GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Some kids hope to spend their birthday celebrating at Disney World, rubbing elbows with Mickey Mouse. Not Fletcher Moore. He preferred to spend a leisurely day at the store where his family buys groceries.
His parents, Paul and Kristen Moore, honored this unusual request by letting Fletcher celebrate his 9th birthday by spending nine hours at a Meijer store on Saturday, April 16 - the day after his actual birthday.
"I don't want you to rush me," he told his mom. "I want to look at all the things I really want to see."
Kristen Moore obliged her son by giving him a full day to explore the 230,000-square-foot Knapp's Corner store in Grand Rapids. It turned into a 9-hour party with a birthday cake.
A few dozen came by to wish him happy birthday, from friends, family and neighbors to his Grand Rapids Christian school teacher - and even the Midwest retailer's co-chairman, Doug Meijer.
One friend brought in all his empty bottles and gave Fletcher the $16 he got from the returnables to spend at the store.
Among the birthday activities: Dining on as much sushi and pop as he wanted, riding Meijer's iconic mechanical horse, Sandy, several times, and playing video games. Meijer also arranged for the inquisitive grade-schooler to take a behind-the-scenes tour of the store.
He learned the store, at 1971 E Beltline Ave NE, is a flagship Meijer, and usually the first location where the retailer tries new layouts, services or products.
The mother and son arrived at 9 a.m. Here is how the third-grader spent those nine hours:
First hour: Fletcher and his mom walked around the store and had a first round of sushi. Fletcher figured how much birthday money he had to spend.
Second hour: Fletcher continued exploring the store. He spent time in pet supplies, looking at the tanks filled with fish. He also went back and forth between the aisles stocked with Nerf guns, Lego blocks and hunting gear. He crossed off buying an Airsoft gun with his birthday money when he learned he had to be 18 years.
Third hour: Fletcher took an official store tour with Chris, a 30-year employee, who explained how Knapp's Corner is the retailer's flagship store where new services and products are tested before they are added to other stores in Meijer's 223-store chain. He learned about food safety when he had to don a hairnet and gloves to go into the bakery to decorate a cupcake. He toured the seafood counter and petted a live lobster. He also walked through the dairy department to watch how employees continually stock the milk products from behind refrigerated shelves.
Fourth hour: Fletcher took a break for more sushi. He then visited the bakery to pick out a birthday cake. His friends, Clara and Sloane, stopped by and they played together in the Star Wars aisle.
Fifth hour: Fletcher's dad, Paul, and younger sisters, Jane and Mae, came by to sing a round of Happy Birthday as he blew out the candles on his cake. Several shoppers joined in the singing.
Sixth hour: The visitors kept coming. Meijer co-chairman Doug Meijer surprised Fletcher and gave him a card with a handwritten note. His teacher, Vanessa Abreu from Grand Rapids Christian Elementary School, also stopped by.
Seventh hour: In the dining area, Fletcher played with the Legos he bought himself at the store with his birthday money. He also had another round of sushi.
Eighth hour: Fletcher's grandparents, Bob and Cheryl Deckinga, arrived from Chicago to spend his birthday with him. They shared their memories of Meijer's first supercenter that opened in Grand Rapids in 1962, which combined groceries and general merchandise. After the history lesson, Fletcher spent some time in the sporting goods section, admiring the bow and arrows, riding a skateboard and playing with the basketballs.
Ninth and final hour: Fletcher played cards in the patio area with Grandma Cheryl and his cousin, Dan Greenfield. They tried to walk through all the aisles that he hadn't explored yet.
Moore says her son had so much fun, he was reluctant to leave after nine hours. The day was memorable, says Moore, who shared the experience with friends through Facebook posts under the hashtag #ninehoursatmeijer.
"The day at Meijer was a great place for him to be in charge of his day, in charge of his money and take the time to slow down and pay attention to what he was interested in," Moore said.
While some might think she was perhaps a bit crazy to spend a Saturday in a busy store, Moore says she was surprised at how much one-on-one time she had with her son as they sat in the aisles looking at products and thinking about his budget.
"I would spend the whole day in a cardboard box with one of my children if that was their birthday wish," said Moore, a senior acquisitions executive at Vision Real Estate Investment. Her husband, Paul Moore, oversees communications for Start Garden, the downtown Grand Rapids business incubator.
The retailer's leadership and employees were gracious about her son's unusual request. Moore says a friend, who works at the retailer's corporate offices in Walker, arranged for Doug Meijer to drop by.
"From the tour and the kind words, to one employee who we repeatedly ran into who would cheerily smile and say "Happy Birthday!"... it was a memorable day made special with our remarkable community," Moore said.
Shandra Martinez covers business and other topics for MLive. Email her or follow her on Twitter @shandramartinez.