Home Editorial and Op-Ed Closure of Newport Creamery in Cranston a huge loss for R.I.

Closure of Newport Creamery in Cranston a huge loss for R.I.

By

Karl Wadensten

-

08/08/2025

Karlcrop — Karl Wadensten

The news that the Newport Creamery at Garden City Center will close in 2026 is deeply unsettling – but let’s be clear: Newport Creamery is not going out of business. The brand will live on. But the closure of the Cranston location isn’t just about a lease – it’s about losing a Rhode Island landmark.

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The news that the Newport Creamery at Garden City Center will close in 2026 is deeply unsettling – but let’s be clear: Newport Creamery is not going out of business. The brand will live on. But the closure of the Cranston location isn’t just about a lease – it’s about losing a Rhode Island landmark. For so many of us, that Garden City store was more than a place to grab a grilled cheese or an Awful Awful. It was where childhood memories were made. It was where parents brought kids after school concerts and where grandparents took grandkids for a special treat. It was woven into the rhythm of everyday Rhode Island life. Losing that location feels like losing part of our cultural identity. It’s like someone taking doughboys out of the state. Or saying, “Sorry, no more calamari.” It’s like looking in the fridge and finding no coffee milk. And yes, I know that sounds dramatic. But in a small state with a big personality, our food, our places and our local institutions carry real emotional weight. I’ve spent more than 16 years working alongside business leaders, developers and public officials across Rhode Island. I understand the economics of real estate. I understand that Garden City is high-value land, and that WS Development sees opportunity in reconfiguring the space. That’s business. But here’s what’s missing: creativity and collaboration. Why can’t we find a way to keep this location alive and help it evolve into something even more vital? Why can’t the developer, the brand, and the city come together and make Newport Creamery a cornerstone of what’s next, not a casualty of what was? Why not find a way to celebrate and grow what makes Rhode Island, Rhode Island? This moment should be a wake-up call. We are slowly losing the icons that define our culture – not in one big wave, but in small, quiet steps. And if we don’t start thinking differently, we’ll wake up one day and find those cultural threads too frayed to reweave. We often hear calls for business and government to work together. I agree. But let’s not pretend that relationship is only one-way. As the General Assembly speaks out about this closure, I hope they also reflect on the policies they pass during the legislative session – because the same laws that push for growth can sometimes squeeze the life out of legacy. Culture doesn’t just preserve itself. It takes intention. It takes leadership, and, most of all, it takes people who care enough to fight for it. Newport Creamery will continue. But let’s not ignore the loss of this particular place. Let’s not waste this chance to ask bigger questions about what we value – and how we can keep those values alive for the next generation. Karl Wadensten is a member of the R.I. Commerce Corp. board and president of VIBCO Vibrators, a manufacturing company based in Richmond. He has spent more than 25 years helping build and retain jobs in Rhode Island’s small and mid-sized business sector.