Old as Adam

After over four years in Providence, Old as Adam is moving to Warren, RI. I'm pleased to share that my new store will open in August (date TBD) at 507 Main Street in the heart of Warren, across from the town hall.

Twenty minutes from Providence, Warren is a lovely historic town on the water with a vibrant community of antiques and vintage dealers to visit, including , , and more (it's also en route to .river.antiques).

I'll miss my old shop on beautiful Benefit Street, but with the end of my lease in sight, a move has been in the making for months and I happened upon the perfect spot. Come visit me in Warren! Opening date to follow.

A bittersweet footnote (and perhaps a rant):

I'd have liked to stay in town, but the does just about everything in its power to discourage antique dealers from setting up shop.

Had I found a new storefront in Providence, I would have had to hire a surveyor, create a map, send out dozens of registered letters, and arrange a hearing - a red-taped tangle totaling $1,200 that I would have to undergo for the second time, all the while with a blind bureaucracy treating my business as a blight on the city.

"Secondhand" licenses belong to another century. What most enlivens and renews a city's retail? Its artists and antique and vintage dealers. That's been true in urban life for hundreds of years, but Providence never caught on.

Months ago, I reached out to Smiley with my concerns and an earnest request to discuss the future of retail in the city. He didn't reply.

After thirty years in Providence, closed this month, and now I close my doors as well, unlikely to return. I only hope the city will change its antiquated policies to allow fledgling business owners to open their doors unhindered - for "secondhand" is both the sustainable future as well as the material past.