FARMINGTON – Cheyanne Cushing and Jerrica Richards have partnered together to bring a new event planning business to Farmington, just in time for summer.
“I’m really excited to not only put my dreams and experience into motion, but to have my sister by my side doing the same thing,” said Richards, an Air Force veteran who will be graduating this summer with a bachelors in business management with a focus on entrepreneurship.
The two have been making the preliminary planning and preparations for the new business for several years now, but this spring will mark the first year that The Warehouse will be hosting ticketed events. While the business is only a ticketed event planner right now, both Richards and Cushing hope that it will become more once they introduce themselves to the community this spring and summer through game nights and other artistic events.
“Our end goal is to have a location in downtown Farmington where people can rent out the space for ticketed events. But it would be set up like a restaurant, operating on a daily basis between the events,” said Cushing, who has 10 years of front-of-house restaurant experience. “It’s hard to pin down as one thing, because we want it to be flexible.”
Richards has several years of experience working “back of house” in the restaurant business as well as completing several culinary courses to supplement her own knowledge and provide the other half of the restaurant equation.
“Being able to collaborate our visions into a unified business is such a blessing. We both bring our own strengths to the table which in turn gives us the capabilities to really compliment each other,” said Richards.
Currently, there is no storefront location for the business, but the co-owners hope to establish themselves this summer so that they will be able to secure one of their prospective locations in the Farmington area soon. As a temporary solution to their nomadic beginning, they’ve partnered with Meg Brown, a well-known baker and owner of Meg’s Sweets in Farmington, to use her outdoor garden venue for their events.
Their first event on May 6 will be a Paint-a-Pot, during which ticket holders can enjoy a step-by-step instructional class where all of the materials are provided. They will also be hosting a terrarium assembly class on May 16 at the same venue, and they have agreed to plan the Backyard Band Series which will begin in June and run through the summer and fall.
“You know, with the business climate right now, artists haven’t been able to perform or create in a public space really. I think the artists are just as excited as the customer base,” said Cushing.
The co-owner has a passion for supporting the art community, with a few art classes under her belt, and the opportunity to bring the public and artists together was one of the appeals for starting a new event planning business.
“Initially, that was one of the biggest draws for me, to be able to host and run all these art events,” said Cushing.
With their collective restaurant and art experience, the two don’t anticipate hiring anyone else to host events right away, at least until they connect more with the community and consider hosting events that don’t pertain directly to art.
“We want to partner with the community. I think strengthening those ties, especially in a small town, is so important. Then we might be open to having other people host events if there’s something of certain interest,” said Cushing.
One of their goals for a future event is to offer a women’s business owners’ night, inviting all of the local female business owners to the venue to meet one another and to socialize in a collective space.
“This summer will be the kick-off to what we hope will be not only a great business opportunity, but one the community can enjoy just as much,” said Richards.
For those are interested in participating in their events, tickets can be purchased on their website: www.thewarehouseevents207.com. More information can also be found on The Warehouse’s Facebook page.
