Located in historic Tiverton Four Corners, Groundswell is a multi-building culinary + grocery + home + garden destination that opened on November 1, 2020. You might have missed the opening in the midst of the pandemic, but Groundswell needs to be on your must-visit list this spring.
An expanded Table + Provisions shop is scheduled to open on April 15th, according to Groundswell COO Molly Lux, and it’s the perfect reason to take a ride to Tiverton for one of the most unique shopping and culinary experiences in Newport County.
The cafe and bakery section of Groundswell occupies Tiverton’s cornerstone building that was formerly home to Provender Fine Foods at the intersection of Main & Puncatest Neck Roads. It’s well worth a trip to Tiverton just to admire the beautiful interior design work of the cafe alone – a Parisian-style eatery with a modern retro vibe. Owners David Fierabend and John McDowell also own Groundswell Design Group, a design firm specializing in public spaces, hospitality, and residential projects, and their design expertise and placemaking skill are on full display throughout the property. The Tiverton destination is the latest addition to their impressive portfolio of projects around the country, including Great Jones Distilling Co. in New York City and the Hangar 1 Vodka Distillery located inside a former airplane hangar in Alameda, California.
“We’ve had extensive experience designing hospitality projects through our design business and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to bring our vision to life in the Tiverton area we’ve loved for so long,” Lux said. “We took inspiration from the local area and our travels in Europe, particularly Paris and London.”
Groundswell’s cafe and bakery sources ingredients locally and offers fresh-baked bread, pastries, organic coffee, and made-from-scratch lunch and breakfast meals to be enjoyed inside, outdoors by their patio fire pits, or to-go. All food is inspired by European travels and Rhode Island’s agricultural heritage.
Beyond the delicious coffee, pastries, and breakfast and lunch offerings, you will find many lovable and locally-sourced items in the Groundswell Garden + Home shop across the street as well as the Table + Provisions shop (the section scheduled for a grand reopening and expansion on the 15th) next door. Looking for gifts for Mother’s Day, a shower, or a housewarming? You’ll want to shop here.
While the pandemic initially hindered Groundwell’s opening plans, the team is now preparing for an expansion to accommodate the growing crowd of visitors to Tiverton Four Corners now that the word is out. “We did delay our opening for a while during the beginning of the pandemic, but eventually just couldn’t wait any longer,” Lux said. “The pandemic did affect some of our service models at the cafe for a while, and as a small shop early on, we were only able to offer takeout, but we’ve luckily been able to return to a more normal service format in recent weeks.”
If you don’t have an immediate need to shop, you can still to Groundswell to just hang out, relax, and catch up with friends. “We also serve wine and beer for guests dining in at the cafe!” Lux said. “As we move into warmer seasons this spring and summer, a glass of wine on the cafe porch is the perfect place to pass an afternoon.”
Groundswell Cafe + Bakery hours are currently listed as Tuesday through Sunday, 7 am to 4 pm (kitchen open until 3 pm), while the Garden + Home store is open Tuesday through Sunday, 9:00 am to 4 pm.
In addition to the grand reopening of Groundswell’s expanded Table + Provisions shop on the 15th, the Groundswell Team may have more projects to announce in the near future. “We’re enjoying our three shops here in Tiverton, but do also have some exciting things planned for the future,” Lux said. “Nothing we can share yet, but stay tuned!”
Interested in working at Groundswell this spring/summer? Contact them here. Lux said they’re always open to meeting new team members.
