’s something for everybody,” Edlund says of the Vault’s carefully curated offerings. “We were extremely selective when picking restaurants. If we don’t have something to offer you, we’re doing something wrong.” 

The space’s centerpiece is Liquid Assets, which is constructed around the bank’s old vault door, a striking 6,680-pound behemoth. 

Edlund says the location of Lumberman’s Vault has “given more attention to an area of downtown that was quiet. We’re only three blocks off Western Avenue, and we’re the only business on our street that deals in hospitality. We’ve seen a lot more foot traffic in the area where Lumberman’s Vault is.” 

Locals have turned out to support the spot, he says, and he says that summers – the height of the local tourist season – are typically “organized chaos. The bar has a great staff and the restaurant has a great staff. We’ve been so busy. We already operate with a full establishment multiple days a week. We’re excited for summers!” 

Core Plaza

Check Out These Delicious Food Hall Faves in Muskegon 

The Press, an open-early coffee shop serving tea, matcha and coffee drinks alongside pressed paninis, sandwiches and tots at lunch 

Casa Cabos, which serves Mexican bites like burritos, quesadillas (including a fun take on birria, the birria “pizza”), nachos and enchiladas 

Up Leaf Cafe, an Asian-inspired spot offering rice paper rolls and Vietnamese-and Korean-style rice bowls, salads and unique energy drinks 

Soul Filled, which offers soul food classics like shrimp and grits, deep-fried catfish, chicken and waffles, and turkey knuckles 

The Foundry Grill MKG, which turns out classic comfort foods such as smash burgers, crispy wings and artisanal flatbread pizzas