GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Local leaders gathered in downtown Grand Rapids Friday to celebrate the official opening of luxury golf apparel brand Greyson Clothiers.

The Michigan-based company hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its newest location inside the Peck Building, located at 40 Monroe Center St. near Division Avenue. The location is its third store in Michigan, with the other two located in Detroit and Harbor Springs. Along with its typical offerings, the Grand Rapids location also has a custom shop where customers can watch the team customize their purchases.

Headquartered in Detroit, Greyson was launched in 2015 by Michigan-born Charlie Schaefer. It now has nine stores worldwide, including locations in Korea and New York City.

“Globally we’re recognized for a lot of our fabric choices,” Chris Brancato, vice president of retail, told News 8. “We’re really a brand that men, women and kids can wear when you’re looking for luxury and performance in the same garment.”

Greyson already had a presence in metro Grand Rapids, with its clothes in local country clubs and some of its employees working remotely from the area.

“There’s some familiarity with the brand in the market,” Brancato said. “The more we started to shop around and really determine where we might want to store, downtown is really what got us excited.”

The team ultimately landed on the Peck Building, which also houses Detroit brand Shinola. As the team worked with the city and Rockford Construction, which owns the building, it found the area was very “business-friendly,” he said.

Getting the brand into the Peck Building represents a full-circle moment for Rockford Construction, which has poured energy into the Monroe Corridor over the last two decades. It started the work in 1998 when it first bought the Peck Building.

At the time, it was neglected and in deplorable conditions, Rockford Construction CEO Mike VanGessel said. It was boarded up, with aluminum on the windows and its beauty concealed. The buildings across the street were in similar conditions.

Gone were the days of shopping at department stores like Herpolsheimer’s and Wuzburg’s or stopping in at Peck drug store, now the Peck Building.

However, the Rockford Construction team and its investors had a vision for the street.

“We just saw it as a great opportunity back in 1998 to start investing,” VanGessel told News 8.

The team rehabilitated the Peck Building, rebuilding the façade of the Peck Building and putting in new windows. It started working on other projects on the street as well as both a construction company and as a developer. Over the years, it worked on projects like the Grand Rapids Police Department, the Grand Rapids Art Museum and several retail stores.

“We’ve worked really, really hard to have this be a retail destination,” VanGessel said. “It’s gone through different iterations … but we think this is the best it’s ever been. It’s just absolutely amazing right now with the other retailers we have up and down the street.”

Revitalizing the area became a passion for the team, he said.

“My parents used to take me down here (when I was a kid),” VanGessel said. “This is where you shopped. … You came down here to see all the Christmas decorations and see the Christmas scene. So all that excitement, to remember it and then to be part of its restoration and its renaissance today, it’s everything.”

He said the street is always in “some flux of change,” and there are still more opportunities along Monroe Center as it continues to grow and change alongside the Peck Building.

“This building is really just been all about ‘next man up,’ he said. “It has been gritty — kind of like this brand — and we’re just super proud to have Greyson here.”