MOUNT GILEAD — A downtown storefront has taken on a brand new look as The Village Gathering Place held its grand opening this week at 30 S. Main St.
“We thought it would be neat to have a smaller event space,” said Kate Stuttler, who along with her husband Jeff, own Heritage Barn Wedding and Events on State Route 95 east of the village.
Lindsey and Ben Wells are friends of the Stuttlers and they renovated the downtown location. That work began in October and the plan for The Village Gathering Place was formulated two months ago.
Their mission is simple:
“The Village was founded with the intent to bring community together. We love the whole emotion behind gathering and the unity it brings to a community. The Village is a quaint event space for up to 50 guests. Our industrial chic style provides the perfect backdrop for your celebration. We even host corporate meetings, pop-up shops, workshops and more.”
The 2,000 square-foot facility features custom tables and chairs, seating lounge with a rustic bar, utility kitchen and refrigerator. Sound and AV equipment are available.
“I started as a barista over at Sames & Cook right out of college. That’s when I first became passionate about downtown Mount Gilead,” Jeff said.
“I saw the potential. We live in Mount Gilead and saw other businesses coming in. When we saw this was available, we thought maybe we could keep the dominoes going for downtown. It can be a destination spot, with growth coming from Columbus to this area,” he said.
A ribbon cutting was held Friday afternoon and an open house that evening and on Saturday. It featured several pop-up shop vendors including Maddie Dree Boutique, Heritage Candle and AbbyKate Home.
“We like to call it a creative event space; a little bit more multi-use. I would love to have maybe an art gala,” Kate said. “You could have corporate Fridays with a coffee bar. Business owners could come in and have their meetings.”
Lindsey did the hand lettering for the business, including signage on the front window.
Rates for the business are per hour or per day. Contact them for details at 419-751-2008 or on Facebook.
