06/13/2026
The Struggle Is Real â From a Small Event Space Owner
Hi, my name is Lisa, and Iâm the 4th generation in my family to run a business in this building.
My great-grandparents bought it in 1935 and opened a dry goods store. My great-grandmother also did mending and quietly helped people in needâsometimes lending money and holding onto their valuables until they could pay her back. In a way, it was the first âpawn shopâ in town.
Over the years, the building housed many small businesses. My grandfather and my dad mostly rented it out, and that became their version of running a business. But when the last tenant left, it became clear that something had to change.
The space wasnât working for renters anymore. Renovating again felt overwhelmingâfinancially and emotionally. My dad was 87 at the time and understandably didnât want to pour more money into it. He told me it was time for me to start making decisions⌠because one day, this would all be mine.
That thought terrified me.
I worried constantlyâabout finances, about the future, about how I could possibly manage what my parents had built. The costsâtaxes, insurance, utilitiesâjust keep going up. I didnât know how Iâd sustain it.
Then one evening, I saw a post from my cousin Julie, who had opened a small event space. I reached out to her, and she became an incredible source of support. She shared everythingâthe good, the hard, the practical detailsâand helped me believe this might actually be possible.
With my husbandâs encouragement (and understanding that this would take many of our weekends), I decided to go for it.
My dad supported me in a way Iâll never forget. He refused to charge me rent, knowing that was the only way I might succeed starting out. Instead, we worked out a plan where he took a loan on the building and I made the payments.
From there, it was a full family effort.
We cleaned out years of storage, did demolition ourselves, and worked tirelessly to bring the vision to life. My daughters helped build our farmhouse tables, and we did everything we could to keep costs downâmany things are handmade or secondhand. Every detail, from the dĂŠcor to the paper towels, was chosen with care.
And when we finally openedâŚit was amazing.
Iâve been blessed with wonderful customers and have loved being part of so many special moments in peopleâs lives. I truly try to give every client the best experience possibleâeven sometimes more than I should.
But hereâs the part people donât always see:
The hardest moments donât come during events⌠they come after.
Most guests leave the space beautifully, just as agreed. But occasionally, they donât. And when that happens, I have to decide whether to keep part of the deposit to cover cleaning.
I hate it. I truly do.
I donât want to keep anyoneâs hard-earned money. I agonize over those decisions, often asking others for input, and I usually undercharge compared to what it actually costs me. But I canât always wait for someone to come back and fix itâespecially when I have back-to-back bookings. Either I clean it, or I pay someone to.
And sometimes, when I enforce the agreement, I get called unfair, pettyâeven a liar.
That part breaks my heart.
Because behind this little event space is just meâdoing my best to be fair, to care for my customers, and to keep something meaningful alive for my family.
We recently celebrated our 2-year anniversary. Iâve worked hard to keep my rates as low as possible, but like everything else, costs have gone up, and Iâve had to make adjustments. The reality is, I need about four bookings a month just to break evenâand that doesnât always happen.
Iâm not really sure why Iâm sharing all of this, except to say:
I love this place.
I care deeply about the people who walk through these doors.
I want to be kind and fair to everyoneâbut I hope for that same kindness and fairness in return.
Thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way. It truly means more than you know.
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