What’s Next for the Star Store in Downtown New Bedford

Work has begun on repairs and renovations for the Star Store in downtown New Bedford. Most recently, the building served as home to the College of Visual and Performing Arts for UMass Dartmouth for 20 years, until a funding dispute led to UMass moving the program back to Dartmouth in 2023.

The Star Store has since been acquired by the Arts and Business Council of Great Boston, which is raising funds to create a "hub" for local artists and an affordable, permanent home where they can create and sell their work.

The Council's Matt McArthur visited Townsquare Sunday to discuss the repairs, a timeline for opening, and a vision of what the next generation of the Star Store can be.

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Repairs and Renovations Begin at the Star Store

"I'm pleased to report we are in the middle of replacing the roof, which requires a little more work than normal because of the amount of ventilation equipment that was up there," he said. "As soon as this current blanket of snow melts, we'll rip the roof back and replace it."

Key Upgrades Include Elevators and Fire Systems

Other high priority items include modernizing at least one elevator, overhauling the fire alarm system, patching holes and moving doors around.

When Could New Bedford's Star Store Reopen?

As for the official opening of the Star Store, McArthur said he's hesitant to offer a date, but he's hoping to have formal activity in the building by the end of the calendar year.

"We heard from many folks that 2027 – the original timeline – was a long time to wait, and frankly we agree with them," he said. "The building has been closed for two years, so I'm trying real hard to get people in there by the end of the year."

Community Input Shapes the Future of the Building

The Arts and Business Council and New Bedford Creative sponsored a series of public meetings last fall, and McArthur called those meetings incredibly useful.

"We have about 200 people participating in-person, and another 200 online. What we learned was people are super-committed to the building, they want to see creativity and art uses there moving forward, and they want to come there for activities like gallery openings, lectures, film screenings and music," he said.

"The building has always been a gathering place for people, during its time as a department store and visual and performing arts campus," McArthur said. "We're here to make it a gathering place again, a living room downtown, and a place where artists and creative people feel like is their slice of the city."

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