Adamsville landmark may have a new owner

Westport couple set to close on property this month

By Paige Shapiro
Posted 5/2/23

After being on the market for just a brief month and a half, Adamsville’s iconic Simmons Marketplace may soon be in the hands of new owners, with a deal set to close in mid-May.

Pamela …

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Adamsville landmark may have a new owner

Westport couple set to close on property this month

Posted

After being on the market for just a brief month and a half, Adamsville’s iconic Simmons Marketplace may soon be in the hands of new owners, with a deal set to close in mid-May.

Pamela Huizenga Alexander, a Florida native, was quick to jump on the chance to own the historic store after it was listed recently for $985,000.

“We’ve known about Simmons for many years,” she said, mentioning that her husband, Jay, grew up going to the Adamsville landmark while living in nearby Fall River.

“We’ve been visiting the area for a long time because we have a house in Westport that we’ve renovated over many years.”

The property, which includes a detached house, a one-car garage, and a full commercial kitchen and market, was listed by the Welchman Real Estate Group with Keller Williams Coastal in March. Its current owner, Westport resident Jennifer Marshall Grantham, bought the property in 2014 from long-time owners Jennifer Holewka and Ralph Borden. Under Grantham’s ownership, Simmons Market and Cafe was reinvented into a bright, healthy shop with locally sourced goods and prepared foods.

The potential new owners have not yet closed on the property. However, if the sale is finalized, Huizenga Alexander said she isn't sure what's next, though it will remain as a retail establishment.

“We haven't decided if we're going to rebrand it or not,” she said. “That's something that we'll play with. But we will be keeping it as a cafe and market while updating and renovating after the summer.”

Before discovering Simmons on the market, the couple also previously considered purchasing Gray’s Gristmill and the Provender, when those properties popped up for sale in recent years. But the timing was just right for Simmons, she said.

“Ironically, we had rented [the current owner] Jennifer’s Airbnb in East Providence a few summers ago when we were working on our house. Through conversation we found out that she owned Simmons, and my husband has been going there since he was a kid. So that kind of brought it into my visual that it was a cool place. We started going there over the summers with our kids to stop and get sandwiches and everything."

“It's the perfect combination of market and cafe and outdoors,” she said. “I love the house in front though we plan on renting it out. So it's just the perfect, perfect business for us. Becoming a part of Little Compton and Adamsville — the history and carrying it on — that type of business is very exciting for us.”

She clarified that the cafe will be open this summer for usual business, continuing Grantham’s operations for just one more season, and adding indoor seating for patrons who want to get comfy with coffee or a panini.

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