Adding more for the community on Oak Street, Grind owner Chelsea McGill is leaping into more ways to serve the area.
The Gathering Place, located at 318 S. Oak St., now offers a unique barn-like space for birthdays, wedding receptions, showers and more. Formerly, the previous owner, Kimberly Scheidt, who ran Events by Inspired Designs, sought McGill as a business partner.
Two doors down from the coffee shop she opened in May, McGill purchased the business, changed the name, and plans to slightly renovate the space with paint and more wood.
"It's a really great space, as it is; Kim's done a really good job with the barn wood. That's kind of the feel that we have over at Grind, so we'll kind of make both spaces match," McGill said.
She added the space is a good addition to her business. Grind will offer coffee, tea and baked goods as catering to The Gathering Place.
McGill said the change isn't a high-risk opportunity for her. For several months, live music featuring local artists and other events were held at the coffee shop.
"It's obvious that the community loves to get out and socialize with friends and do something fun together," McGill said.
With seating capacity for 75, a mini-kitchenette and two restrooms, McGill said the new location has more space to offer a variety of events. The space already is booked through the end of the month and taking reservations for holidays.
"We'll have a menu, where you can add catering and add coffee services - we're gonna try to make it convenient, so if they wanted to make it like a one-stop shop, then we can have table decor and set the place up for them and all they have to do is show up," McGill said about the future of the business.
Plans for community events include a freezer meal prep course, canvas painting and barn wood crafting.
Beyond her own research in her business endeavours, she relies on her family, including her husband Alex and parents Paul and Lil Pfaff.
Also in her corner are the other women business owners on the block.
Julie Bolinger owns Winding Road at 324 S. Oak St. and Shanna Helms owns The Ruffled Hem at 326 S. Oak St. They meet frequently to discuss events and other business opportunities.
"We are really all about bringing the people to Oak Street and making this kind of a one-stop-shop and what community events can we bring. So, that's been a really good partnership working together with them to really bring a benefit to the community, so now adding this place to it is really expanding our ideas of what we can do."