HONESDALE, Pa. -- There's a lot taking shape inside the former Katz Underwear factory in Honesdale. Workers have been busy retrofitting the century-old building into spaces for rent, including 6th & River, an event venue that will specialize in weddings.
"We're hoping to get it up as soon as possible. The season is upon us and things start to move. It'd be great to start booking events," said Katharine Brown, 6th & River.
Brown already has Fox Hill Farm, a wedding venue near downtown and is excited to transform this space, complete with a view overlooking the Lackawaxen River, into something special.
"It's an old brick building. The history of the building is beautiful."
Brown is working with the former factory's owner Rudy Schemitz who decided after moving his business to a bigger location three years ago to give places like Quality Printing and Design and others a place to call home.
"People are now going to make more memories, good memories into this building. It keeps the life of this building going," Schemitz said.
There's a lot going on at the former Katz Underwear factory in Honesdale. What once was one business is now divvied up into 10 businesses total, including a laser tag business and an art studio.
"You think of that building, when it was empty, would sit there and deteriorate," said Jim Batten
Not only does Batten live across the street from the former Katz factory, he worked there for decades and now goes to physical therapy there.
"The building is being renovated with new windows and save the inside to its original contents. It just makes you happy," said Batten.
Katz Underwear closed in the 1990s. It sat empty until the current owner bought it, ran his woodworking business there, and now the building should be filled up sometime later this year.