At the time of the Civil War, the name Bemis—Judson Moss Bemis, if you will—stood for burlap bags. With the help of his cousin, the St. Louis businessman had figured out a way to mass produce cloth and burlap bags and took his industry on the road, as far west as Seattle. By the early 20th century, the Bemis Company had opened its ninth factory, churning out bags for grain and cotton in the neighborhood we now call SoDo.

Exciting stuff, huh? Now standing four stories high and 150,000 square feet, the former factory has been renovated to house artist studios and commercial/warehouse space, much like the former Immigration and Naturalization Service Building–turned–Inscape Arts. The Bemis building opens its doors this weekend for its annual spring arts show, with some 50 artists—city and regional—showing their work and live acoustic music throughout the day. Admission is free.

Bemis Spring Art Show 2013
Apr 20 & 21, noon–8, 55 S Atlantic St, free