This summer, North End Studios will start to transition into new digs at the O'Brien Community Center in Winooski. By June 2022, the Old North End institution plans to shift the majority of operations from its current headquarters at 294 North Winooski Avenue to the Onion City, per an agreement with Hinsdale Properties, which owns the Burlington building. North End Studios plans to lease a number of unoccupied spaces in the O'Brien Center, including the former teen center, the community room, three studios and a meeting room. In total, proprietors Ben Bergstein and April Werner are looking at approximately 5,000 square feet — about 200 square feet more than their North Winooski Avenue accommodations. For the past 26 years, Bergstein and Werner, partners in business and in life, have produced the Vermont International Festival, held annually at the Champlain Valley Exposition. They also maintain North End Studio's jam-packed roster of performances, events, and fitness and dance classes, which run the gamut from folk to pole. With the recent arrival of Little Morocco Café and Knead Bakery, the former Fassetts Bakery building has become a mini food hub. As previously reported in Seven Days, property manager Jacob Hinsdale opted not to renew North End Studio's lease in order to accommodate more food-and-drink establishments. Bergstein said that Hinsdale has indicated an interest in potentially converting the rear of the building into a brewery. Hinsdale could not be reached for comment. Though an arrangement is not yet official, Bergstein and Werner hope to continue limited use of North End Studio A, their main music and performance space, even after their lease is up. In its Winooski quarters, North End Studios will continue to offer rental space for events, performances and classes. As they've done in the ONE, Bergstein and Werner want to make the O'Brien Center a welcoming space for the area's New American community to hold family gatherings and celebrations. "We're expanding in part to help our refugee and immigrant families meet their social and community needs," said Werner. Over the years, Bergstein said, they've learned that the best way to accomplish that goal is to meet folks where they are, which occasionally means having a staff member (often Bergstein, a professed night owl) on-site for a party that doesn't wrap up until sunrise. "For people whose family members are traveling from far and wide, or whose loved ones work second…
This summer, North End Studios will start to transition into new digs at the O'Brien Community Center in Winooski. By June 2022, the Old North End institution plans to shift the majority of operations from its current headquarters at 294 North Winooski Avenue to the Onion City, per an agreement with Hinsdale Properties, which owns the Burlington building. North End Studios plans to lease a number of unoccupied spaces in the O'Brien Center, including the former teen center, the community room, three studios and a meeting room. In total, proprietors Ben Bergstein and April Werner are looking at approximately 5,000 square feet — about 200 square feet more than their North Winooski Avenue accommodations. For the past 26 years, Bergstein and Werner, partners in business and in life, have produced the Vermont International Festival, held annually at the Champlain Valley Exposition. They also maintain North End Studio's jam-packed roster of performances, events, and fitness and dance classes, which run the gamut from folk to pole. With the recent arrival of Little Morocco Café and Knead Bakery, the former Fassetts Bakery building has become a mini food hub. As previously reported in Seven Days, property manager Jacob Hinsdale opted not to renew North End Studio's lease in order to accommodate more food-and-drink establishments. Bergstein said that Hinsdale has indicated an interest in potentially converting the rear of the building into a brewery. Hinsdale could not be reached for comment. Though an arrangement is not yet official, Bergstein and Werner hope to continue limited use of North End Studio A, their main music and performance space, even after their lease is up. In its Winooski quarters, North End Studios will continue to offer rental space for events, performances and classes. As they've done in the ONE, Bergstein and Werner want to make the O'Brien Center a welcoming space for the area's New American community to hold family gatherings and celebrations. "We're expanding in part to help our refugee and immigrant families meet their social and community needs," said Werner. Over the years, Bergstein said, they've learned that the best way to accomplish that goal is to meet folks where they are, which occasionally means having a staff member (often Bergstein, a professed night owl) on-site for a party that doesn't wrap up until sunrise. "For people whose family members are traveling from far and wide, or whose loved ones work second…