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Olneyville Square storefronts get spiffed up
The Olneyville Housing Corporation marks the first completed project.
01:00 AM EDT on Wednesday, October 20, 2004 BY KAREN A. DAVIS
PROVIDENCE -- In recent years, community developers, residents and business owners have crafted a vision of an improved Olneyville Square, complete with welcoming storefronts and bustling retail outlets. That vision has moved one step closer to reality, thanks to coordinators of a storefront improvement program. The Olneyville Housing Corporation celebrated the completion of the first building to be renovated. The celebration took place Monday at a ribbon-cutting ceremony outside Hardware on the Square, 1911 Westminster St. The event marked the first of 14 Olneyville Square storefronts that will undergo renovation to create a more visually appealing commercial district. The "dramatic transformation" of storefronts includes restoring facade treatments, installing signs, replacing windows and adding decorative lighting, according to Bridget Dignan, collaborative project associate for the group. The project transformed a former True Value hardware, with its grey concrete facade, into a cherry red storefront adorned with large windows and a prominent sign. The hardware store has been at the site since the 1940s, but was recently bought by owners who embraced the idea of changing the look. "We couldn't be more pleased with the new look of our store," said Malcolm Willis, who the business with David Dubois. "We've already noticed an increase in sales as new customers are discovering that we exist. Before the renovations, our store was easy to miss . . . That's not the case anymore." Dignan said the first storefront was completed with a $7,500 matching grant from Olneyville Housing. The program is financed by The Providence Plan, Rhode Island Housing Resources Commission and Citizens Bank. The push to renovate the storefronts topped a list of ideas developed three years ago by neighborhood groups as part of the Neighborhood Revitalization Program, which aims to turn around struggling neighborhoods. A five-year revitalization plan for Olneyville includes better use of the Woonasquatucket River and riverwalk, revamping mill buildings and attracting shops, restaurants and cafes. The square is such a "significant part of Olneyville and one of the most significant business districts in the city, outside of downtown," Dignan said yesterday. "If it [the square] is in a deteriorating condition, it reflects on the rest of the neighborhood." Dignan said work has begun to revamp three storefronts across the street. "The Olneyville Storefront Improvement Program provides great incentives that leverage private investment in the Square," said Dana Farrell, the agency's economic development program manager. "We hope this program will encourage other property and business owners to spruce up their properties to make the square more attractive for pedestrians and shoppers."
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