Penny for your thoughts … or in this case, The Penny for your events.
Paying homage to its former longtime tenant, the old JCPenney of Macomb on the west side of the square, has been transformed into an event space following the purchase – and entrepreneurship – of the historical building by Eric Mansfield of Macomb, who by day is an educational psychology professor at Western Illinois University. He purchased 26 W. Side Square about a decade ago as an investment property.
'The newspaper (the former McDonough County Voice) already had a long-term lease in place with the previous owners, and I never really had in mind to create an event center when I originally purchased it,' Mansfield shared.
'After The Voice decided to not renew their lease, I had plenty of people reach out to me to lease the property, but I felt that most of the people interested in renting the space were not interested in adding something new or additive to the downtown.
'I've lived in Macomb 28 years and have attended many events, but felt that the options for different venues were somewhat limited,' he added. 'Not to say that there aren't nice options in our community, but I just was looking for something a little bit different and that would bring people to the downtown area as it's always exciting when there are things going on downtown.'
The nearly 4,500-squarefoot- space is available for wedding receptions, reunions, conferences and other events, he noted. The newly-renovated building features a main seating area up to 200, a prep kitchen, conference room and bar.
'The bones of the event center were largely in place, so much of the renovations were cosmetic. I updated the bathrooms, along with a prep kitchen, and there were a lot of old things in place that needed to be removed. For instance, it had ductwork across the ceiling throughout the lower level that wasn't being used anymore. There was a lot of it, and it was quite large,' Mansfield explained. 'It also had suspended ceiling throughout, and we took that all down to expose the original tin ceilings. I also stripped and repaired all the original wood floors, which was quite extensive.'
The work took place over two years as Mansfield noted he wasn't in a hurry, and wanted to ensure it was done right. He added a few features to modernize the building, such as new lighting, as well as new windows and doors to the exterior through Macomb's Downtown Façade grant program. Various subcontractors helped refurbish the space, including Spencer Raleigh with Provision Electric doing all the new wiring and electrical service; Steven Fowler completing the painting and plaster repair, and Schmitz Plumbing taking care the facility's plumbing upgrades.
'As I understand it, the building has been around since the early 1900s and has had many different occupants, but the space is best known as the old JCPenney, hence the name 'The Penny.' I worked with the infrastructure that was already in place to keep some of its history, which is evident in the restored wood floors and the original tin ceilings,' he said.
Mansfield, along with his sister, Cari Mansfield, who has more than 30 years of event/venue management experience, are running The Penny.
'People who want to tour the space or coordinate events that they have booked will most likely be interacting with Cari a great deal,' he added. 'She was most recently managing the Harley Davidson restaurant in Milwaukee before coming to Macomb to help me. She is a tremendous asset.'
While The Penny only recently opened, they've already hosted two weddings, a few baby showers and an anniversary celebration and are booking more, including the upcoming Shop, Sip & Socialize, which will take place Friday, Nov.
21 (info/tickets: facebook. com/Shop.Sip.Socialize).
Individuals and groups reserving the space for events can use their own caterers and/or prepare their own food, or can work with the Mansfields to hire a caterer to fit their needs. They're currently looking at the possibilities of 'package deals' for events.
Typically, when people rent the space, they have access to tables, chairs, linens, dinner settings and the prep kitchen. He also acquired a liquor license which allows The Penny to provide a bar service.
'When you walk into The Penny it feels both grand and modern. The high ceilings with chandeliers and woodwork along with the refinished floors really captures people's attention.
What I really like most is that it is located downtown and brings people to the downtown area,' he noted.
'I am also currently working on renovating the separate upper floor above the event space into an Airbnb as this is a great location for anybody coming to the community or for someone renting the event space who has a need to put up friends and relatives.
'I hope that we can provide a place where people can make a lot of fond memories or host conferences and business meetings. It's really a multipurpose space,' Mansfield concluded. 'At a recent event, one of the people commented how nice it was to see so many people all dressed up, walking downtown to an event. That made my sister and I feel very good, and that's what I really wanted.'
A view from the stairs shows the size of the space with original tin ceilings and the beautifully restored wood floors throughout. Courtesy photos
Renovations included tearing out the old drop ceiling to reveal the original tin ceiling.
The Penny exterior before the upgrades.
