Tavares & Sons News

About this Property

#Previous Owners

What an interesting and odd little business that must have been doing something right, as Google Streetview shows them doing business in 2019 (and right up until COVID in 2020). Need a drink, a pack of smokes, a newspaper, or magazine? Drive up alongside this little news stand and ask the attendant for whatever it is you need. Conduct your transaction without getting out of your car and be on your way.

According to the photos, one could rent movies, get lottery tickets, or even a frozen lemonade. How Rhode Island is that?

Frank Tavares was listed with his brother Joe in state records as co-owners of the store.

#Current Events

In 2020 the news stand closed due to COVID and a lack of drive-by traffic. Owner Frank Tavares also needed unspecified surgery. In June of 2021, the Valley Breeze reported they had plans to reopen,¹ but that never happened. Leslie Moore purchased the building and right to lease the land in the summer of 2022.

#History

Very little official, documented history can be found. From aerial photos, it looks like the building was in place by 1985 but was not present in the 1971 aerials. The whole area round it went through am urban renewal period where many of the original structures were razed.

From the National Register nomination form for the Downtown Providence Historic District, amendment & expansion, 2007

TAVARES NEWS VIDEO (after 1984): A small, 1-story, hip-and-shed asphalt roof, wood-frame commercial building clad in T-111 siding, with metal-framed glass door and several single-light windows. This newsstand, which does not appear on the 1984 map, is located on the west side of High Street just south of Exchange Street, at the northeast corner of the lot containing [215 Main Street]. Non-contributing.

#In the News

Tavares News building becomes a new soul food ice cream shop

by Ethan Shorey
Valley Breezel | July 27, 2022

The former Tavares & Sons News building at 30 High St., a prominent spot on a hill overlooking City Hall, has been converted into an ice cream shop.

Leslie Moore, the owner behind several downtown developments, including the nearby Core Collaboratives building and Still on Main indoor mall, is behind this venture as well, which she is calling “The Block Scoop.” The shop, near the Pawtucket Library, opens this Thursday, July 28.

This was a place where people came to get news for a very long time, Moore told The Breeze, so she loves the idea of it still being a place where people can get information about what’s going on in the downtown area. She said she would welcome newspapers at the location as a tribute to its past and in keeping with that theme of getting information to the people.

The Block Scoop will feature ice cream from the Lotus Scoop of Brooklyn, a company known for soul food desserts. Featured items will include a deep-fried apple pie ice cream and a Hennessy pecan pie ice cream (check it all out on Instagram).

“It’s really cool and special stuff,” said Moore.

The building is located on the same property as the Santander Bank property behind it, so like Tavares News before, Moore will rent it. She said the fact that she owns the parking lot behind the ice cream shop means there will be plenty of parking for customers.

The City Council last week approved licenses for The Block Scoop to open.

Moore said she’ll be active in the operation of the ice cream shop. She said it was special hearing the story of the Tavares family, and it’s a big deal to be able to maintain something of what they had. The building would have been demolished if not for this new idea, she said.

The nature of this area as an entrepreneurial hub means that there will be a lot of success stories involving business owners moving on to bigger spaces as they flourish, as has already been seen, said Moore. That’s why she’s been trying to open some anchor shops, such as a recent convenience store at 217 Main St. and now this ice cream shop, that are consistently open to ensure that there’s traffic here all the time.

The Block Scoop will initially be open from 4 to 8 p.m. on weekdays and noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday, but the hope is that demand will allow them to expand.

Moore said it’s exciting to see different businesses emerging in the development projects she’s part of downtown, including the new Cornerstone Complex driving foot traffic from Providence.

“It’s positive to see,” she said, adding that a number of newer businesses have come recently as people are choosing downtown Pawtucket as a place to take the next step with their business. She said she’s encouraging that mentality, while also being realistic with everyone about the difficulties of running a business.

The Breeze reported last June that Tavares News was expected to reopen, but that never ended up happening. The newsstand with the unique drive-up option was originally closed due to COVID and the owner’s need to have surgery.

— Captured 24 May 2024 from https://www.valleybreeze.com/news/tavares-news-building-becomes-a-new-soul-food-ice-cream-shop/article_afe2ebe0-0c3c-11ed-a2d6-b3fe20ba3b3f.html