Star Store on Path to Redevelopment as Regional Creative Hub
Reimagining and reactivating the Star Store to benefit New Bedford’s creative community
In May of 2025, the 501c3 nonprofit Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston and its Creative Land Trust Program acquired the Star Store in downtown New Bedford for the purpose of reimagining and reactivating the building as a public resource to benefit artists, makers, creators, and small creative businesses. We envision a vibrant and inspiring building full of shared space, equipment, and resources to keep the creators of New Bedford creating.
We extend a heartfelt thanks to Mayor Mitchell, the New Bedford Economic Development Council, New Bedford Creative, and the Downey family for their crucial support in securing and protecting this building for generations of creatives to come.
Our Values + The Star Store
As stewards of the Star Store’s bright future all of us at A&BC are committed to:
- Building on the Star Store and New Bedford’s legacy of supporting creatives and makers
- Activating the building and surrounding businesses during the day and into the evening
- Creating more opportunities for the general public to engage with and support local art, making, and creativity
- Supporting the City and the EDC in making New Bedford both a destination and a permanent home for creativity
- Reopening the building as soon as possible without compromising the listening and proper planning that will ensure the building is what New Bedford makers actually want and need
About New Bedford’s Creative Legacy
New Bedford’s rich creative legacy is rooted in its 19th-century role as a global whaling hub, where maritime wealth fueled a vibrant culture of arts and activism. This early prosperity supported a growing community of painters, writers, and artisans whose work reflected the grandeur and hardships of seafaring life. Influential figures like ornithologist John James Audubon, maritime artist Clifford Ashley, Hudson River School painter Albert Bierstadt, and author Herman Melville—who drew inspiration for Moby-Dick from his time in New Bedford—are all tied to the city’s creative past. Abolitionist Frederick Douglass also began his journey to freedom here, adding to a legacy of civic engagement and social justice that continues to shape its cultural identity today.
About the Star Store
The historic Star Store has been a cornerstone of downtown New Bedford since 1844, when the New Bedford Dry Goods Company first opened its doors at 715 Purchase Street. As the city thrived, so did the Star Store, which was rebuilt and modernized in 1915 to include four floors, a roof garden, elevators, and even a phone booth on each floor. By its 25th anniversary in 1923, it employed about 300 people and remained a bustling hub of activity until shifts in retail trends—marked by urban renewal efforts and the opening of the North Dartmouth Mall—began to change the landscape. Ownership changed hands from Gorin’s to Almy in the 1980s, but the store ultimately closed in 1985. After a series of redevelopment proposals, the City of New Bedford acquired the property in 1995, and with the help of legislation championed by Senator Mark Montigny, UMass Dartmouth’s College of Visual and Performing Arts moved into the building under a 20-year lease. The campus remained a vibrant presence until its closure in 2023 amid a funding dispute.
Be a part of the Star Store’s bright future
Reimagining the Star Store in a way that best serves New Bedford and its creative community is a big undertaking, and it’s going to take a village. We need as much input and engagement as possible to ensure that when the building reopens it meets the needs of New Bedford and all of the incredible artists that live and work here.
Get involved: make sure your voice is heard and that you receive invitations to participate in the process by signing up for updates today.
Advancing the Creative Economy:
About the A&BC’s Cultural Land Trust
Systemic inequities and limited access to capital have prevented artists and cultural organizations from securing one of their most important strategic imperatives: space. A tectonic shift is required to support independent artists and cultural organizations and ensure they can remain in the communities they serve.
The Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston (A&BC) created a Cultural Land Trust to provide access to affordable, permanent, equitable, quality space to foster the growth of the creative sector and promote economic, social, and community development. The organization secures cultural assets by leveraging public and private partnerships, creative financing instruments, philanthropy, and more. This land trust model ensures the perpetual availability of creative spaces and serves as a framework for generational investment and legacy planning.
All photos courtesy of Sasha Pedro