GREENE COUNTY
Despite many brides-to-be wanting traditional weddings in churches, the times have changed, and many are now opting to book special venues to celebrate the day.
A new one, The Palms on Main, is located in the former Dream Catchers and Lake and Local store on 104 S. Main St. Its new owner, Nicole Green, is an antique aficionado and appreciated the historic appeal of the brownstone, its role as a former hospital and its central location in Greensboro.
Green said she first scouted the building 15 years ago and thought it would make a great antique store. Having found out it was currently awaiting a new owner, she made a visit and saw that it was not too big nor too small. It was freshly renovated and had a beautiful inside courtyard that looked like something out of Charleston with its old-growth palms and other native flora. It seemed like the perfect place for romantic events, luncheons, special events, and more.
Green took possession of the building on June 1 and has spent a lot of time redoing the interior to meet her booking needs. Bright colors and a stunning chandelier welcome potential clients to her venue.
She added a bridal suite after refurbishing a closet and has already booked a number of events. She opted to keep any bookings from the former proprietors on the schedule to accommodate earlier bookings for the space.
Wedding planning is stressful for a number of reasons: venue availability and ambiance, vendor preferences, allocated budget, guest list, seating requirements, weather probability and more. COVID-19 had many brides postpone weddings and opted for smaller and more intimate gatherings.
The business itself is competing with other venues available in Greensboro, such as Festival Hall down the street and Reynolds.
Yet, The Palms on Main delivers that smaller venue and intimacy many want. The business is challenging beyond a labor of love and it has to have an available market for those interested.
“We specifically planned our venue offerings with this size in mind,” Green said. “Having historic appeal and offering up several packages, we were able to draw in a good number of clients. We can accommodate upwards of 100-125 people. So far, we have hosted bridal showers, weddings in the garden, and family and school reunions, and more bookings are expected based on the number of calls I am getting. So far, we are doing all of this on social media and word of mouth.”
To meet customer budget needs, Green drew up several booking costs. Currently, the venue can be booked for half days, full days, and weekends.
She has no immediate plans for selling alcohol and customers can bring in their own food and caterers. In the future, she hopes to work with the city to change the ordinances so that customers can bring in their own alcohol for events.
“I saw this building 15 years ago and loved historic Greensboro,” she said. “I knew there was a lot of foot traffic. When we secured this location, we opted for the event space instead of selling antiques. We drew up a business plan to accommodate almost every group and we have hosted weddings, bridal showers, and recently a retirement party.”
As the business takes off, Green is hoping to extend her bookings and involve the community in events. She is looking at a father/daughter dinner, a back-to-school dance, and a number of other community-focused events. Currently, prices range from $100 dollars an hour and weekends upwards to $4,000.