The arts space at Conley's Wharf, housing more than a dozen tenants already after only six months on the market, is proving to be a fertile ground for collaboration and creativity. The space, currently being rented at $5-$9/sq. ft. (in comparison to average Providence prices of $15/sq. ft.) was purchased for a 10-year lease by the Providence-based nonprofit Partnership for Creative Industrial Space and tenants were carefully picked to "feed off each other".

Already Studio 1011 co-owner Finn Yonkers, Gail Cahalan Gallery co-director Dave Loewenstein and Providence Latin American Film Festival director Jose Torrealba are working on a gallery opening in coordination with the start of the film festival, a project that grew out of their close proximity.

As for the viability of developments such as Conley’s Wharf, [co-founder Lisa] Carnevale said, she definitely thinks the market could support more affordable space for small creative startups and artists in Providence.

That is evident not only in the short span of time it has taken to almost reach capacity, but also in the fact that many of Conley’s Wharf tenants chose the site because they were either displaced from other office space in the city or wanted to move out of their homes and into an office to support future growth of their business, she said.

"It is the future of Providence’s economy,” [co-founder Erik Bright] said. “To really compete in the new millennium requires an entrepreneurial spirit, not from big corporations, but from graduates of the universities staying on and building a business here.”