Today we’d like to introduce you to Corinne Mitchell.
Corinne, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My husband and I immigrated to America from South Africa 18 years ago with 3 children and less than $5,000 to start a new life.
We started a very small construction company in 2001 specializing in outdoor living areas. We bought an abandoned property a few years later in old downtown Frisco – transforming it from a 2 bedroom home into an office space with outdoor “showroom” over a few years.
When the construction industry was in a bit of a slump 2008/2009 we decided to rent out our outdoor space for private events. This led us in to the wedding business and we did many events over 3 years at that venue. We chose to expand the business and develop another old house in downtown Frisco into a larger wedding and event venue. This was a 2 year process which involved rezoning the property, stripping the historic home down to its frame and installing all new commercial grade materials to meet the City of Frisco’s very strict rules. We kept the original hardwood floors and Wayne rebuilt the wooden flooring in the kitchen with reclaimed wood from the original garage to try and preserve the historic feel of the home.
The result is a beautiful venue called Magnolia Terrace which opened in the spring of 2013 and is now a very popular space for intimate weddings and other events.
We ran both venues for two years before deciding to sell the original property last year and concentrate on Magnolia Terrace. The original construction company is still thriving 15 years later and Wayne runs that company with another family member and a very small crew.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There were a lot of challenges and struggles along the way – we didn’t have the financial resources we needed and struggled to find a financial institution to believe in our vision and back us. We were turned down by many of the large banks before finding a couple of small ones that were prepared to take a chance on us and lend us the money to develop the venues.
Getting all the necessary building permits and approvals was also challenging but my husband and I encouraged and supported each other all the way…. we never lost sight of our vision and we never gave up!
The Fire Sprinkler system requirement was a $35,000 surprise that wasn’t in our budget!
We are constantly learning and implementing ways to improve our business and the venue to give each and every one of our customers the best possible experience we can.
Magnolia Terrace – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We provide a very unique venue and are known for helping people to plan and execute beautiful events at Magnolia Terrace – mainly intimate wedding ceremonies and receptions but we also do adult birthdays, sweet 16’s, showers and other events.
New visitors to the venue are constantly surprised by our “Secret Garden” in the middle of old downtown Frisco and it has been called a “hidden gem” on many occasions.
The reception room is very elegant, yet guests feel relaxed and comfortable here and in the surrounding gardens. We supply and set up everything our guests need and include a vast range of decor items. We keep up with current trends and inspiration from various sources. The most difficult part is getting people to go home at the end of an event!
We are personally “hands on” throughout the planning and at every event to make sure no details is overlooked. We are very proud of the Wedding Awards we have achieved and the many great reviews we have collected.
Some well-known companies have also used our venue for unique Training events and private meetings. They tell us it is a welcome change from the boring hotel rooms they are used to and the ambiance really feeds the creativity of the group. We only book one event at a time so they have exclusive use of the whole venue.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Having our 3 children telling us that they are proud of what we have built from scratch and how we have inspired and encouraged them to pursue their own career goals.
It is a big responsibility to help our couples create the wedding of the dreams – you only get one shot! Each time a couple tells us how happy they are with the way everything turned out, it just mean the world to us.
It has been a very exciting and rewarding journey for us – we really feel privileged to have been given the opportunity to move to America and embrace the American Dream.
Contact Info:
- Address: Magnolia Terrace
6910 Pecan Street (Corner of 4th St)
Frisco, TX 75034 - Website: www.themagnoliaterrace.com
- Phone: 214-872-1947
- Email: info@themagnoliaterrace.com
- Instagram: @themagnoliaterrace
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/themagnoliaterrace
- Yelp: Magnolia Terrace
- Other: Profiles on Wedding Wire, The Knot, Eventective, Google
