The tenants of Atlantic Mills — an Olneyville community staple which has hosted the Big Top Flea and other events for decades — are worried that with the pending sale of the complex, the vibrant community, artist, and business space as they know it may disappear.
Atlantic Mills was put on the market after failed negotiations with the city in August. One of Providence’s most iconic industrial complexes, the Mills first appeared on the Providence Preservation Society’s Most Endangered Places list in 2009 and has been on and off the MEP list up to the present. Now the sale of the building is pending, with New York-based developer Eric Edelman looking to close on the property in the coming months. Edelman told PPS he plans to continue operation of the Big Top Flea and “to keep all the current tenants in good standing and to rent out the vacant space.”
Edelman shared that he specializes in historic preservation redevelopment, having worked on 136 Westminster in Providence among other projects across the northeast. Atlantic Mills “is a hub for jobs and creativity, and that’s something that we want to see continue, and we want to create a thriving place for people to do business and create art,” he said. “And have that place be well-run, safe, and a great part of the community.”
The building is currently 88% full, with tenants ranging from small businesses, videographers, artists, and furniture shops. Ahead of the sale of Atlantic Mills closing, several of the artists and small businesses inside the complex have reported that there is already pressure for them to vacate their studios and storefronts. Edelman stated that he does not yet have ownership of the building and cannot speak to current activities there. Eleanor Brynes, current owner of the Mills, did not respond to PPS’s requests for an interview.
Omar Bader, owner of Omar & Olneyville Discount Furniture, shared with PPS that building ownership was telling him his lease, which was renewed in 2017, was not valid. He has been in the building since 1987, he said. While walking down the hallways on the second floor of the Mills, he pointed at each door and described what business was currently operating inside. “We just would like to be left alone,” he said.
Jazzmen Lee Johnson, an artist with the WARP Collective, shares a studio in the Mills with several other creatives. She said that right now, they are able to rent out the space at an extremely reasonable rate. They use the spacious studio for projects ranging from weaving, textile printing, dark room photography, and painting to print-making. She explained that while she sees the impending march of development as inevitable, she hopes it can continue to be a thriving creative space and a community asset. “I understand that people need to make money, and no matter what, we’re going to have to pay more rent anyway, whether we stay here — and they keep it as a sort of mixed-use space — or if we go elsewhere,” Johnson said. “I hope they’re able to do that and keep it affordable or have a certain amount of subsidized units.”
The Olneyville Neighborhood Association’s office is located in the Mills. On Instagram, the organization shared that if the building is sold, “we could lose our office and the space where we hold our low/no-cost programming and vital community meetings, including Immigration Legal Clinics and other essential resources for the neighborhoods.”
A petition to Preserve the Historic Atlantic Mills in Rhode Island from Destruction was created by Samantha Jodoin on Oct. 1. “I am a project coordinator for one of the many companies that have long called the Atlantic Mills in Rhode Island home. This building is more than just a place of work,” reads the petition description. “It represents a rich tapestry of relationships and close community, many of which have found a comfortable dwelling here — our second home. We have put our hearts and souls into this place. Its impending sale threatens not only our morale but our very existence.”
The building itself is unlikely to be demolished, and Edelman said that they are planning to execute exterior repairs to the structure. Many worry instead about the continued tenancy of the current businesses and creatives in the Mills, which offers affordable rental rates.
This story was published originally in the Providence Preservation Society’s October 6, 2024 newsletter.