The coffee machines are gone, but there's something new drawing people into a former Starbucks in Somerville's Davis Square.

The storefront at 260 Elm Street has become Diamond Factory, a temporary art gallery featuring local artists, exhibitions, and community activities.

Instead of sitting empty, the former coffee shop has found an unexpected second life.

The gallery welcomed visitors during October's HONK! Festival weekend and celebrated its official opening with a ribbon cutting on October 17.

It's an imaginative solution to a familiar problem: What happens when a prominent storefront sits vacant, while local artists struggle to find affordable places to show their work?

Turning an Empty Storefront Into Something New

The idea came from Susan Berstler, a longtime Somerville arts organizer associated with the Nave Gallery.

Berstler worked with the city's Arts & Culture Division to transform the empty commercial space into a gallery operated with volunteer support.

The goal is to give artists room to exhibit their work while bringing more activity into Davis Square.

According to the City of Somerville's announcement, Diamond Factory is part of a broader effort to make unused spaces available for creative projects.

For artists, space can be expensive and difficult to secure. For neighborhoods, vacant storefronts can leave busy streets feeling less inviting.

Diamond Factory offers a temporary answer to both challenges.

Art Created Under Pressure

There's a story behind the gallery's unusual name.

Diamond Factory takes its inspiration from We Create Diamonds, an earlier exhibition at Somerville's Nave Gallery.

The idea explores how artists respond to difficult circumstances and create meaningful work, while also examining the complicated history of the diamond industry.

The opening exhibition, Diamond Factory I, features work by ten artists, including Resa Blatman, Andrew Fish, Sharon Lacey, Greer Muldowney, and Michael Talbot.

Their work brings contemporary art into a setting that's different from a traditional museum or established gallery.

Residents browsing Davis Square can now encounter an exhibition where they once might have stopped for coffee.

Additional background on the project and its beginnings is available through the Cambridge and Somerville Independent's coverage.

More Than an Art Exhibition

Diamond Factory is also part of Somerville's efforts to support artists through temporary and shared spaces.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the city helped turn another empty storefront at Assembly Row into a temporary dance space.

That experience contributed to SomArt, a program offering affordable places for artists and creative organizations to rehearse, collaborate, and present their work.

Diamond Factory builds on that approach by bringing art into an everyday neighborhood setting.

The gallery is also developing programming beyond exhibitions, including poetry readings and live music.

It's a chance for visitors to discover local creative talent while supporting a different use for an otherwise empty commercial property.

Planning a Visit

Diamond Factory is located at 260 Elm Street in Davis Square, Somerville.

The gallery is expected to operate for approximately three to four months, although an exact closing date has not been announced.

One upcoming program is Free Music Thursdays with Adam Sherman, scheduled for October 29 from 4 to 8 p.m.

Visitors can check the Diamond Factory events calendar for exhibition information and upcoming activities. General visiting hours have not yet been confirmed, so it's worth checking before making a special trip.

For Somerville, the gallery represents a creative way to put an empty storefront back to work.

And for anyone looking for something different to explore nearby, it's a reminder that interesting things can happen when a familiar space gets an entirely new purpose.