After Starbucks: How East Greenwich's Main Street Is Changing Hands Before the Holidays

At the top of Main Street, the Greenwich Hotel's neon sign is fully lit again. AA Sign and Awning repaired it, and East Greenwich News reported it in early October. Owner Joann Joseph told East Greenwich News that keeping the sign working takes constant maintenance. "It's a labor of love," she said, "because Main Street just wouldn't be the same without it."

A few blocks away, the windows at 555 Main have been dark since late September. Put those two storefronts side by side and they sum up Main Street's fall. The business that left was the national chain. The ones that changed hands went to local owners, and they kept their people.

555 Main closed on a Saturday

Starbucks opened on Main Street in 2002. It closed for good on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, one of about 250 stores in a second round of closures the company announced that week. The store closed early on Thursday, and East Greenwich News printed the notice taped to its door:

We know this may be hard to hear – because this isn't just any store. It's your coffeehouse, a place woven into your daily rhythm, where memories were made and meaningful connections with our partners grew.

The company made the call as part of its national closures, and the same letter pointed customers to "a nearby Starbucks." Nothing has been announced yet for the space.

Where the morning cup goes now

Mainstreet Coffee opened in 2003, a year after Starbucks arrived. It has now outlasted the chain that got there first. Owner Steve Cinquegrana told East Greenwich News in 2023 that he had wanted a "third place" coffee shop on a road with plenty of foot traffic, and that he had "no plans for retirement." The café turns into a bar at night, and its espresso martinis were singled out in that same profile.

Here are the options within a short drive of the old 555 Main counter:

The Nook is still part of daily life on the street. In August, East Greenwich News sat down there with Warwick native and debut novelist Garvey for an interview that ran in September. The closure coverage made the same point the table does. As East Greenwich News put it, the town has "several great coffee shops."

The sale at Thorpe's kept the crew behind the counter

The other big Main Street handoff this fall went the opposite way. Patti and Rob McGreen bought Thorpe's Wine & Spirits from Richard Thorpe nearly 17 years ago. This fall they passed it to siblings Nick Fede Jr., James Fede, and Jenna Wontka.

The buyers come from a family business just down Post Road. Their grandfather opened a liquor store in Providence in the 1950s. In the 1960s the family moved to North Kingstown, where it has run Kingstown Liquor Mart on Post Road ever since. McGreen told East Greenwich News she picked Nick Fede "because he wanted to keep it a similar model, being a part of the community."

The staff on the floor bears that out:

• Jackie McMenamy, general manager, at Thorpe's for 15 years
• Mike Berry, beer manager, there since Richard Thorpe owned the store
• Garrett Elderkin, assistant general manager, 10 years at Thorpe's

"I didn't want to sell to someone who would change it and get rid of people," McGreen said in the same article. "I sleep better at night."

The changes you'll see are on the shelves. McMenamy said the wine layout was set 15 years ago. Rosé grew popular after that and got squeezed in wherever it fit, so "it needs a reset for sure." A few displays are gone, which leaves more room to walk. Fede says the goal is a store where people "grab a carriage and shop." When you stop in for holiday wine this season, the faces should be familiar and the aisles a little wider.

351 Main found a tenant who asked for it

Audrey Massart has worked as a portrait photographer for 17 years and previously ran her studio from home. This fall she opened Ateliers Massart at 351 Main St. The space had cycled through a few tenants in recent years, most notably The White Elephant. "I just begged the landlord to rent it to me, and they did," she told East Greenwich News.

Her neighbors showed up when she opened. Bleubelle Cottage, Botanica Florals, YAH Studios, Kind Spirits, and Main Sail Kitchen all supported the grand opening, and the EG Chamber of Commerce photographed the ribbon-cutting. Massart said working from home had kept her "very reclusive." On Main Street, "people stop in all day." She also hopes to use the extra space to work with other businesses and creative groups. Ateliers Massart is at 351 Main St.

That's two small-business transitions on the same street this fall. At Thorpe's, the seller chose a buyer who promised to keep the community model. At 351 Main, the new tenant talked about her new neighbors and about working with other businesses.

Two storefronts with no successor yet

Some of the street is still unsettled. At the Sept. 14 Town Council meeting, the town clerk reported that Low Key, the Main Street cocktail bar that opened in 2021, will not reopen after a lease dispute. East Greenwich News reported it that week. No new tenant has been named for that space or for the former Starbucks at 555 Main.

Heading into the holidays, Main Street has two empty storefronts, one relit landmark, one long-running store under new owners, and one new studio. Whoever takes the two empty spaces will open on a block where every other recent change went to a local owner.

The dates that fill the street back up

The Chamber's 2026 schedule, which East Greenwich News published in March, sets the two main holiday dates on Main Street. Another longtime East Greenwich institution supplies a third.

1. Small Business Saturday, Nov. 28, noon to 4 p.m. This will be the first one with Thorpe's under its new owners and Ateliers Massart open on the street.
2. Town Hall Tree Lighting, Saturday, Dec. 5, 5:30 p.m. Town Hall is at 125 Main St. In past years, Santa has arrived by fire truck to light the tree.
3. Annual Carol Sing, Saturday, Dec. 12, 7 p.m. The New England Wireless & Steam Museum holds the carols in its Meeting Hall, with treats and drinks afterward in the Mayes Building. The museum says more details are coming.

These dates were set months ago, so it's worth checking the East Greenwich Chamber of Commerce and the museum's visit page closer to each event. The 5:30 tree lighting is a good one to plan ahead for. It starts after Mainstreet Coffee's posted coffee hours end at 5 p.m., so plan on getting your hot drink earlier in the afternoon.

Over four generations, our family has watched plenty of Main Street storefronts change hands, and this fall's changes were mostly good news for the street. If you're thinking about your own handoff, whether it's a family home near Main Street or a property you've held for years, Christina Phipps and the Phipps Team would be glad to walk through it with you, with the same care Thorpe's new owners took to keep its crew. Schedule a Consultation.