By DONNA KENNY KIRWAN

PAWTUCKET  -- When Providence city officials unveiled a new $100,000 marketing campaign last year that branded the metropolis the “Creative Capital,” there were some rueful smiles just up the road in Pawtucket. Among them was Herb Weiss, Pawtucket’s longtime Economic and Cultural Affairs Officer.

In Weiss’ office is a rack of pamphlets designed for the Pawtucket Business Development Corporation that offer tips and references to those thinking of locating in the city. Each has a logo of the city’s skyline with the slogan: “Pawtucket: Rhode Island’s Creative Community.”
While Weiss is quick to point out that there is no ill will with Providence, he proudly notes that Pawtucket’s tagline came about first, in 2007 to be exact. “And,” he adds, “It didn’t cost us one penny.” Weiss credits his hardworking counterpart on the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, Bob Billington, with coming up with the slogan. “It came about in casual conversation between Bob and myself,” said Weiss. “There was no focus group, no agency. We were talking about how to get the message out to artists, web-site designers and the like that the city is a great place to live and operate a business.”
The idea was pitched to Pawtucket Mayor James E. Doyle, who has made promoting the city as an arts destination a key cornerstone of his administration. “He also thought it was a sound idea,” said Weiss, adding that a graphic designer was then hired to put the logo on the city’s economic development materials.
“A lot of economic development is ‘image building’ and if you get the word out through slogans and in the media that you are a great place to live and operate a business, you’ll have people knocking at your door,” said Weiss. In Pawtucket’s case, the strategy worked, garnering attention for the newly arts-friendly city in major newspapers such as the Boston Globe, New York Times and the Washington Post. “It brought developers in,” he added.
However, Weiss also notes that it takes much more than a catchy slogan or logo to successfully lure artists and other creative professionals to a certain area. “It’s not the slogan, but the actions. You must do things to foster creativity and attract businesses,” he stated.
Along those lines, the city developed several strategies aimed at attracting artistic professionals. In 1998, legislative action created an arts and entertainment district in the downtown area which allows for tax incentives for artists and galleries. Since 1999, state sales tax exemptions can be obtained for limited edition artwork sold within the district. There is also an exemption available for artists who live and work inside the district from state income tax on the income generated from their creative work, if they are deemed as eligible.
In addition, the Pawtucket Business Development Corporation offers a restaurant loan program for the arts and entertainment district, as well as other business and fire safety loan programs. The city also offers new property owners and developers monthly meetings staffed by city officials in charge of fire safety, zoning and building code issues to make the regulatory process go more smoothly.
Perhaps more important to Pawtucket’s successful economic development in the arts is the “personal touch” that comes primarily from Weiss and Planning Director Michael Cassidy. Weiss, in particular, has earned a reputation for his tireless efforts in trying to find the right building for a potential client. Once he hears that someone is looking for space in the city, he consults with Cassidy as well as a data base that he keeps of available building spaces. On occasion, he has called property owners outright, sometimes chasing down locations that are not even officially on the market yet. “If someone is looking to come to Pawtucket, I’ll get in my car and do a dog-and-pony show for them,” said Weiss.
Weiss stresses, however, that economic development doesn’t happen overnight. He notes that in many cases, it has taken up to a year to find a suitable location for an artists or business owner, and to then get to the point of a closing. “The slogan defines the type of economy that we want to grow. But it’s the hands-on approach that helps people get through the process,” he said.
One such example is the Rhode Island Antiques Mall, which occupies the former Jabbour Electronics building at 345 Fountain Street. Weiss said that owners Scott and Rae Davis, who live in Providence, began searching for space in that city. Not finding what they wanted, they eventually contacted Weiss, who lead them to their present building. However, it took about three months to close on the property and another three months of renovations before they opened their doors. “Now, they bring between 4,000 to 5,000 people a month into Pawtucket and they’re one of the largest antiques malls in New England,” Weiss stated.
Award-winning artists Gretchen Dow Simpson and Mimo Gordon Riley are also satisfied Herb Weiss customers. The two creative professionals were renting studio space on Cottage Street but then began looking into buying a building with more floor space downtown.
Weiss took them all over the city to look at sites, and the two women, plus a third partner, Ranne Warner, finally settled on a building at the corner of Grant and Montgomery streets. Acquiring the building, once a Nash car dealership and vending machine company and later a donut-maker, required some negotiating, because it wasn’t officially on the market. The partners then spent about a year renovating the space. However, Simpson and Riley both say they are completely happy with the choice. “It’s a fabulous space. Every time I come in here, I get down and thank Herb,” said Simpson, while Riley pronounces the live/work studio as “amazing.”
Modulus Furniture, which relocated to the city in November, is another Providence transplant. The owners of the company, which produces furniture for the retail and hospitality industries, had been looking for a building in Fall River and East Providence, when Weiss showed them a former printing company located on Webster Street, just off the George Bennett Industrial Highway. “Once we were approached for space in Pawtucket, Mike Cassidy and I went into a full-court press to bring them into our city,” said Weiss.
Rag and Bone Bindery, a national leader in handmade books, journals and other gift items, re-located to Pawtucket from Providence about seven years ago. Ilira Steinman, who owns the business at 1088 Main St. with her husband, Jason Thompson, credits Weiss for his “tenacious” efforts in finding them a suitable building.
Steinman said the couple had originally met with planning officials in Providence and received some information on available sites. “They were helpful, but it was not like the red carpet that got rolled out with Herb,” said Steinman, laughing. “He would call us on an almost daily basis and put us in touch with real estate agents. It was amazing.” The search paid off, leading to a 110-year-old former textile mill that Steinman said is “perfect” for the Rag and Bone Bindery.
The latest arrival is a graphic design firm called Renaissance Creative Imaging that will soon be occupying a 12,000-square-foot building at the corner of Front and Middle streets. Weiss said he spent 8 or 9 months with owner Judy Wilson before settling on the site near the Blackstone River.
“We had been looking for the last three years in Providence and Pawtucket,” said Wilson, whose company designs point-of-purchase displays, signs and graphics.  “We were renting, in a 3,000-square-foot space, and now we’re going to 12,000-square feet,” she stated.  “The property taxes are a lot less in Pawtucket, and the city is just more business-friendly,” she said, of the move.
Weiss said that the concept of an arts economy encompasses more than an individual artist, such as a sculptor, painter, or dancer. The district includes graphic designers, web site design firms, manufacturers, and other small companies that are in arts-related fields. He lists businesses such as Embolden Design, Highchair designhaus, Rag and Bone Bindery, Glad Works and Schwa Design as examples of successful small businesses in the creative sector.
Mayor James Doyle said that shortly after taking office in 1998, he began to recognize that the key to filling up the many vacant mill spaces left in the city after the demise of the textiles industry was by attracting artists. He also came to realize that artists were being priced out of their locations in Providence and Boston.
When Weiss came on board in 1999, he was instrumental in helping the concept take off, Doyle said. “Herb worked with the artists to find them the right space at the right price. After that, it was mostly a matter of him making them comfortable,” he stated. “It’s been a wonderful ride ever since,” the mayor added.
Doyle said he knows there are those who think that his administration pays too much attention to the arts. “But the bottom line is, it’s a small business. Small businesses are the backbone of this city. That’s how we’re going to survive,” he said.
Weiss agrees, saying that, slogan or no slogan, he is out and about in Pawtucket every day, trying to draw artists and small business owners to a place that is both affordable and centrally located between Boston and Providence. “You can’t rest on your laurels. And the best marketing for your community is word of mouth. You gotta’ walk your talk,” stated Weiss, smiling.