NJ wedding venue goes bankrupt, leaves clients out thousands of dollars

💸 NJ event venue goes bankrupt

💸 Weddings, parties, tenants all left in lurch

💸 Owners had years of financial struggles

PATERSON — A popular event venue just steps from a national park has been shut down due to bankruptcy, leaving clients with weddings planned as soon as this weekend in the lurch.

Art Factory Studios, which is part of Great Falls Industrial Park, first filed for bankruptcy in August, Paterson Press previously reported, citing court records.

A bankruptcy judge has now ordered owner David Garsia to pay roughly $10 million to his lender, 100 Mile REIT Inc., which is headed by investor Billy Procida.​

All events were canceled as of Tuesday evening, Garsia said in a digital message sent around to clients.

Those who already made thousands in payments were told to seek reimbursement through federal bankruptcy court, Paterson Press reported.

Photographer Lori Patrick, one of the last artistic tenants of the Art Factory, took the bleak news to her livestream on Instagram and Facebook.

“The rest of the story. It’s over. The Art Factory is done. I’m wishing all of the other members, wedding families, employees and beyond my best wishes. This will be a really tough recovery,” Patrick captioned her Tuesday update.

Garsia’s wife, Donata Garsia, has been the main contact for those who booked weddings at Art Factory.

She has posted letters and updates to the venue’s Instagram page, naming Procida as the main reason it was forced to close.

However, Procida tells Paterson Press that the matter is in the court's hands and that he has no control over access to the venue.

“I feel bad for them, this is something he shouldn’t do to people,” Procida said in the same report, of clients who paid for weddings and other events now scrambling for new venues.

Another professional photographer stopped doing business at Art Factory nearly a year ago.

His last three weddings at the venue were riddled with staffing issues and added layers of stress to the couples' big days, Chris Sztybel said to New Jersey 101.5 on Wednesday.

In a series of Tiktok videos, Sztybel has weighed in on how clients' hard-earned money has seemed to just disappear, even helping facilitate those considering a class action lawsuit.

@thatwerks I am genuinely curious and concerned where this money is. It’s not even my money. It’s life savings, mortgages, college funds for kids, retirement. WHERE IS THAT MONEY IF IT DIDN’T GO THE CITY OR THE LENDER?! #artfactory #theartfactory #scam #patersonnewjersey #njweddingphotographer #money #fraud @news12nj @News12AssignmentDesk @Art Factory Studios @TheArtFactory @ABC News @CBSEveningNews @CBS Mornings @CBS New York ♬ original sound - thatwerksphotography

@thatwerks I feel bad for those who didn’t get out in time. The Art Factory in Paterson, NJ is gross beyojd words for what they’ve done and continue to not take responsibility for. Shameful. @RothweilerEventDesign @ABC News @news12nj @pbsnews @News 12 @News12AssignmentDesk @TheArtFactory ♬ Moneytalks - AC/DC

Sztybel said that with the venue's artistic aesthetic, he got some of his best work done at the venue — adding "nobody wants to see it go down the tubes."

Art Factory had years of financial struggle

In 2017, well before the COVID pandemic, the Art Factory Studios had an outstanding balance of nearly a million dollars in unpaid property taxes, Paterson Times previously reported.

Reviews on Yelp have also shown a mixed response to the venue's management, since before the bankruptcy filing.

Many who booked events were very happy with the space itself — while communication and day-of logistics were often lacking, according to clients who had weddings and parties there.

Messages left for the Art Factory owners, Prosida and the Paterson Mayor's Office were not immediately answered on Wednesday afternoon.

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