Published October 21, 2025 by Wheeler Cowperthwaite
“PROVIDENCE – Looking to move your food truck into a brick-and-mortar establishment? To open a café? A boutique?
What about on Atwells Avenue, one of Providence’s prime commercial thoroughfares?
One Neighborhood Builders is trying to fill two to three commercial spaces on the ground floor of its new mixed-use five-story building going up at the corner of Knight Street at Avenida Atwells 434.
Since the building is under construction, One Neighborhood Builders wants to get its commercial tenants signed up so they can use the crew that’s already on the site to reduce the total costs for a build-out.
[…]“”Our priority sits with having a good tenant who is going to be a partner here and be a good neighborhood amenity, as well as bring goods and services to the neighborhood that are needed,” she said. “And so we’re open to adjusting our price so it’s not going to be top of the market.
The ground-floor commercial space is 3,200 square feet spread across three spaces, which could be consolidated into two – one small space at the corner of Knight and Atwells and two more spaces that could be consolidated. The units at either end of the building are ready to be plumbed for ventilation for food prep, with framing for the vents set up through the multiple floors.
The third unit could either be combined with one of the spaces plumbed for ventilation or be a stand-alone space, an office or boutique. One Neighborhood Builders has already received interest from some nonprofits looking for office space, but the priority is something that has a higher level of interaction with foot traffic on Atwells.
“We did have some outreach for studio space, but no surprise, because there’s been overwhelming outreach for that type of space over at, you know, Sims and everywhere else,” Bleau said.
[…]The hope for a couple of café or restaurant spaces in the building is high, as it is surrounded by housing. Atop it will be 39 units of income-restricted housing and behind is a new five-story apartment building. Plans for more apartment buildings along Atwells Avenue, and the immediate side streets, have been approved in the last few years.
For Bleau, the biggest priority is getting the spaces filled with tenants who will add to the neighborhood.
City zoning rules required the building to have commercial space fronting on Atwells Avenue, a commercial corridor, as well as an expansive parking lot in the rear.
“One of the differences between us versus another landlord is that we want the tenants, we want the good partnership. We don’t want them to be here for a month or two. We want to be here for a multi-year lease. So we want to sit down and talk about how the financing can work for this and also what the benefits are, meaning what the discount from your build-out will be by having us do it for you or essentially be part of it,” Bleau said.
The commercial spaces are the perfect opportunity for someone who is looking to move from something small to something bigger, as One Neighborhood Builders is willing to work out a deal, she said.
The corner space is 1,061 square feet, the middle space 748 square feet and the end space 1,404 square feet. On the web page advertising the spaces, which includes a contact/interest form, RIPTA’s bus Route 92 is advertised as running in front of the property.
