For the last 20 years, The Potters Shop and School has made its home at 31 Thorpe Rd in Needham, MA. Last summer our landlord put the building up for sale and a wonderful opportunity presented itself. Steven Branfman, the owner of The Potters Shop and Lewis Cohen, the building owner entered into a partnership to develop the building into a space for artists and a galleryIt is with great pleasure that we announce the birth of Gorse Mill Studios. In addition to our bookstore and services for potters, we can now offer artists in all media the chance to buy their own studio and enjoy studio ownership in a guaranteed artist occupied building.
The historic Gorse Mill building dates to 1893. Built by Joseph Bark Thorpe, the mill originally produced children's cotton underclothes and ladies mittens. In 1915, Thorpe sold the building to the William Gorse Knitting Co. Most of the original knitters were European immigrants, predominantly from the English Midlands, who came to America after technological advances in the European textile industry put them out of work. A different British Invasion had happened and the company was selling athletic wristbands when the Gorse company finally closed its doors in 1982.
The building is in a quiet residential neighborhood just off of Route 128. The Needham Heights commuter rail station is a five minute walk from the studio, as are Starbucks, Town Pizza, Finagle a Bagel, and Trader Joe's for a quick lunch. Plenty of parking is available in our lot.
Studio Stats
- 250-500+ square foot private studios. Spaces can be combined for larger studios
- $86,000-$180,000 depending on size, plus monthly condo fee
- artist workspace only, no live in
- wide doors and full height walls
- sanded wood floors
- strip flourescent overhead lighting
- fire sprinklers
- new windows
- painted walls and ceilings
- individual heat, air conditioning, and ventilation
- individually metered 100A electrical service
- capped off cold water and drain
- common bathrooms on all floors
- elevator in building
- loading dock accessible to all studios and floors
- 650 square foot gallery with storage room and kitchen for use by studio owners and the larger community
