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V O L . X X I X N O. I I I F E B R UA R Y 6 , 2 0 2 3 16 C O M M E R C I A L D E V E L O P M E N T F O C U S Mill conversions Half a mile to the west, overlooking the Androscoggin River, Lewiston-based Hebert Construction has begun restoration of Picker House Lofts, a $22.4 million project converting a 79,000-square-foot building – at 2 Cedar St. in the 19 th century Continental Mill complex – into 72 workforce and market-rate housing units. e project is the first phase of Continental Mill's redevelopment. e rest of the vacant 560,000-square-foot complex is owned by New Hampshire-based Chinburg Properties, whose president, Eric Chinburg, envisions up to 300 market-rate apartments. "I think Lewiston is an awesome old mill town," says Chinburg, who has mill projects in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts and sees a need for market-rate housing in Lewiston. "If we build it, we hope they'll come," he says. Across the street, Chinburg owns the 19th century, 460,000-square-foot Hill Mill. In 2019, over half the space was leased to small manufacturing and other tenants that included distributors, textile and leather manufacturers, a gym, cabinet and musical instru- ment makers and professional services. Occupancy is about 70% now, due to new arrivals and expansions. Most tenants are from the surrounding area. But Fanning finds others are leaving Greater Portland in search of affordable real estate. "We don't have to market our vacancies," says Chinburg's property manager, John Fanning. "My people just tell other people, 'You should look at the Hill Mill.'" Fanning says it's important to note that younger people are moving to Lewiston. "ey're creating vibrant businesses," Fanning says. More space, affordable rents One younger Hill Mill tenant is Chris Lobley, 26, owner of C. Richard's Leather. His firm specializes in custom leather patch hats that use U.S. leather and thread, in partnership with Springfield, Ore., headwear maker Richardson Sports. Lobley recently expanded from 1,800 to 9,000 square feet, employs seven and annually sell tens of thousands of units, primarily wholesale. He started the business in his parents' garage in Poland, but needed a place to grow. "In my research I noticed there was a large amount of space available in Lewiston, in the Hill Mill in particular," says Lobley. "I toured the mill and fell in love with it." Advantages include the sheer volume of available space and the ability to tailor it for specific opera- tions. He also likes it that his business echoes the mill's textile past. Lobley credits Chinburg's willingness to invest in the businesses by helping with the cost of renovations. "It's not easy to find a space this size and a company willing to invest in and reno- vate the space for another business," says Lobley. "Chinburg has done that." Rents are generally lower in Lewiston compared with southern Maine, say Lobley and one of his Hill Mill neighbors, Les Williams. Williams and Chris Morrison co-own a cabinet shop, Northe Woodworking. » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E I toured [the Hill Mill] and fell in love with it. — Chris Lobley C. Richard's Leather P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F C . R I C H A R D ' S L E AT H E R I L L M I L L Chris Lobley, owner of C. Richard's Leather, says he was attracted to Lewiston and the Hill Mill for affordability and available space.

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