Former Mill No. 5 Vendors Open New Marketplace in Downtown Lowell

The Hive Public Market in Lowell has opened in a new downtown space. Vendors here enjoy a new place to do business following the closure of Mill No. 5 in 2024.

The new market features familiar names such as Red Antler Apothecary, 12 Paws Candy Company, Sweet Pig Press, Over the Spoon, and A Damn Shame Records. Individual business owners are praising the new space for its accessibility and location, highlighting its potential to foster renewed engagement with customers and residents.

According to a (Lowell) Sun report, the project has received more than $600,000 in funding from private investors and government grants. Ongoing support is anticipated as the market evolves and interior murals are planned.

Rachel Chandler and Jennifer Cerretti, who co-owned Hive & Forge at the mill, spearheaded the effort to recreate the Mill No. 5 experience in a new home. They and other former mill business owners had hoped earlier this year that the St. Jean Baptiste Church at 741 Merrimack St. would be the new home for vendors. Those plans fell through when country singer Zach Bryan announced he had purchased the former church building for $3.4 million to turn it into the Jack Kerouac Center.

Business owners had to come up with a new plan, ultimately coming to a deal with the owner of the Hildreth Building at 45 Merrimack St. to set up a market space similar to that of Mill No. 5 on the building's ground floor.

"This has been a real challenge. There isn't a professional on the planet who hasn't told us that this was incredibly ambitious, between the timeline, cost, and the community organizing that was involved," Chandler said in a statement shared with The Sun. "We had a vision and a dream. We had to convince people that this ridiculous, ambitious project was plausible before we could even get to the point where funds could get it done."