08/17/2025
Update on Hive Public Market: Oh MY, have we come a long way. It's only been about 8-9 months since we began this journey. We had no idea of the twists and turns on the unpaved gravel that we were traveling on. As you know, our home will ultimately be at the Hildreth building in Lowell (enter either 101 Paige St or 35 Merrimack St). In June, we signed what is essentially a 20-year lease with the new building owners for a below-market rate. They are giving us a break, but we've got a lot of work to do. So grateful to RCG (owners/rehabilitators of the Hildreth) for being brave and taking so many risks with us. We have been writing grants like crazy to support both phase 1 of our build-out, as well as phase 2, which will start in the winter, pending some grants. We are still about $50,000 short of $300,000, which is what we need to complete phase one. We have scrimped and saved wherever possible, using volunteers/shopkeepers, friends, and family wherever safe and legal, as well as found and donated, and scavenged materials! We have torn down the walls and remaining floors and fixtures from both the Rainbow clothing store, as well as the former CVS, to find some really nice surprises, such as the original maple floor and tin ceiling from the old Woolworths! We'll be restoring everything we can. Sometimes the surprises are less nice, like asbestos that needs remediation before we can do anything else!! Rick and Jen are working together to figure out where all the doors and display windows will go on the newly built shop walls that Travis (our General Contractor from abbottcontractors.com) has laid out. Travis hopes to be putting up walls this week and next. We are moving at a feverish pace to get businesses back on track, as well as welcoming new ones to Lowell from Somerville, Dracut, and Billerica, as well as some start-ups! We only have three spaces left (two that are approximately 200 sq ft and one that is 300 sq ft). Check out the map of shops! Do you know any folks who might be a good fit? Send them on over to HivePublicMarket.org and tell them to sign the inquiry sheet for a storefront. We'll call to chat through their vision.
If you know folks who are looking to vend at any of the exciting, year-round Saturday markets, they can also sign up to receive information via the website. We are also gathering inquiries related to the year-round Downtown Lowell Farmers Market (Formerly the Farm Market at Mill N.5). They'll be moving over just as soon as it makes sense for customers and participating farms. But, if you are local, note that they are still accessible Sunday mornings at 250 Jackson St. while they wait for their permanent new home to be completed. That's it for the moment. Looking forward to announcing an update on our shop rosters, and then a follow-up to that as we develop the events and marketplaces that you might want to jot down in your calendar!