POTTSVILLE, Pa. — It used to be a 1950s furniture store on North Centre Street in Pottsville, but co-owners Allie and Jared Doran saw it as a canvas for their dream business. They've renovated the empty storefront and transformed it into Arrow Studio and Events, something they say Pottsville desperately needed.
"When we first walked in here, it definitely took me back in time a little bit," Jared Doran.
"In downtown Pottsville, you know, there's some beautiful churches and places for ceremonies and things like that, but there's nowhere in the heart of Pottsville to really have a celebration for a wedding," Allie Doran said.
"Definitely, there's a need for a large open space," Jared said. "We can accommodate up to 200 people up in here, so it's luxurious, but it's also affordable at the same time."
They spent more than six months doing the construction on the first floor themselves. Now, they have hosted events nearly every weekend since opening in late February.
"It's kind of a sigh of a relief if I'm being honest. You take these gambles, and you have no ideas where things are going to go, or you think you have an idea," Allie said.
While it looks complete, the main event space on the first floor is just the beginning phase of renovations.
"We haven't figured out what we are going to do yet with the upper floors," Jared said. "Possibly, we could make it a part of our studio or event space. We may add on and have it be a part of it."
In the end, the Dorans are just happy to provide a space for people in a place they consider home.
"It's so nice just to be able to create your dream reality," Allie added.
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