Shipping container shopping plaza coming to Taunton. When will it open?

A shipping container plaza featuring retail spaces, a brewery/distillery, and an amphitheater is being built at the former Bacon Felt Factory site in Taunton.
Joseph Holdiman, lead developer for RCSI Property, LLC in Fall River, said the project aims to revitalize the neighborhood with affordable, sustainable incubator spaces for local entrepreneurs.
The plaza is expected to open in spring 2026.

Commuters driving down the Weir waterfront area in Taunton have probably noticed heavy demolition work going on at the former Bacon Felt Factory.

In 2024, the city put out a request for proposals to redevelop the abandoned city-owned property. And the winning idea? An outdoor commercial plaza comprised entirely of repurposed shipping containers. Yes, shipping containers.

Joseph Holdiman, lead developer for Fall River-based RCSI Property LLC, said the goal of the project is to “energize the neighborhood” with new commercial opportunities and bring greater economic interest to the Weir Village. Much of the plaza, stretched across almost 4 acres, will consist of “retail incubator space featuring burgeoning entrepreneurs” growing their businesses inside these retrofitted shipping containers.

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Why shipping containers?

It’s cheap sustainable urban design that doesn’t require too much actual building or development and can be relocated easily when needed, Holdiman said.

“It’s a proven concept,” said Holdiman, pointing to examples of it found across the world.

What will shipping container shopping plaza look like?

Twenty repurposed and retrofitted shipping containers containing assorted retail businesses would comprise the heart of the plaza. Other features to be included are:

A 200-seat amphitheater for live performances
Public bathrooms inside shipping containers
A barn-like building also made of shipping containers, designed to house a brewery/distillery
Outdoor space will also include a seasonal farmers market and food trucks, said Holdiman
The plaza will have at least 50 parking spaces

Altogether, the project will cover the whole acreage of the Bacon Felt site.

What stores will open in plaza?

Holdiman, who owns a cluster of buildings at Purchase and Bedford streets in Fall River, said he couldn’t divulge the names of confirmed businesses slated to open in the plaza, or even the brewery/distillery that will operate there.

“There will be a variety of retail and food-based businesses,” he said.

Holdiman did say businesses confirmed so far include an ice cream shop, a coffee café, a jewelry store, a leather goods manufacturer, an outdoor yoga space and several men’s and women’s clothing outlets.

At least 10 of the 20 businesses in the shipping container plaza will be for Taunton-based entrepreneurs, said Holdiman.

For the retail plaza, tenants in the shipping containers will pay $800 a month, said Holdiman.

He estimated there could be as many as 50 to 75 businesses there during spring and summer months — including the retail plaza, the brewery/distillery and all the vendors in the farmers market.

How can shipping containers be converted into shopping plaza?

All the shipping containers, sized about 200 square feet each, are being acquired from ports in Boston and New York City. Each retail space will be built out with doors, windows, flooring, solar powered electrical hook-ups, and ductless mini-splits for HVAC.

Plumbing will not be provided to every shipping container as restrooms will be centralized. Only food services will have access to water connections.

In 2024, Holdiman said each build out for a shipping container would cost around $15,000. “Inflation has definitely had an effect,” said Holdiman, adding the cost per shipping container has increased by 50%, or $22,500 per container now.

“It’s somewhat disappointing, but still very feasible,” he said. In contrast, he estimated to the City Council in 2024 that the average build-out costs the first year for a brick-and-mortar store are around $50,000-$75,000.

Where else is this being done?

Shipping container malls aren’t a new concept. Examples in the U.S. include: Krate the Grove, an outdoor park of 50-plus stores and restaurants housed in shipping containers in Wesley Chapel, a town in Central Florida; the Downtown Container Park, which houses restaurants, bars, shops, and a concert venue, in Las Vegas; the Boxspot shopping center in Cleveland, Ohio; and The Churchill urban development in Phoenix, Arizona.

Internationally, they can be found in New Zealand, South Korea, Argentina, the UK and Canada, to name a few countries.