McAlpin Place owners reflect on past year

As the McAlpin Place event center approaches its one year anniversary of being open for public use, owners Trevor McAlpin and Kaitlin Walston are reflecting on the progress they have made with their business over the past year.
Before the building on 109 E. Washington Ave. was transformed into an event center, it was first known as McAlpin Motors, which was a car dealership. McAlpin said the building was purchased by his grandfather in the 1960s.
McAlpin continued, stating the dealership closed in 1995. His step-grandmother then had ownership over the building until two years ago, which was when he purchased it. The building has been in McAlpin’s family for decades, and after the building sat empty for a while, he and Walston devised a plan of action.
Originally, McAlpin and Walston talked about transforming the building into an apartment. However, they saw the need for a spacious event center in town, which is how they settled upon their decision.
After deciding on what the building would be used for, McAlpin and Walston began making updates and renovations.
“We figured out [that originally,] there was no kitchen or anything,” McAlpin said. “So we did a little research as far as with a plumber on how the drain lines ran, if we were able to put a kitchen in and just different things. Then … it kind of became a reality after that.”
According to the couple, a few of the biggest updates made were the addition of a kitchen, the replacement of flooring and the installation of windows. McAlpin said that previously, there were no windows inside.
“The walls were all the same,” he said. “We had them a little bit. [For] future expansion, we are adding another bathroom in this year.”
Overall, the couple said their biggest challenge in transforming the building was the amount of time and hard work it took to do so. They said it took three to four months to get everything finished. However, their workload was made lighter by their family and friends who assisted with remodeling.
Walston said that from her observation, she has noticed that those who rent out the center often prefer to prepare their own food rather than cater, which is one benefit of having access to a kitchen. She mentioned that for example, it is common for the center to be rented out by families during the holidays to host Christmas baking events.
Following Walston’s explanation, McAlpin said that the building’s internet availability is another draw. The building has fiber as well.
“People definitely use it [the WiFi] … they log onto their Pandora and different things so they can upload their playlists and [play] their own music,” he said.
Continuing with this theme, Walston said the building’s biggest draw is its spaciousness.
“It’s the perfect size, because everyone can still be by each other, but there’s enough room … and then we noticed a lot of people like to congregate by the bar and stuff,” she said. “It’s kind of just a nice little area for people to talk.”
Walston said that over the past year, the event center has been rented out for a variety of different events, including baby showers, birthday parties, retirement celebrations, graduation parties, family baking days and even Thanksgiving. McAlpin said that their family also uses the center for their own events as well.
“I’ve had a lot of positive feedback [on the center],” Walston said. “We get a lot of … it’s like the perfect size for an event, that we’re very accommodating. We try to work with everyone with what they need.”
Walston said some other feedback she has received is positive comments about the availability of coolers as well as backdrops for photos.
The next topic McAlpin spoke on was the price of renting out the center for an event.
“So … we can do a two part rental for a day,” he said. “We’re $125 for a half [day] and $250 for a full [day].”
Moving forward, the couple agreed they would like to strive for continual improvement with the center.
“[Our goal is to] make it nicer and nicer and just try to figure out how to accommodate more things for people that they need,” he said.
Overall, McAlpin and Walston both emphasized that they are thankful for the support the community has shown toward their business. Though they may have many rentals per day, Walston said they work to check in with their customers and ensure everything is prepared for each event.
To book an event at the center or for any questions about the McAlpin Place, Walston and McAlpin can be reached at (712) 310-9850 or on the McAlpin Place Facebook page.