Today the Shirt Factory is an on-going evolution. The building as you see it today is not the result of a magical, over night transformation, it has been a slow, gradual process. The path to where we are now was not mapped out ahead, nor is our future, we are open to adapting to the world, being directed by passion and following dreams.
It all began in 1996 when the current owner visited the property for an auction and fell in love. He began work to preserve the building, which had begun to show signs of neglect and abandonment.
It would be three years before his purchase of the property was finalized. His intention at that time was to move his machine shop here. Once he began advertising space for rent, the responses were not primarily industrial, as he had imagined, but local artists.
Attracted by the natural light and inexpensive rent, artists of all kinds began began pouring in, bringing with them ideas, passion, and energy.
The building was divided up piecemeal according the needs of those early tenants. This piecemeal approach created a maze here that can be equally frustrating and exciting!
Early tenants requested large open spaces. A few of these studios remain today, but the recent demand has been for smaller spaces. In response, many of those large spaces have been broken into smaller studios.
Today the building features 77 unique studios, home to more than 100 different individuals. With so many people in one location, the building offers a wide range of opportunities for visitors!
Next door in The Shirt Factory Annex (on Curran Lane), you will also find a distiller, used record shop, Rockhill Bake House and Dakine Cuisine.
Read what others are saying
One woman’s recollections of working at The McMullen-Leaven’s Factory:
Seamstress reflects on 80-year career, where she rubbed elbows with stars, The Post-Star, December 2014
About this old factory’s transformation and it’s role in the community:
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- Another rodeo for food truck corral, The Post-Star, August 2017
- BLOG: Food truck ‘corral’ was a fun night, The Post-Star, August 2017
- Shirt Factory to hold musical carnival and sideshow Saturday, The Post-Star, July 2017
- With focus on food, corral is a hit, The Post-Star, July 2017
- Food Truck Corral expanding, The Post-Star, July 2017
- Shirt Factory to hold second ‘Food Truck Corral’, The Post-Star, July 2017
- Arts Trail plan moves forward, The Post-Star, February 2017
- Unkauf reflects on entrepreneurial spirit, The Post-Star, February 2017
- Glens Falls artisan saves church windows, The Post-Star, December 2016
- Building a Wee Lassie canoe with the Adirondack Folk School, The Post-Star, December 2016
- Huskie wins People’s Choice award, The Post-Star, November 2016
- As holidays approach, Shirt Factory comes alive, The Post-Star, November 2016
- Boosting tourism is a goal of Arts Trail, The Post-Star, August 2016
- Police dogs will visit Shirt Factory, The Post-Star, June 2016
- Shirt Factory holding open house, The Post-Star, April 2016
- Small business is big business, The Post-Star, November 2015
- EDITORIAL: Arts are a great avenue for local economic development, The Post-Star, August 2015
- Building owner brings history back to Shirt Factory, The Post-Star, March 2015
- Art Group seeks grant for arts district, The Post-Star, January 2015
- Small Business Saturday means big bucks for some, The Post-Star, November 2014
- Life inside The Shirt Factory, The Post-Star, September 2014
- Artist step into the sunlight to help homeless shelter, The Post-Star, August 2014
- A Visit to The Shirt Factory, The Post-Star, January 2014
- Keeping it Local, The Post-Star, November 2013
- Shoppers flock to support local businesses in the region for Small Business Saturday, The Post-Star, November 2013
- Hyde Collection generated $2.3 million for Warren County economy in one year, The Post-Star, November 2013
- Glens Falls Journal: Historic Adirondack Mill Town Brings New Life to Downtown, Travel Writers Magazine, April 2013
- Explore the Shirt Factory in Glens Falls, NY, Albany Kid, December 2013
- Growing creativity: Shirt Factory adds new businesses, The Post-Star, November 2012
- 16 artists awarded at annual Mohawk-Hudson Regional, The Times Union, October 2012
- Glens Falls, N.Y.: ‘Small-Town Feel, Big-Town Style’, NPR: Destination Art, August 2012
- Get Local: LocalFest comes to The Shirt Factory in Glens Falls, The Free George, August 2012
- Shirt Factory adds new welcome area, The Post-Star, January 2013
- The Shirt Factory, Your News Now, March 2011
- Open House showcases Shirt Factory’s growth, The Post-Star, November 2010
- Former factory, arts hotbed, The Chronicle’s Glens Falls Visitors Guide, 2010
- Glens Falls factory finds new life as artisan haven, The Post-Star, July 2010
- A lot happening at Troy Shirt Factory, The Post-Star, July 2010
- Making the engines go, The Post-Star, January 2006
- A Year of Growth, The Post-Star, December 2002
- A Stitch in Time, The Post-Star, October 2002
- Art as a business, The Post-Star, June 2002
- Crew of artists draws hundreds to old factory, The Post-Star, February 2002
- Artists show off factory’s metamorphosis into studios, The Post-Star, December 2001