PEABODY — Sometimes all it takes is a little creative vision and a can-do attitude to go from trash to treasure.
In 2012, Ed Greeley was looking for a new location in Peabody for his home remodeling and cabinet business, New England Cabinet. He found a suitable space in a former tannery on Pulaski Street. At the time, a handful of businesses, ranging from antiques dealers (some would say junk dealers), painters and craftsmen occupied the building. Only 20 percent of it was leased, but Greeley saw potential to turn the building into an up-and-coming place in the community.
Eight years later he did just that, turning the once junk-filled old building into Mills 58, arguably the hippest spot in Peabody to work, eat and, maybe sometime in the near future, to live.
Greeley’s latest project at Mills 58 is “Eatery 58”, an upscale indoor/outdoor food court and marketplace that is scheduled to open Sept. 1.
This is no ordinary, run-of-the-mill food court.
“We could very well be the hottest spot in all of Peabody,” said Greeley. “You can eat anywhere you want, but none of them has anything like we are offering in terms of the variety and atmosphere. We’re more than an eatery, we’re a marketplace where people come in to buy jellies and flowers and home baked and home made items. It’s a total experience.”
The court will feature homemade pasta, a seafood bar with baked haddock, clams and fried scallops, vegetarian selections, coal-fired, brick oven pizza, a grill station with gourmet burgers, steak and turkey tips, specialty coffees (ground on premises), smoothies, and, of course, assorted desserts and sweets, including gelato.
The restaurant will be owned and managed by Frank Martino, Sr.
“When I designed the space, I interviewed several companies who submitted letters of intent to fill the food kiosks, but I knew his son Frank, Jr., who owns Capitocoffee, and we hit it off to the point where they will be operating all of the food venues. Opening in the new COVID normal allows us, luckily, to tailor the whole system to be COVID-safe and make it a comfortable place where people can feel safe.
Greeley said a portion of the food court will be used for farmers’ markets from time to time. He said the furniture was delivered last week and an executive chef (whose name has not yet been announced) has been hired.
Originally built in 1890, Mills 58 now is home to approximately 75 businesses. Fitness centers, nail and hair salons, photography studios, antique and consignment stores, a used bookstore, a test kitchen, and even a day care center.
Greeley admits that signing on as a tenant, and later, purchasing the building in 2018, was a gamble.
“No doubt, as the place was in total disrepair and nobody in his right mind would have done what I did,” Greeley said. “I don’t think too many developers see the economic sense of the investment, so it was an advantage for me that I understood the building as I had been a tenant. I was able to wrap my head around the imperfections. It wasn’t a plan, but I kind of knew what I was getting myself into. But I’m happy to say that, even though going in as a tenant was a huge gamble and I spent more money than I should have, I’ve given the community something to be proud of.”
Next on the agenda for Greeley is resurrecting a plan to build residential loft units.
“We weren’t successful the first time around, but with COVID, things are different now, so we plan to revisit that this fall,” said Greeley. “With so many companies letting employees work from home, building more office space doesn’t make business sense. I feel it’s better to build residential and mixed use, so we hope to begin talking with the city soon.”
