Artists and vendors in 100,000 square feet

GLENS FALLS — More than 25 years ago, Eric Unkauf toured an abandoned three-story brick building with a plan to buy it at auction, move his machine shop there and help pay for renovations and the mortgage by leasing space to other industrial tenants.

Instead, artists, craftspeople and other makers clamored for the spaces. Today, the Shirt Factory complex, named in honor of its nearly century-long history in the garment business, is home to about 90 small businesses, from shops for used books and antiques and records to jewelry and soap makers, ceramicists, weavers, galleries and all manner of artists and artisans. Among its roles is as a business incubator, providing a less expensive option than a standalone building. Artist and collector Jeremy Iaquinto, for instance, was able to spin a lifetime of treasure-hunting at garage and yard sales into Barn & Brick Co., which offers interior designers and do-it-yourself decorators a source for interesting home goods. Iaquinto turned a windowed door into a hallway coat rack with bench and a birdhouse into a holder for boxed wine. 

The Shirt Factory Annex next door has tenants including Rock Hill Bakehouse and its cafe, Glens Falls Distillery, a bike rescue and the headquarters of Dakine Cuisine, the veteran area chef David Britton’s line of condiments. On what is now a 5-acre campus in the city’s East End neighborhood, a third building is being renovated for additional rental studios and workshop space, bringing the total size to almost 100,000 square feet, according to Unkauf. Two other buildings are the long-term home of a social-services nonprofit, the Warren-Hamilton Counties Community Action Agency. The complex is also in the middle of creating a “muralgarten,” with 10 murals so far on buildings’ walls and other exterior surfaces. Another 10 are expected to be painted next year, Unkauf said. 

The Shirt Factory has about 20 retail operations with regular hours, and other vendors are open occasionally or by appointment. That changes during seasonal open house events, the biggest of which are for holiday shoppers. Scheduled this year for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Nov. 24 to 26 and Dec. 9 and 10, the holiday open houses will feature offerings from many of the shops and studios as well as 40 to 50 guest vendors. Unkauf said open house crowds typically number 3,000 to 4,000 per weekend.

“It’s a constant evolution,” Enkauf said, echoing language on the Shirt Factory website, where he wrote, “The building as you see it today is not the result of a magical, overnight transformation. … The path to where we are now was not mapped out ahead. … The same is true of our future. We have some ideas, as we continue adapting to the world, while being directed by passion and following dreams.”