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Greetings,

Excitement. Exhilaration. Inspiration. All happening at the Pajama Factory right now fueled by the ever growing list of events, classes, theater shows, exhibitions, and community gatherings.

There is so much going on these days that it’s been hard to keep Facebook and our website up-to-date! There are often last minute events—impromptu performances (emergency disco parties 1 and 2, for instance), tenants offering free classes (“How to start a website”), and so much more that we barely have time to register it all ourselves, let alone alert our ever-growing community. In addition to First Fridays and ongoing classes, the hallways buzz with events like movie nights at Way Cool Beans, “Pasties, Pencils, and Pints” live-drawing classes, stand-up comedy performances, weekly old-time music jams, portfolio reviews for students and even a “who are you?” identity writing workshop.

The first ever Williamsport Music Summit, which included a diverse mix of supporters of music from the Williamsport community, was also hosted here by one of our tenants. Notable musicians, recording studio owners, the Philharmonic director, and radio station reps all in one room sharing ideas & starting a dialogue—a pioneering event with so many possibilities!

We’ve seen a lot of activity, excitement, and energy in the last few months and are confident that it will continue and offer warmth during the cold months ahead.

We wish everyone a safe and joyful holiday season and look forward to seeing you in the New Year if not before. Thank you for your support now and into the future.

Cheers,

– Mark and Susie Winkelman

In Focus: Equinox

Equinox is the outdoor gear manufacturing that's been operating at the Pajama Factory for 30 years. They make outdoor, camping, hiking, and ultra-lite gear, apparel and equipment right here on the 3rd floor. Founded by Robbie Cross, management is now a family affair with the second generation stepping up to help.

Equinox offers a couple of very unique services worth noting. For one, they will accept a project with a very limited production run of just 50 pieces. This allows for new and specialized ideas to be tried out without risking large capital outlays required for typically much larger production runs.

They also offer a unique design and prototyping service for the entrepreneur. Their design team, led by Pajama Factory tenant Val Beggs, can help develop a product from the roughest preliminary sketch all the way through production prototypes.

If you’re at the Factory stop by Way Cool Beans where you can buy Equinox’s headbands and beanies (you can get a great cup of coffee as well). If you’re not at the Factory, check out their beautiful website or follow them on Facebook.

Building Update

Some great news! We are upgrading our Internet Service to the next generation of technology! With fiber optic broadband service, we can offer the fastest Internet connectivity available today and well into the future. Perfect for any tenant, from causal to power user—particularly tech or e-commerce companies running servers or transferring large amounts of data. The first phase is completed and we are working on the logistics for distribution and hook-ups to individual studios. The future is here, and the implementation should be finalized shortly!

Also on the building front, we say goodbye to Mark Stabley, who has been an incredible member of our community since November 2008. He’s been our handyman, construction team, facilities manager, plumber, painter, builder, snow shoveler, roof fixer, drain de-clogger, and general all-around good guy. He will be missed but we wish him all them best on his new adventure in Vermont! To help cover Mark’s numerous personas, we have hired Ron Moreland, Zach Robey, Josh Riggle, and Deb Singagliese who will be now charged with keeping the factory ‘up to snuff.’

Upcoming events

There are some great events coming in December that you won’t want to miss:

Join us on December 4th from 6pm–9pm for our 6th Annual Holiday Artisans Market—a factory wide celebration of local and regional small businesses and the arts! We open studios throughout the building and feature live music with crafts and arts for sale, exhibit openings, food and cheer. More Info

And our Farmers & Artisans Winter Market starts up again the first Saturday in December. If you stopped by last year, you know there are great food items (some that you know and love from the summer outdoor farmer’s market) as well as arts and crafts. And thankfully, you’ll stay warm and dry as you peruse the goods!

Plus, tickets will be going on sale shortly for the 3rd Annual Blues Bash on December 30th. Buy tickets early as we were filled to capacity last year and you won’t want to miss out. With three great bands from Washington DC, State College and our very own Williamsport, it’s a great night of music and dancing.

The Winkelman Clan

Ralph Wilson has been having great fun with his new tin-type camera in the Factory Works Community Darkroom. We were fortunate to have him on hand to photograph a recent visit to the factory by Mark’s family, who were in town for a beautiful Fall weekend.

The real fun was watching Ralph walk us through the entire development process and then seeing our faces emerge on the plate. Nothing like seeing how much things have changed in the world of photography! Check out the website for the Factory Works Community Darkroom or follow them on Facebook.

In Closing …

Look to the sky; the possibilities are endless!

Wishing everyone a wonderful 2016.

– Mark and Susie Winkelman