'This year is like a reboot': Hatch Street Studios could be New Bedford's new big attraction

NEW BEDFORD — For decades, Hatch Street Studios has stood tall in the North End as a place for the local art community to work. Now it's poised to become a new attraction for the city.

"It's been very exciting to watch the community grow in New Bedford and specifically at Hatch Street," said Jeff Glassman, owner of the four-story studio.

"To see all the transformation in many different parts of the city, I'm excited to be a part of that in the future as well."

As New Bedford positions itself to become a hot new destination city with its inviting waterfront, river walks, restaurants, museum, artwork and small businesses all thriving, Glassman wants Hatch Street Studio to be among the big draws.

"I think many don't realize how talented these artists are and how important it is to have them as part of your community. They contribute so much," he said.

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Inside the studio

Inside the building are over 65 private studios for woodworking, painting, sculpting ceramics as well as spaces for interior designers, photographers, antique retailer, karate classes, upcyclers, LEGO sculptors and even a clown school.

Hatch Street Studios prides itself on being exclusively about the artists. "I committed to them that I would continue to put artists, the right artists, into the building, so that everyone could collaborate and create their own community," Glassman said.

This year, with the building almost full, it has started to reach its true potential.

"This year is like a reboot, a restart," said Michael Pietragalla, who has been with the Hatch Street Studios since its inception.

"There's new blood now."

Pietragalla was part of a group of artists working in the South End at 21 Cove St; when the building was sold, and the group was forced to find a new home, they eventually migrated to Hatch Street Studios, taking over the open spaces on the third and fourth floor.

Artist Adrian Tió Díaz was part of that group.

"It was just pretty much all art and furniture, design, painting, drawing, you name it," Díaz remembered.

He said the lower floors were occupied by a cryogenics facility building storage containers. "It was edgier here, a little different," he said.

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Díaz has exhibited nationally for over 40 years, and his art connects his Latino heritage through his drawing, painting and printmaking. "When Jeff (Glassman) came in, it was like day and night," he said.

The studio's evolution over time

Díaz said the hallway spaces were repainted, lights were repaired, security camera were installed and he even fixed up the bathrooms. "They were a disaster. They were OK for guys, not so much for women," he said.

Glassman also made the building ADA-compliant and recently started adding new windows.

"I think those things that a business leader has to do to make the employees and the customers happy, he applied that same kind of broad brush to us," Díaz said, adding that what people see on the second floor is totally a "Jeff Glassman project."

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"He's a nice guy, and he really gets it. And he's more engaged with being part of the larger community," Díaz said.

Since the onset of COVID, Glassman proved very flexible for people who were struggling, too, offering tenants a chance to skip a month and pay it off over time instead.

"I recommend this when I run into people looking," said Jim Jezierski of Millwork Consulting.

Jezierski, who has been at the studio for a little over three years, has been in the woodworking business for 45 years and has done everything from running small shops to huge architectural millwork.

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Jezierski is part of a shared-spaced studio mate program in which several artists share a room to work. "The people are friendly...We're trying to develop more of a sense of community here, but so far so good."

Future goals for Hatch Street

Before purchasing Hatch Street, Glassman already had some studios inside his building on Belleville Avenue, where he's owned his business Darn It! for the past 26 years.

In 2015, the New Bedford native heard from artists that the studio across the street was available for sale.

"Buying the building was exciting to me, because I didn't know much about art or the art community here in New Bedford," Glassman said. "Since purchasing the building, I've been able to take that second floor which was empty and build another 15 studios."

Glassman also was able to bring in patrons from bigger cities such as New York City, Boston, Providence and down on the Cape. "We want to create an environment that's not only for the SouthCoast, but for the broader area to create a larger following," he added.

"That is truly my goal: to create a larger following for the artists in the building, and to assist the artists in helping them do that."

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Glassman said that artists from New York, who've experienced Hatch Street chose to then relocate to the New Bedford area. He has also helped bring in several artists that, in turn, contributed to beautification projects in the city.

Not to mention giving students more opportunities to collaborate with professionals only minutes away from their homes.

Telling New Bedford they're here

Now, Hatch Street's next step is to invite the community to check out the building. "There are artists in the building that would like more foot traffic, more of a retail environment," Glassman said.

"It's New Bedford's best kept secret... which is a good and bad thing," said woodworker John Giacobbi, who owns a business on the second floor. Like many other second-floor tenants, they want more people to visit and check out their spaces.

Michelle Lapointe, who has been creating stained glass artwork for more than 30 years, is located on the studio's fourth floor.

She hopes people will make their way to her as well.

"A lot of people are like, 'Where is that?' when they hear Hatch Street Studios," she said, who has been in the space for 16 years. "We probably need, like, maybe better signage for us, people still don't know to come up here," she said.

"We're still rebuilding on our marketing and getting back into the community and making sure that the community knows we're here," said Corrinn Jusell, who does ceramics on the third floor.

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Jusell is also the president of the studio's art association which holds monthly meetings and collects dues that go toward marketing and website fees. She said she loves all the changes so far, but knows they still have much more to do.

"I know that there's been a conversation of putting in the first-floor area coffee or something," she said. "Even to have some tables you could sit and have a conversation."

Jusell is a co-founder of “The Common: Workshop & Gallery” that showcases artists' work on the second floor. The room was recently used to host a press conference with Mayor Jon Mitchell.

Starting June 11, Jusell is spearheading a monthly "Studio Saturdays" from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the public to feel comfortable checking out all the spaces. They are also holding a Spring Open Studio May 13 to 15, featuring live music and other activities.

Another retail space for artists

During the pandemic, the studio faced a major change — as many artists moved out it attracted more retail business to open in their place.

"I think what's happening is it's becoming an art and design kind of a hub, not just an art hub. And I think that's one of the changes we needed," said Díaz.

With more retail spaces being added to the second floor, it has triggered the need to make bigger moves and reposition Hatch Street to be a competitor to places such as the Kilburn Mill in the South End.

"Kilburn is becoming kind of a version of the SoWa (Open Market) in Boston, because they've got those commercial everyday useful things on the first floor," Diaz added.

"But our building is really well put together with the privacy of the walls... their walls don't go all the way up. We're in a position to be better."

However, not everyone in the building wants tons of foot traffic. "Personally, I don't need it on a daily basis," said Jusell. "My business is done through other retailers. I'm a wholesaler."

She said some artists, especially on the third and fourth floor, like to keep to themselves. "I think that's a really lovely thing to be able to just have a place where you can go and exist, you don't have to be necessarily bothered," Jusell added.

"I mean, these are working places. They're not necessarily retail zones."

On the second floor, Jusell said the retailers are coming from places where they previously had a lot of retail exposure so that is why there is a higher demand.

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"Its been an interesting model where we haven't had the need for the retail foot traffic," Glassman said. "I'm not shutting down the thought of moving in that direction."

He said there are talks on revitalizing the river walk located on Acushnet River, which is behind Hatch Street Studio. The new walkway could invite more retail and restaurant opportunities.

"The current model has been working so well. But I'm not close-minded to that at all. We're in a great spot to really make big changes with Hatch Street."

Standard-Times staff writer Seth Chitwood can be reached at schitwood@s-t.com. Follow him on twitter: @ChitwoodReports. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: New Bedford's Hatch Street Studio a new artist attraction for the city