Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lexi & Tyler Hjorting. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Lexi & Tyler, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?
When we set out to find the perfect building for a wedding venue in Texas, we had no idea what to expect. The only requirements we had were to make sure the building had character, was in a good location and that it would be different from anything else. After doing some wandering in nearby small towns, we caught wind of an old historic building in La Grange that was once an old ice factory dating back to the late 1800’s. Through the decades businesses came and went and layer after layer of paint, plaster and old fashioned decor made its way through the walls. With the intention of giving life back to a building that has spent years dorment under a facade of unflattering coverups, we gutted the space and returned it to its original state. To keep the history of this cherished building alive, it was only fitting to address it as The Ice Plant Bldg.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Getting into the wedding venue business isn’t really something we thought about 5 years ago, Although, it could be considered a family affair, part of which started as a successful venue in Southern California. We, however never imagined it was in our future. After leaving our extremely overpriced one bedroom apartment and pretty much selling off everything we owned to buy, renovate and travel the country in a school bus turned tiny home, we finally ended our nomadic journey in Texas. The goal then was to find something we had a passion for. With help from family and an array of knowledge passed down to us we were able to make the conscious decision to expand from one venue to two. Being from the west coast we quickly realized a trend that hadn’t been utilized in Texas often. We noticed that bright, modern and most importantly, industrial buildings were a relatively untouched market. Once The Ice Plant Bldg was found, rescued back to its original glory and our vision brought to life, we knew we had something special. Even though timing was not on our side with Covid forcing us to close our doors a mere one wedding in. We did manage to see the silver lining and take that time to make sure everything was done exactly how we wanted. Since then we have hosted a large number of weddings and could not be happier at the amount of growth we have attained. Getting married is such a special moment in people’s lives and we feel honored that we get to be a part of it. Offering a unique and fresh twist on the typical venue as brought us so much positive feedback and if the people are happy, we are happy!
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
We have had our fair share of obstacles to overcome. Even being somewhat of a newer business, things can happen. Not meeting deadlines is a major problem in every business and we were faced with that possibility from day one. Small town Texas is funny, it works in mysterious ways. Early November of 2019 we are in a constant battle with our contractor. It was a one step forward, two steps back situation. Always butting heads, telling us one thing and doing another, and an abundance of other dilemmas. One day an older couple walks by after having lunch at our local pizza spot Reba’s. They popped their heads in and asked us “What’s goin in the old Ice House?” After giving them the lowdown they revealed they were engaged and looking for a venue. At this exact moment there were no windows in, no doors, no new pretty concrete floor poured. We had no chandeliers hung, no bathrooms installed, no landscaping done and these fine folks were ready to book. Awesome, we thought, they trust the vision! Well, turns out they had a save the date for February 2020. What could be a way longer story short, they paid in full a week later, our contractor walked off the job shortly after and we had two and a half months to get the venue finished. With all hands on deck and an amazing new crew, it got finished, the wedding went flawlessly and all was well. Nothing like a good deadline to keep you motivated.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
Finding your niche and knowing how to market it. Everyone wants to be different and unique and there is nothing wrong with that. Finding the right platforms to promote what you have created is equally important. Take your business or your product to an audience that gets bombarded with the exact opposite of what you’re promoting and stand out like a sore thumb.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.theiceplantbldg.com
- Instagram: TheIcePlantBldg
- Facebook: The Ice Plant Bldg
Image Credits
First and Last image are from Tamara Muth-King Middle photos with couples are from: Cherece Casale photography