Behind the bricks and mortar of the Glens Falls Shirt Factory

There's a lot going on in The Shirt Factory at the corner of Cooper and Lawrence streets in Glens Falls. There's fine artwork, clothing, salt lamps, tea, used books, food, knitting, pottery and acupuncture. There's creativity, but most importantly, there's life. It's a life that grew organically, directed not by design or plan, but by word of mouth and need, and the desire of an unrelated collection of artists to find a place to call home. When Eric Unkauf purchased the building, a 60,000-square-foot brick monster with a messy financial past, he had intentions of turning it into a machine shop. "In 1996, Glens Falls was at the bottom, the downtown had cratered," said Unkauf, noting real estate had tanked. "It was not for free, but it was cheap," he said. Through a three-year arduous and confusing mass of red tape with the U.S. Small Business Administration, who owned the property at the time, Unkauf finally secured ownership for about $36,000, though legal fees and taxes bumped that up to about $250,000. While attorneys and the federal government attempted to untangle the history that left the structure with a million dollars in debt, Unkauf was allowed to operate the building as if it was already his. He did the necessary repairs to get the building operational, with fingers crossed he wasn't sinking money into a property that he would never own. Interestingly, said Unkauf, when the SBA refused to allow the property to be sold for under the million owed on it, another parcel of land, Unkauf believes is in Washington County, was luckily part of the package. The debt was transferred to that piece, separate of his sale. "So, I guess there's a trailer in Hebron somewhere that the government owns worth a million dollars," he joked. A successful business growing as a result of a devastating time in Glens Falls, and later, a years-long battle for ownership, is a 'history repeating itself' moment, the first starting in 1902. From the ashes The Joseph Fowler Shirt and Collar Company, established in the 1890s by brothers Joseph and Charles Fowler, along with several other business along Glen Street were devastated by a fire April 23, 1902. Newspaper reports from the time estimated losses to be in excess of $500,000 with at least 700 left unemployed from the Fowler Company alone. Joseph had died three year prior, leaving Charles as company president, with James Robert "J.R." McMullen as vice-president and Walter Leavens as secretary. McMullen had been representing the company's New York City division and met the adversity with optimism. He paired with Leavens, striking a deal with Charles to take the shirt side of the business, while Charles retained ownership of the collar-making portion, and the McMullen Leavens Shirt Factory was born. Both companies rebuilt with insurance money, reportedly one aspect that saved Glens Falls from utter collapse. Growth of an industry In 1936, McMullen and Leavens seized an opportunity to expand into the dressmaking business. Still using their trademark shamrock logo, inspired by one found when they scouted the Lawrence Street property before deciding to build there. They designed their own patterns and continued to use skilled workers and fine attention to details. They advertised just twice a year, in Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, with their impeccable reputation speaking far louder. They secured quality fabrics from England and Ireland and would buy an entire collection from a company, making certain other dressmakers could not duplicate their work. In 1939, McMullen purchased the "Troy Shirt Makers Guild" label for $1, using the label to distinguish the shirt manufacturing from the dress manufacturing business. Both continued to operate out of the same location. Transition In 1946, McMullen died unexpectedly without a will, placing the company in a precarious situation. Without McMullen at the helm and little direction left for staff, paperwork and tasks such as ordering were handled without his expertise. Stockpiles of unnecessary materials were ordered. McMullen had not paid himself wages, though it was discovered he extended loans to himself from the company. The matter was messy and required the heirs to pay taxes on the estate, all while trying to keep the company running. More than two years later the estate was settled, with one group of heirs taking over dressmaking, the other shirt making. Again, both companies operated from the same location. Beginning of the end Though the estate had paperwork woes, the company continued to prosper as their designer, Dorothy Cox came to be recognized for her craft. There was, however, a great deal of friction between Cox and McMullen's heirs and in 1952 Dorothy left the company. By 1955, dress sales at McMullen had slumped to levels not seen before. In 1956, the family was forced to sell the McMullen dress business. Significant changes were made by the new owner, Nathan Sheinman, including moving their New York City location and shifting the company offices to their new location in the city. In 1976, the McMullen label was sold again, and dress production in Glens Falls came to a halt as it was sent overseas. In 1992, the Troy Shirtmakers Guild was sold during bankruptcy proceedings. At that time there were 200 employees in Glens Falls. A year later, the label was purchased by the Tennessee- based Tom James Co. who, less than three years later, announced that it would be closing the Glens Falls factory and laying off the remaining 110 employees. The debt from that bankruptcy was the tangle Unkauf encountered. New life About a year into his ownership, Unkauf said, people started coming in and asking about space. The building was originally built with electricity, but the set up was to allow work to be done by daylight. Those massive windows still allow for maximum natural light and are a dream for the artists. The first year saw about 20 tenants. Today, the number is approaching 100 artists in house. Though the large spaces are frequently converted to smaller areas to meet the needs of those that rent the spaces, there's evidence of what lived there for nearly 100 years. An occasional pin will spring loose from the floorboard when sweeping. There's worn foot prints in some spots, where workers likely stood for hours on end. "It really was a time capsule when I bought it," said Unkauf. "If it wasn't a finished garment, it didn't leave," he said. In the lower levels, old sewing machines were piled high. Unkauf found the original request for building plans in a file cabinet. "Everything they ever had was in here. They never threw anything out," he said. Had he known the history and the community's connection to it, he may have salvaged more items. Instead, most went to auction, he said. In keeping the history alive, he's placed panels from an exhibit completed by the Chapman Historical Museum. He's also started collecting old McMullen dresses which are slowly being added to the collection lining the hallways of the building. This summer marks 40 years since the dress making ceased. In conjunction with the Warren County Historical and Chapman Historical Museum, Unkauf said another effort is underway to retain as much history and memories of the company's existence. Those who have personal memories to recall, or stories from friends or relatives that may have worked at the factory should contact the Warren County Historical Society at 743-0734 or Chapman Museum at 793-2826. "They shouldn't worry if they think it's mundane," said Unkauf of the stories. "There's always things that people think weren't worth writing down, but those things can be pretty interesting. That's the kind of stuff that's going to get lost if we don't make an effort to save it."

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Behind the bricks and mortar of the Glens Falls Shirt Factory

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