User:LoganL27/sandbox

Mill No. 5
Mill No. 5 (A.K.A. as Mill no. 5) is a collection of independent storefronts and shops located in Lowell, Massachusetts. Mill no. 5 includes a variety of handmade goods, small businesses, a theater, and a farmers' market. The combination of unique stores, a theater, and farmer-grown food all in one place makes Mill no. 5 different than many shopping centers today. This shopping center's stores are made up of both permanent shops and pop-up shops that vary depending on the events being held during that time of the year. As the name suggests, Mill no. 5 used to be one of the Lowell Mills and is now repurposed as a shopping center. Located at 250 Jackson St, Mill No. 5 is quite different on the outside than it is on the inside. The entrance to Mill no. 5 is difficult to find; the door is located through an alley on the side of the old brick Mill building. To get to the actual shopping centers an elevator must then be taken to the 4th floor where then a completely different atmosphere is found. Although Mill no. 5 was built in 1873, they now have embraced a modern perspective compared to the building’s old, historical purpose during the industrialization of Lowell.

Original Purpose
Mill No. 5, in a sense, was meant to stand out compared to its fellow counterpart mills during the 1800s. A former United States Representative, Nathan Appleton (1779-1861), was one of the many people that wanted to create new, and more technologically advanced, ways of making money by manufacturing goods. Appleton was part of a Lowell-founded group known as the Boston Manufacturing Company, and later one of the newer mills built in his name would be known as Mill no. 5. Although Appleton died before Mill no. 5 was built, his company, The Appleton Mill Company, continued to build mills in his name. Mill no. 5 stood out specifically for its new, modern take on manufacturing, specifically through the usage of steam power. Not only did steam power make Appleton's mills more efficient than the older mills, but it also meant they were now more flexible about where they could be built.

Decline of Textile Factories
Although the Lowell Mills had gone through many changes throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, including labor strikes from the Lowell Mill Girls, the mills didn't fully begin to shut down until the early 20th century. The economic competition in the south, combined with the declining need for textiles both contributed to the relatively quick end of the textile mills, including Mill No. 5. As the mills continued to decline so did the workers and Lowell's textile-based economy, overall leading to workers demanding even better wages from the few mills left in business. Finally, the end of WWII was one of the major final blows to the textile industry in Lowell.

Wars specifically were a great way for companies to earn a profit, especially for a textile company that supplies needed fabrics to soldiers. Although the textile industry was already declining before WWII, the war did help uplift the industry once again; however, this final, tiny incline also had another final decline once WWII ended and the need for mass textiles was once again gone. As the different textile mills began to go out of business, many of the old buildings either got new purposes or were abandoned. Some were turned into museums, some into apartment complexes, and some into storage areas like Mill no. 5.

Redesigning Mill no. 5
For many years after the decline of the textile industries Mill no. 5 had no real, valuable purpose. It was either used as a storage facility or a piece of property simply being passed around by different owners. Finally, in the late 2000s the owner and designer of the current Mil no. 5, Jim Lichoulas, began to transform the old and historical property into something more modern. With no real plan for the old piece of property, there was a task of finding something different, successful, and creative to make use of the historically important empty building. Much of the atmosphere and stores in Mill no. 5 are designed to meet Jim's vision for the shopping center, "As long as there’s good places where people can still go, small businesses will still survive.” As Jim states Mill no. 5 reflects quality over quantity which is the opposite of Lowell's historical culture. With the new, community-based backbone the owner was able to create a different atmosphere than a typical shopping center or mall.

Mill no. 5's Influence
Mill no. 5 reflects many of the new values and cultures that inhabit Lowell, which is one of the main reasons why it was created how it is. Although Lowell used to be a powerhouse for manufacturing and industry it has now been transformed through cultural changes and fluctuations of different groups of people. Mill no. 5's modern purpose also reflects some of the changes that Lowell itself went through in both a cultural sense but also in a literal sense. As new and unique stores like Mill no. 5 surface they represent, and influence, Lowell's culture.

List of Retail Shops

 * Sutra Studio: Yoga Studio
 * Sweet Pig Press: Boutique Stationery
 * Lowell Book Company: Bookshop
 * The Merrimack Company: Sustainable Apparel
 * Ashley Eisenman Art: Watercolor and Ink Artwork
 * Vinyl Destination: Record Store
 * The Tone Loft: Music Store
 * Curation 250: Urban Art Gallery
 * 250th Camera: Vintage Camera Pop-up Shop
 * Red Antler Apothecary: Hand Crafted Soaps and Natural Self Care
 * One Urban Tribe: Gift Shop
 * Pop Cultured: Gaming, Collectibles, Clothes, Books, and Costumes
 * Hive & Forge: Handmade Pieces by Artists
 * Jack Attackk Clothing: Clothing Store
 * Drift: Handmade Knits and Essential Oil Bracelets
 * Industry11: Web Design, Web Hosting, Marketing, and Design Agency
 * Pizzuti Photography: Creative Photography

Other Establishments

 * Coffe and Cotton: Cafe
 * The Luna Theater: Small, Rustic Movie Theater
 * Dows Soda Fountain: Drink Shop
 * A Little Bazaar: Pop-up Bazaar
 * The Farm Market: Farmer's Market

Hours of Operations

 * Thursday to Friday: 5:00 P.M. - 8:00 P.M.
 * Saturday: 10:00 A.M. - 8:00 P.M.
 * Sunday: 10:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.