“Rebuild it and they will come . . . to Ballston Spa”

The following multi-tiered feature by Ann Hauprich kicks off a series celebrating the indomitable Spirit of Ballston Spa: Past & Present. This inspiring saga of a red brick complex dating back to the mid-1800s is but one example of how visionary villagers have in recent decades been painstakingly restoring jewels in Ballston Spa’s crown to their original architectural splendor—though not always to their original missions. Future installments will shine the spotlight on even older landmarks whose crowns had been tarnished and nicked prior to being meticulously refurbished by those who spearheaded the community’s Renaissance, commencing in the 1970s. Forthcoming subjects will include the historic Brookside property, which began life as a resort in 1792, and the Medbery, which welcomed its first guests in the early 1800s.

One of the saddest sites to behold when my family moved to Ballston Spa near the end of 1968 was a sprawling red brick complex at the corner of Prospect Street and Milton Avenue known to villagers as The Old Chocolate Factory.

Smashed windows and boarded up doorways seemed to plead for a wrecker’s ball to come along and put the shabby structure out of its misery. The notion that the once grand historic landmark might one day be restored to its former glory was simply too far-fetched to ponder.

Fast forward half a century and behold The NEW Old Chocolate Factory.

Inside the 68,000 square foot complex are posh professional offices, a Prohibition-style speakeasy and The Factory Eatery & Spirits — which blends the charm of the past with the taste of today. Quite literally topping all of this off are spacious upscale penthouse suites with panoramic views.

Since becoming co-owners of the property in the 1990s, Mary and Jerry DeFilippo accomplished far more than meticulously refurbishing the landmark, making it a bona fide jewel in Ballston Spa’s crown. The couple also raised a pair of extraordinary now adult offspring, Cara and Michael – something those who knew Jerry in his youth might have needlessly fretted about on occasion. The reason: When he was a lad, Jerry’s mother used to admonish him for throwing rocks that shattered windows of the then abandoned complex. “Someday you’ll have to pay to get them repaired,” she would scold.

Never could the youth with the strong pitching arm have imagined that he would one day take enormous pride in replacing not only the windows he personally had broken, but also scores of others on the creekside property. As of Ballston Spa’s 2007 Bicentennial celebrations, Jerry (a BSHS Class of 1971 alum) had overseen the replacement of 188 windows and he was relieved that there were no more broken panes in sight!

Like the hometown hero portrayed by Jimmy Stewart in “A Wonderful Life”, Jerry wisely left most of the window dressing decisions up to his wife Mary whom he praises as an exceptional businesswoman and as an outstanding mother. Cara and Michael have proven to be industrious and personable team players both at the Chocolate Factory and at a second seasonal business on the opposite side of Route 50 called JJ’s Snack Bar.

During a guided tour of the destination one starry evening a few years prior to the 2020 pandemic, Mary – who hails from South Glens Falls — proved to be not only an incredibly gracious hostess, but also amazingly knowledgeable about all aspects of the factory.

Indeed, Jerry awards Mary much of the credit for having the vision behind the factory restorations. “One of her favorite phrases when people thought the factory should be torn down was ‘Build it – or in this case, rebuild it — and they will come.’ No matter how tough things sometimes got, Mary never lost sight of the vision we shared early on with our partner, Dr. Leonard Gelman. All three of us strongly believed that if we stayed the course, the landmark would become more than just a spruced up old factory. We were confident that this old place had the potential to attract businesses and professionals as well as visitors to the village.”

In the course of the pre-coronavirus tour, which began at the entrance to The Factory Eatery with a view of a welcoming outdoor courtyard where live music was being performed, Mary noted the two-foot thickness of the walls in the historic complex where her office occupied part of the basement that was used as a bomb shelter after World War Two.

While cordial wait staff brought trays to those seated at tables in the dining establishment that is co-managed by Greg Thomas, Mary greeted many customers by name. Tempting aromas emanated from the kitchen where everything from Old World recipes for full-course meals to lighter New Millennium dishes were being prepared. Little wonder The Factory quickly won accolades as a destination where one could meet business associates or gather with friends and relations knowing the atmosphere would charm and delight companions!

Other attractions that helped make the revitalized complex popular with villagers and visitors alike: a 40-foot bar of solid oak and brass with archival images of village streetscapes and a Prohibition-style speakeasy. Getting there became half the fun after $130,000 was invested in a modern elevator to replace the old-fashioned pull-chain device that was in place when she first set foot on the premises. “In those days, the upstairs belonged to the pigeons,” Mary smiled, adding those so inclined could easily have “gone skating around on the upper level because the ice froze below where the roof leaked.”

Pointing to stairs where pigeons also used to roost, Mary explained that those willing to scale a ladder (I passed!), could see a 1,600-pound liberty bell in the fourth-floor clock tower. Heavy chains were discovered in a box when she and Jerry first visited this part of the complex.

Other glimpses into the past include woodwork crafted from solid mahogany and solid oak, an antique payroll window, and more . . . which leads us to the way things were before The Old Chocolate Factory became The NEW Old Chocolate Factory.

For starters, the structure that now houses not only a bar and a restaurant, but also a broad assortment of spacious suites for businesses and professionals, did NOT begin life as a chocolate factory.

Long before chocolate came to the site in the early 1900s, the property along the banks of the power-generating Kayaderosseras Creek was a prosperous mill site. Records show it was around 1844 that the Ballston Mill Company established the Union Cotton Mill, now the site of the clock tower, and around 1850 that the Ballston Mill Company built a woolen-knitting mill west of the Union Cotton Mill. The latter ultimately became George West’s paper factory.

It’s understandable that newcomers become confused about whether credit for the factory’s fame should go to West or to Frederick Bischoff, who later established a world-famous chocolate factory there. The facts are these: A man named Jonas A. Hovey bought the Ballston Mill Co./Union Cotton Mill shortly before The Civil War. Hovey subsequently added another story on to the Union Cotton Mill and erected a clock and bell tower at the front of the mill.

It was also Hovey who (circa 1854) had a grand Victorian mansion designed by architects E. Boyden & Sons of Worcester, Massachusetts, built on the southwest corner of Milton Avenue and Prospect Street. (This is important since future generations would call the residence West’s Mansion and then Bischoff’s Mansion before it was razed so that a gas station could be built on the site.)

Enter George West. The British-born future “Paper Bag King” had learned paper making from his father and uncle and ultimately mastered all aspects of the business. West brought his family to Saratoga County in 1860 and was soon employed at Pioneer Paper Mill in West Milton. By 1862, he had purchased the Empire Mill in Rock City Falls, which had closed due to a shortage of cotton from the southern states.

Flour sacks were made from cotton prior to the Civil War, however, with demand for flour sacks high and cotton supplies low, West announced he would start manufacturing the flour bags out of manilla paper. The records show it was Martin V. B. White, an ingenious mechanic employed by George West who designed the patterns that were used to hand-craft the first lot of flour sacks and the first flat bottom paper bags in the world. As he continued to build his empire, West acquired the mansion and all the mills at Prospect Street and Milton Avenue from the Hovey Estate. He subsequently converted Hovey’s cotton mill into a paper making facility and the woolen-knitting mill to a paper bag manufacturing plant.

Many additions and revisions took place until at last George West’s Union Paper Mill was finished in 1886. Included were covered elevated walkways connecting the four main building which were constructed in the Second Empire Mansard Style with two five-and-a-half story towers with cast iron cresting, bibulous finials, decorated window caps and galvanized cornices, roofs and dormers.

But it wasn’t until 1919 that German-born chocolate-maker Frederick Bischoff and his family moved from Brooklyn to Ballston Spa, eventually creating sweet memories that are much cherished by old-timers in the village today. Countless tales have been told of the aroma of chocolate that once filled the air as children walked to school in the morning and of the delicious thick candy bars with the family’s name imprinted on them that sold for 25 cents. Larger five-pound bars were also available at a higher price. During the 1920s, Bischoff employed about 100 people and boosted the local economy by purchasing milk from local dairy farmers.

The demise of Bischoff’s Chocolate Factory began during World War Two when sugar rationing along with extreme difficulty in obtain the finest cocoa beans from Africa and South America, causing production to drop to half of what it had been. After Bischoff passed away in 1942, his son Alfred stepped into his father’s shoes. Alas, economic factors out of Alfred’s control made it necessary for the Ballston Spa chocolate factory to cease operations in 1945. Depending on the source, the business office closed in either 1946 or 1947 spelling the end of a chocolate-making era in the village. The once thriving factory was subsequently used for a variety of less than glamorous purposes – including that of a storage warehouse. Even so, the site was deemed worthy of being listed on the Historic Registry in 1982.

It wasn’t until 15 years later, however, that the DeFlippos and David Mitchell became co-owners of the property. Renovations got underway for office space with full occupancy of the building targeted for the turn-of-the-millennium. Mitchell subsequently sold his share of the property and headlines published soon thereafter announced that Leonard Gelman, MD had become a partner in the Old Chocolate Factory. Asked about his part in transforming a proverbial sow’s ear into a silk purse, Dr. Gelman described the experience as “a fun and unforgettable ride.” The most rewarding part, said the Bronx native, was “seeing how the village as a whole has taken to it. Although we had a vision and planned carefully in terms of the brick and mortar restorations, there was no way of predicting the feeling of community pride that this whole thing would generate.”

As this two-part feature was being updated against the backdrop of the pandemic in September 2020, Ballston Spa Living learned that DeFilippo matriarch Mary and patriarch Jerry are in the process of passing the torch to the next generation. Although not yet ready to retire, the couple is looking forward to enjoying more leisure time.

The gradual transition promises to be a positive experience since Cara (BSHS Class of 2007) and Michael (BSHS Class of 2013) share their parents’ passion for preserving the past while celebrating the present, equipped to overcome whatever challenges might be placed in their paths.

Although Michael cannot yet leap tall buildings in a single bound, one can’t help but wonder if there’s a Superman cape hidden beneath his supply of protective face masks. The owner of Ballston Spa Rentals LLC who is also at the helm at JJ’s Snack Bar and holds the title of Assistant Manager at The Factory Eatery & Spirits, rose to new heights while facing unprecedented pandemic challenges during 2020. He additionally serves as an Assistant Building Manager of The New Old Chocolate Factory (WBMD-LLC) and as a Special Adjunct of Outdoor Education at SUNY Adirondack. He is also a certified instructor on behalf of SOLO, teaching WFA/CPR and Stop The Bleed. Michael’s girlfriend Emily Kane was often the wind beneath his wings (in the absence of a cape!). She assists with special projects ranging from creating websites, marketing the businesses through social media, and building masked social distancing cows to display outside of JJ’s to taking photographs to help illustrate this feature.

Meanwhile the entrepreneurial talents Cara has demonstrated since earning a Bachelor’s degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management from SUNY Plattsburgh make one wonder if she might have a Wonder Woman costume stashed nearby. It was soon thereafter that Cara began to assume responsibility for day-to-day operations at The Factory and by all accounts helped to grow the business into what it is today — including ensuring that the enterprise continues to run smoothly and safely during the pandemic. Additional responsibilities are linked to her title as Building Manager for The New Old Chocolate Factory (WBMD-LLC).

Another exciting chapter in Cara’s life began when she wed fellow restaurateur and businessman Bryah Gifford, who brings to the table a restaurant empire of his own in Clifton Park as the owner/operator of Power’s Inn and Pub and Giffy’s BBQ. The pair took special delight in building a state of the art banquet barn named The Barn at Power’s which specializes in weddings and private events. In July of 2020 they assumed ownership of the Power’s Property on which their dining destination stands. Cara has specialized in event planning with numerous banquet rooms in The Factory and most recently The Barn at Power’s.

But the most exciting addition debuted a few months earlier when Cara and Bryah welcomed baby Alexander. His presence promises to make life even sweeter for all connected with The New Old Chocolate Factory for generations to come!

EDITOR’S NOTE: Kindly scroll down to read why the DeFilippo family is grateful to the community for the kindness and support they have received throughout the pandemic.

DeFilippo family grateful for the kindness and support they have received from the community throughout the pandemic

INTRODUCTION

If representatives of The Factory Eatery & Spirits and JJ’s Snack Bar could have a message imprinted on a face mask that sums of “The Spirit of Ballston Spa” during the pandemic of 2020, it would be one word: KINDNESS.

In an interview conducted shortly before Labor Day, Michael DeFilippo said parents Jerry and Mary, sister Cara and others affiliated with the family-owned businesses have been “overwhelmed by the kindness and support” they have received throughout this time of unprecedented challenges.

“When the pandemic first hit our region and we had to scale back operations at The Factory, we were so grateful to everyone that ordered takeout and purchased gift cards. We are truly thankful for all of our customers for helping to support us and keep us busy during this very difficult time. We look forward to continuing this relationship with our customers and community.”

The following Q & A between Michael and Ballston Spa Living Editor Ann Hauprich provides greater insight into the obstacles that have had to be overcome and the manner in which certain aspects of doing business have had to be “re-imagined” over the past six months.

Q When did it first register with you and your family that 2020 would be like no other in terms of business as usual at The Factory and at JJ’s Snack Bar?

A The Factory was impacted before JJ’s because it is open year round and offers on site events/banquets. Without allowing groups to gather and no indoor seating, we were forced to immediately switch to takeout only beginning in mid-March to ensure the safety of our staff, customers, and community. JJ’s Snack Bar is usually open mid-April each year (depending on the weather). When schools and businesses began shutting down across the state in mid March, we were unsure if we would even be able to open for the season due to all of the shutdowns and new regulations. We followed the news closely and were able to open a bit later on Saturday, May 16.

Q What were some of the very first things you did in the early days and weeks of the pandemic to protect the health of yourselves and the customers you serve in the village?

A Throughout the pandemic so far, we wanted to ensure the safety of our customers and staff. When JJ’s was finally able to open, all of our staff were given face masks to wear during their shifts, we equipped the snack bar with extra hand sanitizer stations, and we regularly took (and continue to take) the temperature of the staff working. We created many signs to encourage safe behavior (wearing masks, social distancing), painted lines on the parking lot to space out customers in line, and added face masks to our new cow shaped chalkboard signs. The Factory quickly switched to takeout and local delivery, our staff began wearing face masks. Unfortunately we had to cancel many events that were scheduled in our event spaces.

Q Did you subsequently need to take any additional precautionary measures in order to help prevent the spread of COVID-19?

A At J.J.’s, we removed the picnic tables and changed our procedures for customers receiving food. Prior to the pandemic, customers were able to sit at tables or wait out front until their food was ready. This season, customers receive a number and we bring the food to their car for them to enjoy at a location of their choosing. This has prevented large crowds of people gathering in front of the business and maintains social distancing guidelines. Once outdoor seating was allowed in New York State, we opened up two outdoor courtyards at The Factory; our main courtyard that is near the main entrance and the Creekside Courtyard. Customers have enjoyed listening to the creek and enjoying the surroundings as they dine outside. The courtyards provide more fresh air between tables and we have made sure adequate spaces exist between parties.

Q What have been some of the most significant changes that have had to be implemented in the manner in which business is conducted at The Factory and at JJ’s?

A Both businesses have made many changes since the pandemic. One of the biggest has been the amount of staff we’re scheduling to assist with new cleaning protocols, delivering meals for The Factory and delivering meals to cars at JJ’s. We’ve added a few staff positions to ensure cleanliness for everyone involved and to ensure that customers receive their orders in a timely manner.

Q Are there other ways in which things have had to be “re-imagined” over the past several months?

A With the constant changes to the state’s guidelines, we’ve had to get creative in what we are offering for the customers. At JJ’s, we’ve been consistently writing notes of kindness and gratitude on customers’ bags for takeout orders and letting them know how much we appreciate their flexibility and patronage. At both JJ’s and The Factory, we’ve added new menu items to adapt to the changes and the customer’s requests. JJ’s has added a new popular menu item called the Conecano: any sauce filled inside of any soft serve ice cream flavor, dipped in any flavor dip, and rolled in any sprinkles. Customers have really enjoyed getting out and trying something we don’t usually offer on the menu. The Factory has adapted to the takeout requests and has begun offering Weekly Sunday Dinners to go. The meal provides food for four people for $49.99 and can either be picked up or delivered locally. Any drinks are also available to go during the pandemic. People have been enjoying ordering takeout to eat with family at home or with friends in an outdoor setting. They can relax with a nice meal without having to prepare or clean anything.

Q What has been the most rewarding – or inspiring – part of serving patrons during these challenging times?

A Many customers are very excited to be out in public again after being stuck at home for so long. They have adapted well to the new guidelines and are so appreciative that we are even allowed to be open. They’ve also been sympathetic to the fact that we are wearing facemasks on many very warm days inside kitchens and near stoves. We’ve received a lot of gratitude from satisfied customers thankful we are open to serve them.

Q What do you miss most about The Old Normal – at home? At work?

A We miss seeing our customers socializing at The Factory bar and J.J.’s picnic tables for extended periods of time. We look forward to a time when we will be able to host larger events again (weddings, trivia, etc.) and see many old friends catching up while watching football or celebrating a big milestone.

Q Has The New Normal brought any Silver Linings at home or at work?

A There have been many challenges brought on by the pandemic, but knowing that we’re all in this together has brought out a certain kindness with many customers. Everyone is adjusting to many new guidelines and procedures and it can become very frustrating with so many changes at once. We’re appreciative that many customers exhibit patience with us and have been understanding when it comes to following the new rules and being aware of the people around them.

Q Are there any other insights or reflections you and/or your loved ones would care to share with our readers?

A We would like to thank all of our customers for supporting us throughout the years, and especially this year. We wouldn’t be able to operate without their support and we would like them to know how appreciated they are. Additionally, we are very grateful we have wonderful staff members that have been so great throughout all of these challenges. We are lucky to have such fantastic customers and staff working with us through it all.