Hope Street/Summit Providence
Community resonates in this neighborhood tucked on the East Side of Providence on a stretch of road aptly named Hope Street. Discover vibrant streets lined with historic houses and get a feel for why The Huffington Post named Providence one of the “Top 10 Most Walkable Cities.” Visitors and locals alike will be met with an area that boasts the highest concentration of independently owned businesses in Providence, where nearly all are owner-operated. Hope Street is always bustling with activity. This area is an eclectic mix, which includes academia, professionals and young families.
Enjoy many foodcentric shops along Hope Street, including Stock Culinary Goods, with its assortment of kitchen tools, glassware, linens and gourmet food items, many pop-up events that highlight local food and artisans, and much more. Gourmands will love Olive del Mondo’s products, which are thoughtfully curated from around the globe. Sample oils and vinegars from their tasting bar and enjoy an assortment of locally sourced products. Seven Stars Bakery is the perfect spot to sit outside, check email, have a conversation with a neighbor and enjoy a sweet treat. All of the baked goods are exceptional and their hearth-baked breads are not to be missed.
Stop into Rhody Craft for items such as soaps, ceramics, jewelry, cards and bags, all handmade right here in the 401. Filled with fun home décor and unusual shirts with a local flair, Frog & Toad gift items range from lovely and inspiring to odd and incredible. Vintage furniture and jewelry, fine art and fine handcrafts are just a few of the items displayed at Studio Hop, in addition to artful recycled and green items. For the fashion forward, J. Marcel boasts jewels, jeans and bags in the latest styles.
pH Factor is the East Side’s newest shop, opened by RISD grad and jewelry artist Priya Himatsingka. She has curated items from scarves to recycled tote bags to cards and curiosities.
For global cuisines, try the nime chow and Thai cuisine from Apsara Palace or India with its papri chaat and cocktails with East Indian flavors.
Three Sisters is a popular spot for neighbors to catch up over coffee. Kids love their homemade ice cream in unique flavors like Kulfi and lemonade sorbet. The casual shop serves up breakfast and lunch and the walls are decked with a rotating gallery of local artists’ works.
Camp Street is the location of the Asian fusion spot Hometown Poke. Fresh poke bowls are made-to-order. Acai bowls, nitro coffee and matcha lattes are some of their other treats.
Parks and playgrounds can be found in each direction and TREK Bicycle Providence offers bike sales for those interested in using the bike lane along the three-mile stretch of nearby Blackstone Boulevard or venturing to the East Bay Bike Path. (There is also a lovely walking path.) Locals congregate at the Saturday farmers market where music, food vendors and artisans are found in nearby Lippitt Park. Seasonal events include outdoor summer concerts on the boulevard and Hope Street Strolls designed to bring neighbors and businesses together block-party style, with bands and street performances.
Stop by Cypress Street and check out the community mural at Billy Taylor Park in the Mount Hope section of the neighborhood. A nod to this multicultural neighborhood’s past, the mural depicts a timeline of Providence’s important role in music history. The former Celebrity Club was one of the first integrated jazz clubs in New England, which brought communities together and showcased local musicians as well as famed artists such as Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald, Sammy Davis Jr. and Ray Charles.
At the intersection of Hope Street and Doyle Avenue, you'll find Ladd Observatory, part of the Brown University Department of Physics. A museum listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Observatory is open to the public every Tuesday from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Doors open for other special events such as the solar eclipse and telescoping spectacular views of the sun and the moon.
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