Some changes are being made at the Box Factory for the Arts in St. Joseph as it struggles to overcome funding challenges. Box Factory Board President Judy Sokolowski tells WSJM News after an emergency meeting of the board on December 3, the attraction is switching to winter hours and laying off its staff. As of January 1, the Box Factory’s two full-time and one part-time employees will be laid off, and the hours will change to noon through 4 p.m. on Tuesdays through Saturdays. The Box Factory will be closed on Sundays and Mondays. Businesses with offices inside, however, will continue to have 24/7 access. Sokolowski says the loss of a tenant on the top floor and building expenses have eaten into the Box Factory’s savings. Meanwhile, they continue to raise funds to match a grant and a donation. One is a challenge grant from the Gast family of $15,000, and the other is a $25,000 donation from the Frederick S. Upton Foundation. Anyone who wants to help can go to the Box Factory for the Arts website. Also, businesses looking to rent that available space can call.
