Downtown Westerly's Changes This Fall Trace Back to a Short List of Neighbors

"Redevelopment projects require extensive architectural, engineering, environmental, and permitting work before construction can even begin," Ruedi Hauser III said in a Westerly Sun report after Rhode Island Commerce awarded $75,000 to a building on Main Street that has no water or electricity.

Hauser sits on the Ocean Community Chamber of Commerce's Executive Board. He led the committee that won that grant. He also founded 13th Hour Distilling, which is moving its distillery and tasting room into downtown Westerly. Downtown has changed a lot this year, and the same few people keep showing up behind those changes. Most of the work has been organized by local owners and nonprofits rather than by outside developers. That is why downtown's calendar is set by paperwork and fundraising, while the year's quick openings happened out on Franklin Street.

One Stretch of Main Street, Three Chapters

Start in the 160s and 170s of Main Street. In May 2025, the Ocean Community Chamber of Commerce bought 170 Main St., a two-story, 3,700-square-foot warehouse set back from the street and directly across from Cinder. Morrone Electric used to own it. Chamber President Lisa Fabian credited the board with raising $350,000 to buy the building and replace its roof. The next phase is an $800,000 renovation that adds two homes upstairs, with office and warehouse space on the ground floor.

Set the $75,000 state award against that $800,000 and the timeline gets clearer. The grant pays for architecture, engineering and permitting, the work that comes before any construction. The chamber itself says "there is still a significant amount of capital needed." Fabian called it "a huge undertaking" for a nonprofit, aimed at a primary goal in the town's comprehensive plan.

The neighbors on either side tell the rest of the story.

• Hallock's Appliances sits on one side. It took over Morrone Electric's Westerly showroom this summer and held a ribbon cutting on June 29. Owner Gerry Vece said customers would keep working with the same local team.
• Brumble Bikes is on the other side at 166 Main St., run by owner and operator Amos Brumble.
• Cinder is across the street. Its site still describes its barbecue menu and offers online ordering.

So the Morrone name came off two buildings on the same block this year, and in both cases the people involved were local. The showroom kept its staff under a regional brand. The warehouse went to a nonprofit that plans to add housing.

The Distiller Moving to High Street

The second downtown address is 40 High St. 13th Hour Distilling plans to put its distillery in the back and a tasting room in the front, serving cocktails made with the rum, vodka and gin it distills on site. A rotating cocktail menu and private distilling classes are planned. Hauser started the business in 2021 and began selling to the public in 2023. His main product is a rum made with Louisiana cane syrup. He has been based at the Hauser Chocolates facility on Tom Harvey Road.

"I'm very excited about the experience portion of this," he told the South County Star during a walkthrough. "I really love, love chatting with people, and I think I'm going to have a lot of fun behind the bar."

In that August report, Hauser was aiming to open by the end of summer, and state and federal license transfers still had to be completed. We have not found a published opening date since then, and the company's website still lists the Tom Harvey Road address. For now, treat the High Street tasting room as planned and check with the distillery before you walk over.

The connection back to Main Street goes beyond Hauser. Jennifer Brinton of Grey Sail Brewing of Rhode Island helped on the grant committee that won the 170 Main award. Grey Sail's taproom is a few blocks away at 65 Canal St. Two local beverage makers helped win public money for a building neither of them owns.

Franklin Street Ran on a Different Clock

The year's most-discussed openings came together in a few weeks. Five Guys opened in July at Westerly Crossings. Chipotle opened its first Westerly restaurant next door at 143 Franklin St. on Thursday, Aug. 20. Taco Bell at 139 Granite St. had hoped to open by Oct. 1. As of the South County Star's Sept. 28 report, it was still waiting on a power connection and final inspections before it could get its certificate of occupancy.

National brands come with their own design, financing and staffing in place, so their schedules depend on utility hookups and inspections. Downtown projects depend on board fundraising, license transfers and grant cycles. Both are adding something to town. The downtown projects take longer because so much of the work comes before the doors can open.

Small Handoffs Off the Main Corridors

Not every downtown change is a new project. Some are the end of a lease, and some are a family passing a business along.

Knead Doughnuts closed its Broad Street shop on a Sunday at the end of August, nearly five years after it opened. Owner Adam Lastrina said the lease had ended and the company was focusing on other parts of the business. The storefront is 16 Broad St. We have not seen a new tenant announced.

A few blocks away, Windie's at 80 High St. sits across from Wilcox Park, around the corner from the United Theatre and down the street from the Ocean Community YMCA. Owner Emma Sills sells gifts alongside a refrigerated case of local milk, eggs, yogurt and treats from Nana's bakery. She told the South County Star she "didn't expect the social and community aspect of it all." Her monthly Cookbook Club now runs dinners in the shop, including a sold-out September evening with cookbook author Brad Leone, where guests each brought a dish from his book.

Out on Post Road, Sandy's Fine Food Emporium at 15 Post Road passed to William and Danielle Turrell on Oct. 1. They bought it from William's aunt and uncle, Jim and EmmaLee Goddiess, and say they intend to keep it a neighborhood market.

The October Calendar Runs Through the Same Hands

The fall calendar shows the same pattern. Nearly every downtown event in the next few weeks is hosted by a local nonprofit or an independent business.

A few details for planning

The Grey Sail Oktoberfest includes music from the German band The Vagabonds and a yodeling contest. This year the taproom is also a qualifier venue for the US Steinholding Competition, with the steinholding contest at 4 p.m. The Pumpkin Stroll's costume parade starts at 5 p.m., with lawn games, cider and doughnuts. The scup dinner at the United covers a research project led by the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation with Quonnie Fish Co. and the URI Food Science Lab. The Patriots Park site is across from the Westerly Armory, opposite West Street, and is meant to receive a granite veterans bench for the Nov. 11 dedication.

The book sale shows best how these groups rely on each other. This year it moves from its usual third-floor spot to the first-floor Reading Room, just left of the main entrance, because of ongoing construction and other changes at the library. Public hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Oct. 21 and 22, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 23, and a bag sale from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 24. A Friends-only Sip & Shop preview runs Oct. 19 from 3 to 7 p.m. The Westerly Lions Club has helped carry books up from the basement in past years. Jamie Finkelstein's culinary arts class at Westerly High School is making the snacks, and Watch Hill Catering is providing the drinks. The United Theatre is putting memorabilia about the sale in its front window. All proceeds go back to the library and the park.

That is the same set of local relationships that is slowly rebuilding 170 Main St. The next opening downtown will probably depend on it too, whether that is the tasting room at 40 High St. or a new tenant at 16 Broad.

Chanel Chung follows downtown Westerly building by building. That includes which storefronts have changed hands, which projects are still in permitting, and what that means for the streets nearby. If you own near Main, High or Broad and want to know how these changes could affect your property's value or its seasonal rental appeal, schedule a complimentary consultation.