Coffee shop to open in high-profile Canal District development

The Revington, the mixed-use development constructed in the wake of the Polar Park baseball stadium opening in the Canal District, has landed its third commercial tenant.

Identity Coffee is opening its newest location in a 2,537-square-foot retail space in The Revington, said Todd Alexander of Kelleher & Sadowsky Associates in Worcester. 

Westminster-based Identity has coffee shops in Fitchburg, Taunton, and Meredith, New Hampshire. The firm has two additional ski resort locations at Wachusett Mountain Ski Area in Princeton and Waterville Valley Resort in New Hampshire.

Its lease in The Revington will start in May, according to real estate data website CoStar. Alexander and David Cohen of Kelleher & Sadowsky Associates in Worcester served as the leasing representative for this transaction. 

Identity will join a branch for Whitinsville-based UniBank and a franchise location of New Jersey-based Playa Bowls as commercial tenants in the building developed by Boston-based Madison Properties. The 228-unit, mixed-use building was completed in 2023.

With the three businesses occupying first-floor space, The Revington has just under 12,000 square feet of restaurant or retail space available.

Property values in the Canal District have climbed since the $160-million Polar Park baseball stadium opened in 2021, with economic changes creating both challenges and opportunities for local businesses and developers. 

In addition to running coffee shops, Identity roasts and sells its own coffee direct to consumers via its website. The business was founded by the husband and wife team of Jonathan and Britney Cashman, according to The Gardner News. Menu items besides coffee at other locations include smoothies and sandwiches. Identity Coffee offers franchising opportunities.

Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the real estate and banking & finance industries.