Opinions Wanted Renting Your Shop Out for Events.........

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blackiris

blackiris

SPFG, Supreme Picture Framing God
Joined
Aug 31, 2007
Posts
10,624
Loc
Sandwich, IL
Well...........I have been approached by a number of people and groups asking about renting my gallery for their events.......

A little background about my area and shop.............Our town is about 6,500 people......we are 70 miles west of Chicago.....we also have a very old and historic downtown...my gallery being smack dab in the middle of it........
My gallery is about 1100 square ft.....I teach kids art classes on Saturdays....I also sell local art.....and do framing...of course :D

~I have been asked about doing a tour group luncheon here in the gallery.........with tables I can fit about 50 people seated(this will be catered and tables and stuff set up by caterer)

~I have also been asked to do birthday parties for kids (Kind of goes along with the kids classes I teach)

~Also a book release party and a country music CD release....

~And someone asked about a wedding reception.....of about 50 people (thats a hole other project.....:faintthud: )

So my question that I super need help with is..........

How and what would I charge for the rental of the space????

Hopefully some of you have had some experience with this!! (crossing fingers)

I'm not sure where to start and would be a fair price........about the only thing I can compare to around here is our convention halls but they are 3 times as big as my space........:shrug: with full kitchens and that.....
So........HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP!!! :shrug: Any opinions and/or ideas would be appreciated!!! Thank you ;)
 
I would charge a few hundred dollars for the evening, plus a cleaning deposit. I would also put some consideration into safeguarding customer artwork during the event. Will people have access to your workroom, even if only to get to the bathroom?
 
Also, check with your insurance carrier to make sure that you will be covered.
 
I had one event here in the gallery for a party of 10. It was a lot of fun but I didn't charge for it. It was a favor to the president of the art league as their other venue was booked. If it is after hours, make sure you have something in the contract for a specific ending time or extra charge if you have to stay late. (They ended up salsa dancing in the middle of the gallery until after midnight!)

I also did a photography shoot here for my hairstylist to put together her portfolio before she left for Vegas... That was fun too.

Personally, I think the more you can get people engaged with your location, the better. Cleaning/damage deposit is a great idea. Maybe just try one or two events before committing to a bunch of things and you'll get a feel for what works best for your situation.
 
I loan my store to a friend for an event every year. A few hundred well qualified clients of my friend are introduced to my store. It has been a very positive experience. 7 years now and coming up at the end of the month.
 
One thing I do have stated in my contracts for the artists.....is that their artwork is NOT covered under my insurance...........they can get a ryder for the 4 months their contract is good........none have done that.....i will contact them and let them know my ideas about the space.......

More and more that I'm looking at different spaces......they usually have a min time limit.............? I'm thinking $100 deposit for cleaning........and maybe $75 hr with a 2 hour minimum?? does that sound to low or hight?? :faintthud:


Nope Paul.........no one has to go to my workroom to get to the bathroom.......everything is right out here...........well.....the bathroom has its own room LOL!
 
I there a way to add a lockable door to the backroom? Might be a problem with fire code if you have a 2nd exit through your workroom.

I think your pricing sounds about right. Make sure it is paid up front.
 
We have allowed our gallery to be used for Women's Club Events, Book Club Events, Scrapbooking classes, etc. Being in a small town, most of the ppl invited are customers of ours anyway.

We charged $100 cleaning fee and $200 for the use of the space for 3 hrs. max.
Never had any problems.

It worked out fine in our old location. But we've not done this since moving into our Main St. location 4 yrs ago. We don't have the same amount of floor space in this location so it's not really feasible. There would be too much "stuff" that would have to be moved into storage.
 
I have casually offered our large front room space for charitable events. No takers so far, but you remind me that I should work on this. I would not charge as having people in the shop is a benefit to us. The event would only cost me an evening of payroll to ensure safety. You could never just rent or give the store space for an evening and let the attendees have at it. Supervision would be necessary. Renting might be in violation of a lease contract, but not inviting guests into your store.

I attended a charitable event in a rug shop a few years ago. The owner donated small rugs to the auction and I now have a small rug in my kitchen. Not only did I give to the charity, but I am now aware of the rug shop. I think it's a great idea!

I don't see why insurance would be a problem A front room space is a public space that people come to on a daily basis.

At one point during our 30th Anniversary party, I worried about the capacity limits sign behind the counter. I won't elaborate on that one...
 
This is one of the best ways you can network. People spending 2 or 3 hours looking around at averything rather than a customer spending 2 hours at the design counter focused only on that one thing. I love when they spend a bunch of time designing at the counter right next to the sign that says "We accept Visa, MC, Discover and Amex" and the customer asks "Oh do you take credit cards".

20 years ago I had 4800 sq ft at one of my stores and about 3000 of it was gallery. I allowed just about any reasonable group meet there free of charge just for the exposure. It gave non-framing customers a chance to learn why people frame the stuff they have. It also gave me a chance to see what the genral public liked or disliked in the way of retail items.

Charge them whatever reasonable fee you are comfortable with and you will gain a new customer base. Even if only 2 or 3 come in a couple times a year they will all mention your business to their friends.
 
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