In Focus: 100 Tenants! The Pajama Factory has reached a milestone; a lease for our 100th tenant was signed at the end of January! About 125,000 square feet, a little over 40% of the Pajama Factory complex, is currently occupied. Half of the available spaces are rented as artists’ studios and personal hobby spaces and – although they make up half of our tenants – these artists surprisingly only occupy about 20% of the leased space. The vast majority of our space is rented by almost 50 small businesses. This eclectic group of creative and interesting individuals and couples includes: an artisanal pasta maker (#100!), metal smith, pastry chef, ballet school, machinist, software company, commercial photographers, business writer, recording studio — the list goes on and on! A huge congratulations to all the small businesses that have chosen the Pajama Factory as their headquarters. We wish them nothing but success in their endeavors and hope that they will continue to contribute to our community for many years to come. |
Greetings, With the snow of the past few weeks winter has arrived in full force. But inspired by the Pajama Factory slogan – ‘Dream it. See it. Do it’ – we dream of sunny days and warmer weather in the not too distant future. Our slogan inspires optimism, creativity, and possibilities in us all. At the Pajama Factory we see all of these in action in the many start-ups and small businesses that come here to get on their feet. As we celebrate our 100th tenant we would like to dedicate this newsletter to small businesses, new businesses, and those willing to travel from afar to be a part of our community, our dream. After all, these businesses not only ‘dreamed it’, but are working everyday to ‘do it’ as well. On our front, we are continuing to ‘do’ what we can to grow the Pajama Factory community and, as always, thank all of you for your ongoing interest in, and support of, these efforts. – Mark and Susie Winkelman P.S. Don’t forget to follow the Pajama Factory on Instagram |
Wanted: Craft Whiskey Distiller
As our tenant mix develops and we get to know Williamsport better we are able to identify possible business opportunities here at the Pajama Factory. We think the time is right to bring craft distilling back to Williamsport!
In April 2011 the PA State Legislators passed a law allowing distillers who produce less than 35,000 gallons of spirits a year to open up shop setting off a rush much like the craft beer movement of a decade or so ago. But this is all brand new — the American Distillers Institute has just six Pennsylvania distillers listed in their database.
It wasn’t always this way. In colonial America, Pennsylvania not Kentucky, was the center of whiskey production. Pennsylvania was home to as many as 25% of the country’s estimated 14,000 stills. Whiskey, being easier to carry over the Allegany Mountains than raw grain proved to be an effective barter currency. The newly formed federal government had passed an excise tax on this whiskey production. In 1794, this was just too much for the western Pennsylvania farmers to bear and when they rose up in arms the Whiskey Rebellion was born. President George Washington then raised an army bigger than the one he commanded to defeat the British in the War of Independence to assert federal power and put down the rebellion.
That history not withstanding we think that now is the time to bring craft whiskey production to Williamsport. We have a great location in mind at the Pajama Factory. If you or someone you know is interested please email Mark for more details.
Residences
The Pajama Factory is beginning to attract more and more tenants from outside of the Williamsport area. Just recently, a Philadelphian couple (a couture jewelry designer and a website designer for art museums) is overseeing the renovation of a residential loft tailored to their needs. It will be the second residence for ‘outsiders’ at the Factory. They were drawn to Williamsport for its vibrant music scene and art community and it’s lower cost of living. They appreciate all the conveniences of a small city that Williamsport offers, including its eclectic collection of restaurants and pubs, the Community Arts Center, and of course, the Pajama Factory.
We can’t wait until they move in!
2015 Pajama Factory Artist-In-Residence (AIR) Program
The Pajama Factory, in partnership with Factory Works, and the Lycoming Arts Alliance, is hosting our 5th annual summer residency program. The residency program brings artists from all over the world to Williamsport. Indeed, we just received an application from a Thai artist currently based in Switzerland!
Please spread the word about this great program! Contact us if you would like to get involved; volunteers are needed to help welcome the residents to Williamsport. You can follow developments on Facebook and applications can be made online here.
In Closing … With Winter, the coming of Spring can’t be too far behind!
A wonderful portent of Spring at Way Cool Beans at the Pajama Factory
– Mark and Susie Winkelman