An open house – or open village, really – that sought to showcase properties available for sale or for lease by small businesses in the main drag of Conimicut Village held at the end of October has resulted in a slurry of interest from local business owners who may hopefully set up shop in Warwick soon.

The Conimicut Business Open House was the brain child of Meg Mut, a Century 21 realtor with a property for sale in the village, who decided to turn her one client into an opportunity to try and revitalize the entire village. With some help from the Conimicut Village Association and Central Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce, the event wound up a success. Mut said on Monday that as many as 45 people came out, despite some nasty weather, to participate in the event.

Out of that gathering, Mut reported that four separate business endeavors expressed interest in scheduling follow up visits for open spaces within the village, including a vegan bakery, a photography studio, a yoga studio and a coffee shop/food truck venture. One additional space Mut hopes could become the future home of a larger scale operation, such as a craft brewery.

Mut is hopeful that by the end of the week, there could be some definitive movement from those prospective suitors. But her efforts don’t stop with this one event.

She said on Monday she was already planning the next open house event, this time for the holiday season, that will open up the remaining available parcels to local artisans and vendors to set up shop and sell various wares during the end of the holiday shopping rush, providing another opportunity to sell the vacant properties and inject new life into the village.

She envisions a type of pop-up marketplace, which would occur Friday, Dec. 20 from 4-8 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 21 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. where people can come through and shop, and prospective business owners can check out the spaces. Booths to sell merchandise can be reserved for $100, and are first come first serve. Those interested should contact Meg Mut at 609-598-2232 or by email at MegMutRealtor@gmail.com.

“People can come and do their last-minute holiday shopping, maybe we’ll have some carolers and Santa for people to take pictures,” Mut said.