Exploring Mill No. 5: "Brown Road" Essay Prompt

      After turning the street corner onto Jackson Street, I saw the sign comfortably resting over a doorway on the side of the massive mill: a large, vintage-styled 5 rang out loud and clear in the light of the darkness, signaling to the world what kind of place it is. Even walking to the building, through the door next to the iron gate leading to the elevator, you can sense the definitive style that was set out to be crafted at Mill No. 5, between the various signs above the gate and leading passer-by’s to the entrance. And by entrance, I mean the elevator that leads to the fourth floor, where it all goes down in Mill No. 5.

     Over the past few years here in Lowell, Massachusetts, a strange cultural phenomenon has been occurring at one of the key hallmarks of this historic city. Mill No. 5 has been a unique shopping district of sorts, organized right within one of the mills the city of Lowell became famous for during the Industrial Revolution. It’s no ordinary shopping district, though. It has a style that it set out to achieve, and it certainly has accomplished this. In lieu of any stores like FYE or Starbucks, there’s instead Vinyl Destination and Coffee and Cotton. These are legitimate mom and pop joints, handpicked by the owner of Mill No. 5 to fit this niche environment.

      Walking out of the elevator onto the floor, the first thing I was greeted with was a large ring of people playing acoustic guitar together, being led and taught by a musician straight from Nashville who happened to be visiting Lowell. There were probably around ten to twelve guitarists, jamming and having fun at their own leisure. After that, the next most noticeable thing would be the floor, which remains the same from its time as a mill during the eighteen-hundreds. The creaks and uneven cuts aren’t just for style—they’re authentic. This gives even just walking down the hallway a flair to it. 

     Speaking of the hallway, that’s all Mill No. 5 is in a sense. It’s one long hallway, beginning with Vinyl Destination on the left, and a small hallway on the right entitled The Tone Loft on the right, where music lessons are taught. Further down the hallway there are various shops and studios including but not nearly limited to Coffee and Cotton, a coffee shop notable for its local brew; Tory German Photography, one of the photographers often hired for UMass Lowell; Corn & Company, a deluxe popcorn shop that offers many different flavors; Howl Magazine, a local magazine run out of Mill No. 5; and The Luna Theater, an independent movie theater that serves as one of the main attractions of Mill No. 5 and one of the recent reasons for its surge in popularity. 

     The first store I walked into was Vinyl Destination, being as involved with music as I am. I’d been there before, and have met the owner, Dave Perry, on numerous occasions. He’s one of my mother’s friends; they’d worked together writing for the Lowell Sun (a local newspaper) in the past, alongside Tory German, so when Mill No. 5 was started up, I’d already begun visiting. So I can say with honesty that it has been a constantly expanding scene, with the vinyl store recently moving into a larger space to accommodate the new selection available and the rising popularity of the store itself. There has been a steady flow of additions to the floor, with new stores and studios being opened every time I return. However, this time, I had arrangements to talk to Dave Perry about the start of Mill No. 5. 

      Dave is a really authentic guy, extremely relaxed but with a sense of duty, and as always he greeted me with open arms into his store, willing and ready to answer any questions I had about the store and about the mill to any extent possible by him. His store was one of the first ones in the mill, so I knew this story would be important in terms of the history of the mill. In February 2013, Dave was approached by Jim Lichoulas, a second generation developer and the current owner of the entire Mill No. 5 complex, and was asked if we wanted to make a record store in the space he acquired. Dave had been fascinated with records for most of his life, and had been collecting them prior, so with this opportunity, he thought he should check out the place. Walking into the space he was told he could have, he said that there was no way he could deny it. Since he gets around $4000 from a family trust every year to spend on whatever he pleases, he began buying records and organizing a store to be opened up. And in November 2013, Vinyl Destination was opened in Mill No. 5, and was one of the first stores to do so. 

     However, not just any store or studio can be opened there. Jim is very specific about how the space is allocated, wanting to keep a certain image to the place, and I can certainly say that he’s succeeding in that regard. Dave told me that the whole complex is essentially just small retail and mom and pop joints, which can already be seen in its eclectic combination of stores that sell vinyls and antiques, a coffee shop, studios, music lesson spaces, and even a yoga space. Eventually, Dave says, they’re going to start work on a bus from UML to Mill No. 5. 

     Leaving the record store after purchasing a couple Police records (I’m now one away from owning the entire discography on vinyl), I continued down the hallway, as Dave told me to come back whenever I wanted to and ask whatever I needed to. Walking through the hallway, I passed by Tory German Photography, a photo studio owned and run by Tory German. Talking to her revealed that she was another one of the first to make a business in Mill No. 5, and has enjoyed the entire time. One of her personal favorite projects she did in the mill was when she covered her entire studio in tinfoil and created a massive camera to take a picture of the Merrimack outside, but she also does freelance work and can often be seen at UMass Lowell taking pictures for the UML newsletters. Another key figure in the complex would be Rita Savard, the editor and publisher for Mill No. 5’s own Howl Magazine. My conversation with her unveiled that the reason she started Howl was to provide Lowell with an honest, non-sexualized magazine, as opposed to the tabloids we often see at CVS and other stores. And it succeeds in that regard. It’s a magazine whose demographic is primarily aimed at UMass Lowell students, and therefore a lot of the articles are actually about campus life and activities, centering around Mill No. 5 and other indie venues and activities. 

     Continuing down the hallway brought me to Coffee and Cotton, where I purchased an apple cider made directly in New Hampshire, and had a chance to look at the environment of the coffee shop. It was quiet and studious, speckled with UML students and business-persons reading and sipping on their coffee. In the back there was a slightly raised area with speakers and microphones, intended for the frequent shows put on by singer-songwriters. This isn’t the only place music is played there, though. Leaving the coffee shop and walking down the hallway led me past many more stores, including an interior decorating studio and an antique shop, but ultimately brought me to the current claim-to-fame for Mill No. 5, The Luna Theater. While independent or otherwise underground movies are usually shown here, on Thursday nights is the Luna Sessions, where an assortment of jazz musicians meet up and jam the classics for a free show, offering local brews as well. 

     This was how I spent the remainder of my trip to Mill No. 5, sitting in a comfortable chair, sipping local apple cider, and watching an illustrious jazz performance. At around 9:30, I realized I had classes the next day, so I decided to leave the show early and head on out the way I came in, through the elevator on the other side of the hall. And the hallway was just as remarkable on the way out as it was the way in, with the old creaking floor reminding you that the history of Mill No. 5 extends far past the multitude of unique stores and studios that it’s become known for over the past couple years, and it reminds you that the mill helped contribute to one of the most important revolutions in the history of civilization.