TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Yet another film production has set up shop in the Capital Region. This time, a Hallmark Christmas movie is using a popular Italian imports store in Troy as its backdrop.
From last year’s laying down of dirt roads in Monument Square to mimic the late 1800s during the Gilded Age for an HBO show, to now transforming a Little Italy storefront during the Golden Age of Capitalism for a 1950’s Hallmark Movie-- over the past few years, Troy has become a destination for lights, camera, action.
"Troy is just one of many cities that’s been able to take advantage of available production tax credits," said John Salka, Communications Director for the City of Troy. "You’re seeing a lot more productions coming up and looking at Troy and seeing what it has to offer, specifically our largely intact downtown, or historic neighborhoods.”
The city has reaped economic benefits from shows like The Gilded Age and Amazon’s Modern Love bringing stories to life on its streets.
"These crews are coming in to our city for days, weeks, months at a time," said Geoff Brault, Executive Director of Troy's Downtown Business Improvement District. "They’re shopping at our shops, they're eating at our restaurants.”
The production crew for the Hallmark shoot will surely be eating Defazio’s pizza while they shoot a movie inside and surrounding the family’s neighboring imports store. The movie is Christmas-themed, involves the Rockettes, and has a 1950’s vibe. Tables of old-timey props sat outside the storefront Wednesday while crews worked inside.
Owner Matthew DeFazio is looking forward to adding the next few days of filming, and eventually the movie itself, to his family business' memory bank.
“It’s exciting to see something that your grandparents started in 1951 utilized and recognized in this light. It’s something that you never thought would happen," DeFazio told NEWS10. "We got a call a couple of weeks ago that they were interested and then they came last week for the first time, and said they’d like to do it. It was a great feeling.”
DeFazio's imports store will be closed Thursday for filming, but the pizza shop next door will have normal hours. Their satellite shop in Albany will be open as well. There will be a number of parking restrictions while the production gets underway.
