Old Mill Hub spreads its wings with new Phoenix Gallery, providing unique space for local art

By Sam Odrowski

A building in Orangeville that was devastated by a fire in the summer of 2022 has risen from the ashes. 

The Old Mill Hub (28 Mill St.), formerly known as the Mill Street Mall, is in the process of converting its north hall into the Phoenix Gallery, featuring work from local artists.

“The reason we're doing the Phoenix Gallery is because after the big fire and the devastation that we had, what I really want to do is bring the arts back, and rise from the ashes,” said Marshal Bobechko, Chief Property Manager of the Old Mill Hub. 

“We had five people lose their homes, we had 19 businesses displaced, and at the end of the day, I decided to not allow a tragedy to define us. But instead, build upon that destruction and create something more beautiful than it ever was before. That's the goal.”

By the end of the year, he said he's hoping to complete the Phoenix Gallery with chocolate brown walls, vines, plants, and an earthy feel to surround the art hung there.

“It's going to look like you're walking into a forest with art everywhere,” said Bobechko. “That's the vision I have in my head.”

It's completely free for artists to be featured in the Phoenix Gallery – the only requirement is that they are local.

The gallery will also feature the building's history, highlighting the beginning of its story in 2021 when it opened the Elspeth Art Gallery and was later rebranded from the Mill Street Mall to the Old Mill Hub. Its evolution over the years, the fire, and its comeback will also be shared.  

“I'm really hoping that this will help heal the community after that travesty, especially the people that lost their homes and their pets in the fire, knowing that we didn't just leave it as a scar, but we made it something beautiful out of it,” Bobechko remarked.

Before the 2022 fire, the Old Mill Hub was home to nearly 20 businesses. Since reopening at the start of the year, it has brought in several new and former businesses from a variety of industries. The businesses that now make up the hub include a pharmacy, crystal store, art studio, Jamaican cafe, denture clinic, and electronics repair store, among a few others.

Several newly renovated units located along the north hall, adjacent to the Phoenix Gallery, recently became available for lease.

The footprint of the building is a bit smaller than before the fire, but the parking lot has been expanded, and there are future plans to beautify a plot of land adjacent to the hub. 

Bobechko plans to further freshen up the Old Mill Hub with an uplift at the front of the building.

While there are limited spots for art in the Phoenix Gallery, any local artists interested in having their work featured can reach out to Bobechko by email at marshalofthemill@gmail.com. That same email can be contacted for any business owners looking to take over one of the recently renovated units in the hub's north hall. 

“If you're a local business and you want to thrive, come see Marshal,” he said with a smile.