TIVERTON — The unveiling of a Four Corners transformation begins this weekend.

Opening this Sunday, Nov. 1, to take over the first floor of the historic A.P. White General Store at 3883 Main Road, is Groundswell Café + Bakery, replacing what had been Provender Fine Foods for 37 years before it closed for good last October.

Then across the way at 3895 Main Road is Groundswell Garden + Home, bringing a new look and mission to the 18th-century Arnold Smith House. 

“It’s an undulation, it’s a movement, which we thought would be appropriate for here,” said owner David Fierabend. “We thought a new iteration was what this place would be.”

With their main company, the Philadelphia-based Groundswell Design Group, serving as a full-scale design firm, Mr. Fierabend and co-owner John McDowell have spent the better part of this year reimagining the interiors of both buildings. Inspired by travels abroad, Groundswell Café + Bakery will impart visions of France, complete with velvet blue curtains and marble edging; chic bar stools and classy booth seating. Customers will get a taste of it too, with items like almond croissants, quiche Lorraine and coconut macaroons featured on the seasonal, rotating menu. Baked goods are made-from-scratch, complementary to Groundswell’s own locally-roasted, organic coffee. A small selection of wine and beer will also be available for later in the evening. 

“It is all reminiscent of Paris cafes,” Mr. Fierabend said.

The setting shifts to an English nursery upon heading over to Groundswell Garden + Home, where a hand-picked selection of plants, terrariums, glassware and décor hides in every nook and cranny. There are spools of French ribbons and little juice glasses, all found in Paris; farmhouse pottery that was crafted in Vermont.

“It’s a lot of things that you can’t really find,” Mr. Fierabend said.

But after spending years visiting Tiverton and enjoying its “unspoiled, really beautiful” character, Mr. Fierabend said Groundswell will integrate and pay tribute to its roots. They have spent the summer building relationships with local farmers and vendors, using those products in their cooking whenever applicable; they had a custom tissue paper made that features a historic Four Corners pattern.

“It’s nice that we’re compatible and complementary,” Mr. Fierabend said.

And Mr. Fierabend knows that people are eager for Groundswell to officially open up shop; over a year has now passed since the Provender (a place Mr. Fierabend himself had frequented) ceased operation, its windows papered over. Before the pandemic slowed everything down, Groundswell was looking at a Memorial Day weekend grand opening; that eventually was pushed back to Fourth of July, Labor Day and, now, Halloween weekend.

“We felt the pressure of that, in a little bit of way,” Mr. Fierabend said. “We just want to make sure that it’s right.”

They also had to make sure they could do so safely. The new layout, Mr. Fierabend said, accommodates nicely for social distancing, and they will have a “robust” grab-and-go section available. There will also be plenty of outdoor seating, both out on the café’s wraparound porch and over by the garden and home center.

Though it has certainly “been a process” getting to the point where they are now, Mr. Fierabend said it has been an enjoyable one as well. He is looking forward to being even more part of Tiverton’s “magical” community and watching the business bloom.

“It’s been fun to see it grow over the summer,” he said.