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Thayer Street in Providence, Rhode Island is a popular destination for students of the area's colleges and schools, including Brown University, RISD, Providence College,and Johnson and Wales University, Moses Brown School, & The Wheeler School.
It is located in the College Hill neighborhood on the East Side of Providence. Brown's graduate housing and some classroom buildings are on Thayer street. Similar to Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, California Thayer Street hosts independent shops and restaurants that serve as a communal center for students and local hipsters. While Harvard Square has long been controlled by chain restaurants and stores, many businesses on Thayer remain independent, such as Avon Cinema, with certain notable exceptions such as Johnny Rockets, Starbucks, Au Bon Pain, and Urban Outfitters. Up until late 2004, The Gap also had a location on Thayer Street, though it has subsequently closed. The east-coast sportswear retailer City Sports has since taken over its spot. Currently, a Chipotle Mexican Grill is planned for the corner of Thayer St. Euclid Ave. Thayer Street landmark In Your Ear (Boston-based music store), a place that dealt mostly in compact discs and movies, has recently moved out of the area. After remaining empty for over a year, this location became the new home of independent-business The Spot On Thayer, a center for collaboration, seminars, classes, and display space for artists of all types. Local residents Keven Blanchette and Nicholas Cardi III are the creators of this community-based organization. Over the last several years, there has been a general increase in the proportion of Thayer St. businesses that serve food. Neighborhood residents and some other community members argue that landlords should try to lease space to retail stores instead of new restaurants. This preference is due in part to the limited parking currently available on College Hill. City zoning regulations require far fewer off-street parking spaces for retail businesses than for restaurants. Neighbors also complain of a noise late at night and the College Hill Neighborhood Association, an organization representing College Hill residents, generally fights against applications for liquor licenses on Thayer St.
