Pop Cultured opened its first brick-and-mortar store in 2019 at Lowell’s Mill No. 5. If you ever visited the mill, you know—it wasn’t just a building; it was an experience. Taking a hot pink elevator to the fourth floor of an Industrial Age textile mill you’d step out into a vintage streetscape crafted from architectural salvage. A traditional New England downtown, made even more charming—if slightly surreal—by its unexpected location. Mill No. 5 was a place of quirky shops, live music, indie films, many cups of coffee, and, most importantly, community.

Like all great things, Mill No. 5 ended before its time, closing on February 2, 2025, when the building’s donation to the Lowell Community Charter Public School was finalized. While spaces like The Overlook, Dow’s Soda Fountain, and Coffee & Cotton were created and operated by the Mill, and closed with the donation of the building, The Farm Market continues under the school’s stewardship. The Luna Theater, also mill owned and operated, passed the torch for small, independent cinema to The Owl Theater at Middlesex Community College.

While the mill operated ventures closed, most of the shops that called this place home were independently owned and, like Pop Cultured, some continue. We’re thrilled to keep on collaborating with and lifting up the places that do the same for us. Mill No. 5 was never just a building—our community still thrives.