Cranberry Commons tenants offer interesting variety of products and services

Jan 18, 2015

Antiques?  They've got it. Paint? Yep. Remote control cars? They've got that too. Looking for a place to workout?  Check. Are you hungry?  They can feed you. Need God in your life?  You can probably find him or her there, too.

The Cranberry Commons building, located at 3065 Cranberry Highway, houses a wide variety of tenants offering an array of goods and services, and the range appears to be getting wider with every new tenant that moves into the building.

Peter Ferri has owned the Cranberry Commons building since 1993, which he manages along with wife Carmela. Before that, he'd been a tenant since 1983, operating a recycling business there (which he's since closed). Tenants have come and gone, and in 2010, a fire tore through one part of the former Ocean Spray Cranberry factory.

But recently, Ferri's seen an intriguing influx of tenants coming into the mostly post-and-beam structure.

"I find them all interesting in some way," said Ferri. "It covers a strange combination between the needs of the people. Some people want to have cigarette (New England E-Cigarette and Smoke Emporium), or play a game at the hobby shop (Wicked Hobbies), work out (Fierce Fitness), or delve into the arts (Buzzards Play Productions) -- it covers a lot of different areas for sure."

"You can do almost anything," he said of the almost 110,000 square foot building, which has about 40 rentable units and sits on about 8 acres of property and has the capacity to house retail space, office space, light manufacturing, storage, and more.

This article will profile a handful of the businesses inside the Cranberry Commons building.

Massachusetts Coastal Railroad

What better place for the Massachusetts Coastal Railroad offices than in the Cranberry Commons?

“It’s the ideal location with the tracks right here,” said Kaylene Jablecki, a manager of several operations at the Massachusetts Coastal Railroad, referring to the train tracks that run along the rear end of the Cranberry Commons building.

She said the offices in particular are where many of the “non-passenger” issues are dealt with, as they’re responsible for safety, freight, maintenance of the tracks, crossings, signals, and more for the tracks running from Hyannis to Fall River. The other Massachusetts Coastal Railroad offices are located down the Cape.

“The heartbeat of Mass. Coastal runs out of this office here,” said Jablecki.

Jablecki said that the rail line is coming off one of its most successful seasons yet.

“We’re looking forward to the new year,” she said, noting the potential for a Halloween Train similar to the Holiday Train that ran out of Wareham in late December.

Wicked Hobbies/New England E-Cigarette and Smoke Emporium

Lou Bourassa has owned the Hobby Lobby in the Cranberry Commons building for about three years, but it wasn't enough to support himself.

“The hobby shop don’t make much money — it’s a place where neighborhood kids come in and play games,” said Bourassa. “Hopefully, it keeps them out of trouble. We’re trying to get the families to do something together.”

About a year ago, he opened the New England E-Cigarette and Smoke Emporium right next door, and last month, he moved the emporium into the front of the hobby shop to save on rent.

He said the emporium has been lucrative.

“That’s my main business right there,” he said of the smoke shop, which specializes in electronic cigarettes, tobacco, smoking products, and more.

At the hobby shop, patrons can purchase things like model cars (and paint and accessories for them), role playing games like “Magic the Gathering” and “Dungeons and Dragons,” various other board games, remote control cars, and more. They can also play board games on Saturdays, and “Magic the Gathering,” on Wednesday and Friday nights.

Grace Lighthouse Fellowship Church

While many churches these days are focused on getting younger members, the Grace Lighthouse Fellowship is working on accommodating to the older generation.

"It's mostly people 50-plus and older," said Reverend Tom Perry, pastor of the church, which has been at the Cranberry Commons building for about three-and-a-half years.

To make it more comfortable, Perry and friends have brought in overstuffed chairs for comfort, and an electric wheelchair to help some of the 30-or-so members get around.

Originally located in a basement and then in an exercise room at Sassy Swirls beauty shop in Wareham, the independent, evangelical protestant church also holds Sunday school prior to its 10 a.m. Sunday masses, as well as bible study during the week and a weekly hymn night for most of the year.

"We'd like to have our own building -- it has its drawbacks," said Perry. "But its worked out well for us."

"The Church is a wonderful tenant," said Ferri. "One of those tenants that does their thing and doesn't cause any trouble for anyone else. It's a nice addition to the property."

Cranberry Indoor Flea Market

When Geno Felix took over ownership of the Cranberry Indoor Flea Market two years ago, the place was sort of a mess.

"It was dying," said Felix, who upon taking over made an effort to get more vendors and clean up the overall appearance of market itself. "Now it's thriving."

Felix said over the past two years, he's seen the flea market grow from a sparsely populated space to a building filled with vendors selling a little bit of everything, from antiques to electronics to clothing and more.

"When you look down the aisle, it paints the picture of a little country vibe," said Felix, who said he is up to 92 vendor's booths. "It looks like a flea market should."

"It's like going to a fair," saids Joel Fish, owner of six booths at the market and operator of the snack bar there. "We have anything and everything here. It's just a convenience for people."

The Cranberry Indoor Flea Market is open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

"They’ve turned it around completely," said Ferri. "It was kind of a dump. The new owner cleaned it up a lot, and they're attracting quality vendors. It's really thriving."

Walker's Discount Furniture

Jason Walker said that recently, he's seen foot traffic go up in the Cranberry Commons building.

"We get a lot of drive by traffic, and it seems like they're filling up the building pretty well," said Walker, the owner of the newly renamed Walker's Discount Furniture, which was formerly known as Walker's Beds and More. "We're getting more and more traffic through here.

Walker said the business, which specializes in living room and bedroom furniture, has reached its capacity space-wise in the building, with about 5,000 square feet of showroom and another 20,000 square feet of warehouse space.

He said they decided on the name change because people tended to associate them with beds specifically, not realizing they sold other furniture. He added that they also provide delivery and removal of old furniture.

"And we try to keep the furniture discounted," he added.

Johnson Sign Co.

Having been in Providence for most of their 30-plus year careers in the sign-making business, the folks at Johnson Sign Co. are enthusiastic about their home in the Cranberry Commons building after moving in about a year-and-a-half ago.

"We love the location, and the neighbors are great," said Maryann, who along husband Rob specialize in "pretty much everything" when it comes to making signs, from 3D signs to fabrication to gold leaf hand- lettering to vinyl graphics and pinstriping. "We do a lot of things most sign companies don't."

Recently, the Johnson's made a new sign for Ella's Wood Burning Oven Restaurant just down Cranberry Highway, which includes lettering made with real copper.

Rob said they were attracted to the space by Ferri, an old friend of his. Since the move, they've had nothing but good experiences. They've even enjoyed learning a little more about the building itself.

"It's an old cranberry factory, so it's got a lot of history," said Maryann.

Some of the other businesses housed on the property include:

  • Damien's Food Pantry, which provides food to hundreds of families all over the South Coast area.
  • Buzzards Play Productions, where patrons can enjoy a professionally produced play, a musical performance, comedy, and more.
  • Sherwin-Williams Paints, a nationally known franchise specializing in paint and painting products.
  • Fierce Fitness, a boutique-style gym that's run around quick, 30-minute workout classes.
  • C.V. Connection, Inc., a seafood exporter.
  • Waddle Books, which is a recycler of books rather than a typical bookstore.