Tiger Lily Montessori School buys East Providence bridal shop for $535K

EAST PROVIDENCE – A 3,000-square-foot building on Newport Avenue, which formerly contained a dress shop, recently sold for $535,000, according to Sweeney Real Estate & Appraisal, which represented the seller.

According to the quitclaim deed, a public record of the sale, the former Wishing Well Bridal property at 331 Newport Ave. was sold by Newport Avenue Holdings LLC, managed by Michael F. Sweeney. The wedding gown and prom dress store has been closed for about five years.

The property was purchased by the Tiger Lily Montessori School, which has a business address of 400 Hope St. in Providence, according to the deed.

The school is a member of the Wildflower Schools Network, established in 2014, with independent schools and organizations providing education based on the model of Italian physician Maria Montessori.

According to the network’s website, the Tiger Lily Montessori School serves children ages 0-3. It’s the only member of the network in Rhode Island, besides another school “coming soon” to Providence called the Orchid Montessori School.

The school called the recent property acquisition “exciting,” sharing an announcement this month on Facebook stating that it plans to use the property to expand its program for children ages 3-6.

“We are currently an infant/toddler program and will add 18 new children for our 3-6 classroom,” the school said. “We are now taking applications for our new program. We also seek anyone interested in becoming a 3-6 teacher at Tiger Lily Montessori.”

The property was most recently valued by East Providence assessors in fiscal year 2023 as being worth $509,000, according to the city’s online property tax evaluation database.

Sweeney Real Estate agent Jay Kern represented the sellers in the deal, according to the firm.