GEM Festival, other events scheduled at The Shirt Factory in coming months | Local

It was announced in a news release on Thursday that the event will take place on July 9. Gates are set to open at 10 a.m. and the event will run until 10:30 p.m.

Guests under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian for the event.

The Glens Falls Entertainment & Music Festival also announced a partnership with North Country Arts to help facilitate this year’s community arts program at the event.

The release states that the main objective of NCA has always been to create outlets that serve to support, expose and promote artists from northern New York.

The festival of fine arts, which used to be held in downtown Glens Falls, shifted to The Shirt Factory last year due to COVID restrictions.

Eric Unkauf, owner of The Shirt Factory, said social distancing requirements prompted the move.

“There was no real way to do it in the format that it had been done prior. When they moved it, I know both the musicians and the artists really loved the venue,” he said.

Unkauf said that the artists reported excellent sales at last year’s event, and the musicians enjoyed playing on a bigger stage. Performing acts had previously played on smaller stages in local establishments.

He said he couldn’t believe organizers were able to squeeze the huge stage onto the lawn of The Shirt Factory.

“It is a completely different kind of atmosphere and feel for the event than actually playing on what would be considered like a professional stage by anyone,” Unkauf said. “And obviously bands are able to play to a much bigger audience.”

Foot traffic inside of The Shirt Factory increased during last year’s event, according to Unkauf.

He described it as a “fairly decent day” for the vendors in his building. Unkauf noted that he still has people who have lived in the area for decades who never knew that The Shirt Factory was at 71 Lawrence St.

“When you have any of these special events it helps to bring people out that wouldn’t normally have come to the building,” he said.

Events such as the GEM Festival bring in people from out of town as well.

Unkauf said that while it increases the foot traffic in his establishment, it also presents an opportunity to bring more business locally.

“They not only get to check out The Shirt Factory, but hopefully they see what Glens Falls looks like. Maybe they check it out after or come back another day to check out some of the other stuff going on,” he said.

The Shirt Factory is also set to host a food truck event that will benefit the South High Marathon Dance, with a tentative date of May 13 penciled in as of Friday afternoon. The dance is scheduled for the same day.

Unkauf said The Shirt Factory hosted a similar benefit for the dance last year. He described it as a scaled-back version of the Thursday Market and Food Truck Corral that is set to take place every Thursday from May 19 through Sept. 8.

“I think I’ve heard from 10 or 12 food trucks who are participating in it, so it will be a decent event,” Unkauf said of the marathon dance benefit.

Unkauf said the Thursday Market and Food Truck Corral will be welcoming some new vendors this year. The weekly event is set to run from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. each Thursday.

The Shirt Factory is also looking to book music acts during some of the Thursday Market and Food Truck Corral dates. Unkauf is still finalizing the list of acts to perform.

“Jason Irwin is the one that books all of the music for me. I know he’s getting close to booking things out, but there’s still a few loose ends here,” Unkauf said.

He is also hosting a pinewood derby on June 18 for the Boy Scouts at The Shirt Factory. Unkauf said the Boy Scouts needed a spot and he agreed.

“I’m always looking for new and interesting stuff for kids to do,” Unkauf said. “I’ve always got my eyes open for things that are of general interest that can be out here.”