Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Schumacher
Hi Lauren, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Two years ago I moved out of my metropolitan apartment in downtown Dallas and bought an 11-acre property in the middle of East Texas – a countryside gem that would soon become known as Folktale Venue. The town of Mount Pleasant, Texas has a striking population of 16,000 and by striking, I mean a stark contrast to the Dallas population of 1.3 million that I was used to.
“Why the move?” so many of my loved ones and new friends in Mount Pleasant asked. My corporate 9 to 5 was fully remote and I was ready to own my own space, rather than paying the ever-increasing rent of my city apartment. With my job’s flexibility, I had the freedom to branch out and find a property that had future-venue potential. I set my Zillow parameters up to 2 hours outside of the DFW area and after just two, day-long tours with my realtor, I found a quaint and newly-remodeled historic farmhouse on 11 acres, meeting all of the top criteria of a potential boutique venue.
I stepped out onto the back porch of the farmhouse and looked out over the 11 acres. The landscape a blank canvas, my imagination filled in the blanks – I could envision gardens and landscaped walkways leading to an open ceremony area overlooking a large pond. On the other side of this pond, I envisioned a large indoor space, perhaps a greenhouse someday. Opposite of the greenhouse, I pictured several forest-side cottages, each with their own small garden and no shortage of hummingbirds and butterflies. Needless to say, my offer was submitted and accepted that evening. I had the foundation and vision for a boutique venue and the rest was history.
What began as a 5-year plan to live in the farmhouse while converting it to a venue, quickly became a 18-month sprint to developing a high performing, full-service venue. Now less than two years after opening, we are developing the plans for our new indoor space, The Glass Hall – a greenhouse style building that can only be found in a few locations across the country. My goals for this new building is to bring Dallas clientele out to this beautiful space for one-of-a-kind luxury and retreat weddings. In tandem, our outdoor venue space is also dedicated to wildlife management in an effort to provide a sanctuary to species native to East Texas.
While nontraditional at best, my journey into the venue industry has been my creative outlet outside of my corporate 9 to 5. Venue ownership integrates my professional interests in project management with my creative passions for event planning, interior design, and environmental protection. It’s this passion for the event industry that further motivated me to launch a separate venture called Venuepreneur where I coach other individuals in the industry who want to launch and grow their boutique venues.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
From outsiders looking in – yes. In reality, no. Entrepreneurship is never a smooth road but it’s especially challenging in an industry that thrives on “the perfect day.” Event planning is 90% improvisation because sometimes no matter how much you plan, you can’t account for things that go wrong during an event. Being able to adapt in real time is a skillset I’ve really gotten to fine-tune over the last two years and it’s something I spend the most time teaching to my venue team and other boutique venue owners.
Biggest lessons learned:
-You can’t make everyone happy but you can always provide excellent customer service.
-Sometimes keeping it simple is the best solution – go back to basics.
-Know your worth and never waver on that.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Folktale Venue is a boutique wedding and event venue located in the heart of East Texas. We specialize in full-service / all-inclusive events where we provide venue setup, decor and vintage dish rental, fresh and artificial floral design, event planning and vendor coordination services, all in addition to simply renting our space! What we’re known for and what I’m most proud of with our brand is our customer service and ability to deliver exceptional events – we don’t just sell our space, we sell unforgettable experiences. We may be located outside of the big city but we bring our A game when putting on events and it shows! We don’t follow the typical, more rigid venue practices and that makes us agile, adaptive, and more appealing to our dream clients.
In terms of environmental responsibility, we’re big on protecting our wildlife and have a host of sustainability and preservation projects upcoming to support these efforts. When you think of Disney princesses singing with birds in the forest – Folktale isn’t really that far off!
What matters most to you?
Bringing The Glass Hall to life! It’s such a unique gem of a project and while it’s meant to be for weddings, it’s also art. It’s an architectural vision that I hope to share in other mediums such as magazines, film and more. It’s a symbol for what can happen when you allow yourself the creative freedom to just dream.
Pricing:
- Microweddings – $2,000
- Event Packages – $3,000-$12,000
- Vintage Dishware Settings – $11/person
- Airbnb – $350/night
- Event Planning Services – $500+
Contact Info:
- Website: https://folktalevenue.com
- Instagram: @folktalevenue
- Facebook: @folktalevenue
- Other: info@folktalevenue.com
Image Credits
Tru Photography by Jaime
Rosie’s Photographs
Jacob Jones Photography
