By Steven Froias
Special to the NBEDC
If someone asked you to name a street in New Bedford where entrepreneurial energy and civic revitalization are crackling like electricity, your first instinct might be Union Street downtown. You might think of the ever-evolving Acushnet Avenue, with its global flavors and colorful storefronts. Maybe you’d even name stretches along Route 18 hugging the working waterfront.
But chances are, you wouldn’t say Purchase Street—at least not the stretch from Maxfield Street to the old Weld Square, not the blocks downtown.
And yet, that’s exactly where the city’s newest wave of creative development, dynamic services, and unexpected street-level cool is taking root. A corridor once marked by vacancy and pass-through traffic is rapidly becoming a showcase for what can happen when innovation, investment, and intention align.
It all begins at 1213 Purchase Street, home to The Quest, a repurposed historic building once home to the New Bedford Textile Institute that now houses a constellation of ventures pointing toward the city’s future. Inside, you’ll find Groundwork, the city’s first coworking facility, which has seeded countless startups, freelancers, and civic ideas. It shares the building with the New Bedford Ocean Cluster, connecting the region to the global blue economy, and the New Bedford Economic Development Council itself—the very organization helping to guide the city’s economic resurgence. (This is no passive investment either; the NBEDC and its cultural arm, New Bedford Creative, are not just tenants—they manage tenant recruitment, operational activity, and successful grant awards that will result in $3M invested into the building this summer!)
But The Quest is just the spark that sets Purchase Street aglow.
Next door, something bold is rising from the bones of the old Glaser Glass complex. The New Bedford Research and Robotics Center is transforming these former industrial buildings into a high-tech innovation hub. Though still under construction, the center is already active—bringing next-generation technology and learning to a street steeped in manufacturing heritage. It’s a fitting metaphor for what’s happening here: old structures made new, future-focused, and forward-moving.
Across the street, Safelite Auto Glass brought a long-vacant structure at 1240 Purchase back into productive life. It may seem like a simple commercial rebirth, but each restored building on Purchase adds another layer to its renaissance.
A few blocks north, architectural elegance and social impact meet in the newly renovated Veterans Transition House, offering essential support to those who served, while lending a thoughtful and modern design to the streetscape. Directly opposite, a new pedestrian bridge spanning Route 18 to the also new MBTA Commuter Train Station delivers on City of New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell’s promise of landmark public architecture. Clean lines, striking form, and a glowing night presence make the bridge both a functional and visual triumph—inviting people to rediscover the area on foot.
That invitation leads directly to some of the coolest, quirkiest stops in the city: Bizzaro Smoke Shop, Sorbae Frozen Treats, and The Dipper Cafe. Together, they bring a fun, youthful flair to the corridor, with colorful storefronts, delicious treats, and—thanks to The Dipper—some of the most eye-catching street art in town. It’s a vibe that turns heads and shifts perceptions.
As you travel further up the corridor, the entrepreneurial heartbeat keeps pulsing. Servpro’s local headquarters stands tall, a longstanding example of how national service providers are rooted in the local economy. At 1913 Purchase Street, Santiago Professional Services offers everything from notary to tax assistance—reflecting the evolving needs of a community in motion.
These essential services are joined by familiar neighborhood institutions that continue to thrive. Giamalvo’s Market has served this part of the city for generations, a testament to loyalty and resilience. Nearby, Greene Market brings international flavor to the street, offering a range of Indian and global groceries that reflect New Bedford’s rich cultural mix.
And then, at the far end of our journey, we arrive at The Car Barn. A unique adaptive reuse project that turned an abandoned trolley barn into a senior living facility back in the 1980s, The Car Barn has long stood as an avatar of neighborhood revival. Now, it anchors a corridor that’s finally – finally – catching up to its promise.
Dotted along the entire stretch is a plethora of other enterprises and one stunning civic amenity: Clasky Common Park spills down into Purchase Street, and it’s where a gracious bucolic past meets the urban frontier.
Purchase Street isn’t an island, of course. To the east, it connects to the new MBTA Commuter Rail Station, a transformational project linking New Bedford to Boston and the greater region. To the west, a historic neighborhood brims with character and a distinct architectural aesthetic—and exciting housing developments. They would include the upcoming renovation of the former State Armory, and also the former one-time home of New Bedford legend Hetty Greene. As part of a newly designated Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Zone, this area is set to benefit from increased accessibility, investment, and opportunity.
In many ways, Purchase Street is a living blueprint of modern urban revitalization. There’s no singular master plan at work here—rather, it’s a collage of efforts: public and private, large and small, cultural and commercial. It’s coworking spaces and frozen treats, research labs and corner markets, social services and public art. It’s the blending of past, present, and future into a cohesive corridor that defies expectation and invites exploration.
As New Bedford continues to evolve, Purchase Street from Maxfield to Weld Square stands as a case study in how transformation can unfold in the least likely of places. It’s not just a street—it’s a story in progress. And that story is worth watching.
