Located between Maribeth’s and Jilly Beans in downtown Hillsdale, Venue 8 provides an ideal space for showers, business meetings, fundraisers, and other gatherings.
Owner of Venue 8 Mindi Meyer said she has owned the building for 35 years.
“I’m not in retail anymore,” Meyer said. “I thought it would be a good use of space.”
Meyer said the building was originally Cook Bank and has marble floors dating back to 1884. She discovered the marble floors five years ago while doing some renovations.
“The interior has an older charm,” Meyer said.
Hillsdale resident Jill Taylor rented out the space for her baby shower and said Venue 8 offered a unique setting.
“It’s not your typical banquet or event room because of the character of the building,” Taylor said. “The way Mindi remodeled it really played into that character.”
Diane Clow, a Jonesville resident, attended Taylor’s baby shower and said she was glad the historic building was repurposed for a venue site.
“It’s nice not having another closed building downtown,” Clow said. “There’s not a lot of other spaces like it available.”
In addition to the timeless structure, Meyer has vintage glassware from the Manhattan collection of the 1930s. She said she plans on purchasing more vintage glassware, including punch bowls.
Taylor said she appreciated the history of the space and said the location of Venue 8 was ideal.
“The fact that it’s right downtown made it easy to tell people where to go,” Taylor said. “It’s a central location for everyone.
Venue 8 has space for 50 people, and Meyer said she provides guests with tables, chairs, and tablecloths.
Taylor said the space was the perfect size for her baby shower.
“It wasn’t too large,” Taylor said. “It produced an intimate feeling because you could set up the tables and chair however you want, so you could make it cozier.”
Currently, Meyer said she is searching for a caterer and has not decided upon one.
People can rent the space out for half days and full days with prices varying depending on the day of the week. On Saturdays and Sundays, the space is currently only available for full day rentals.
“It’s a place you should check out if you’re going to do an event,” Meyer said. “My goal is to book it out. I’d like to fill up.”
After her baby shower, Taylor said she was very pleased with Venue 8 and Meyer was easy to work with.
“I wholeheartedly recommend it to anybody,” Taylor said.
