J Schatz design, production studio buys historic Olneyville building

PROVIDENCE – A design and ceramic production studio recently moved from Los Angeles to Providence, buying a historic mill building in the Olneyville section at 46 Dike St.
“We did an investigation of the Northeast and ran around to a lot of the smaller cities. Providence rose to the top primarily because of the building we were able to purchase,” Peter Souza, vice president business development for J Schatz, said in a recent phone interview.
J Schatz, which bought the building in December for $300,000 from CAGL Realty LLC, is operating out of the former dye house for the Weybosset Mills, a building on the National Register of Historic Places. It previously housed an architectural firm.
Souza said the 5,000-square-foot building, which was built in 1880, was “perfectly restored.” They moved in last month, into the building Souza described as being filled with natural light.
“We’re just thrilled,” Souza said, adding they also knew they would be joining a “very artistic community,” something they were interested in being a part of. He said they also were pleased that Rhode Island does not charge sales tax on handcrafted art.
“We can sell our products tax free because they are artistic hand-made items,” Souza said.
Souza said no tax breaks from the city were given.
The business was begun 12 years ago by Jim Schatz, whose ceramic egg bird feeder was named one of the best new products by Fortune in 2004. The two-pound, squirrel-proof egg bird feeder comes in a variety of colors and retails for $165.
The company also makes night lights, platters, vases and more, and is mainly Internet-based, but also has retail locations throughout the United States and in Australia, Austria, Canada and the United Kingdom.
While the business is presently just Souza and Schatz, they are in the midst of testing their first four employees this week, Souza said.
They also plan to hold an open house at the end of March to introduce their business to the community; this will coincide with the launch of their new hummingbird feeder.
The studio is open to the public from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, allowing visitors to view the company’s handcrafted production processes and purchase products on site.

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