Rising from the ashes: Old Mill Hub reopens after nearly two-year closure

April 4, 2024 · 0 Comments

Written By Sam Odrowski

A central location for local businesses that had been closed since late summer of 2022 due to a devastating fire recently reopened its doors to the community.

Formerly known as the Mill Street Mall, the Old Mill Hub, located at 28 Mill St. reopened at the start of 2024, featuring a denture clinic, jewelry boutique, cellphone repair shop and environmentally friendly refillery store.

The hub is still recovering from the fallout of the August 2022 fire that resulted in its nearly 20 tenants losing their place of business, and all of their inventory, overnight. The fire started at 22 Mill St., abutting the Old Mill Hub, where nine people renting apartments lost all their belongings in the blaze, but fortunately, no one was hurt.

The reconstructed Old Mill Hub has a smaller footprint as the Town of Orangeville’s building codes prevent some units from being located along its north side.

In an effort to commemorate the fire and share the Old Mill Hub building’s rich history with Orangeville residents, its property manager Marshal Bobechko is working on launching an art gallery in that section of the north hall where businesses can’t operate.

Called the Phoenix Gallery, the Old Mill Hub is rising from the ashes, with a fresh space featuring local artists, free of charge. There will also be a display at the front of the Old Mill Hub, where the former Elspeth Art Gallery was located, sharing its history and future.

“We’re hoping to relaunch the arts community and become a tourist destination for the downtown core. It will build more foot traffic for local businesses, but also help our local arts scene – all completely free,” said Bobechko. “People can walk in and look at [the art], and that helps get exposure for the artists, they get more eyeballs on their work.”

The Old Mill Hub used to feature local art that customers would browse while walking in between stores, before the fire. Bobechko said bringing this back has been a main priority as the hub has reopened.

“People miss it,” he said. “I remember the month before the fire. We had lots of little kids that would literally bring their parents to the art and look at all the new art every week… so we want to bring that sense of awe back into those families’ lives.”

The women-only, female empowerment arts group – the North End Arts Girls – is taking over the Phoenix Gallery for its first display.

“Basically, we’re just offering them a free section to display their art in the downtown core,” said Bobechko.

While the Old Mill Hub is seeing a return of local businesses filling its halls, there are still several vacancies. To inquire about renting a unit, email marshalofthemill@gmail.com.

“It’s a little bit empty right now, but there’s so much in the works that is exciting, so keep your eyes open,” Bobechko said.