We were lucky to catch up with Kesha Coniglio recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kesha, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

The idea to be in the wedding industry has been on my heart for 20 years. The creativeness in me is immediate meaning I like to create something with having a final outcome with in a short window. This works perfect for events as usually you have a day to create a space. After years of dreaming about venue ownership we decided to focus on the direction of what exactly we wanted overall. All venues are beautiful but we really needed to determine the look, location, vibe, time to possibly build, available grants, ideal customers and size are just a few considerations in determining what venue ownership would look like.

For over a year we looked at building the space, land, existing venues and nothing seemed perfect or right. Our market had some historic homes and barns; they served that space well and the need to have yet another venue similar wasn’t appealing. By luck we stumbled across a downtown building in our town that went up for sale. We didn’t give it much thought as we had been in it and it didn’t seem large enough. Our banker actually insisted in us looking at it because she had seen the 10k square feet of unfinished space. After touring the building I was sold. I could envision the space, the walls, the dressing rooms and so much more. It was two mins from our house, it was unique and it allowed us to be a catalyst in our community.

Now that we were sold, we needed to determine how we could buy this building and get an additional loan for the remodel. Like any big project you need a business plan for the bank or for any funding to occur. This was a far larger project than I had ever taken on and we needed help. We met up with Todd Carlisle with the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center. They’re a free service and they will work with you on a business plan that will help provide you with the tools to make sure this is a viable business. Ultimately it is up to you but they help you see some of the costs or details that you didn’t think about.

I then wanted to see if there was any grants available and this is a subject not talked about. You have to search and ask because a bank would rather loan you the money than you get it from another source at a lower interest rate. Many communities throughout Georgia have programs available to grow or revitalize cities or downtown. Our downtown was one of them. The issue is that many have an allocated amount of funds per year or a revolving amount – meaning it is a set amount but as other businesses are paying it back the funds can be reused.

After using all available resources and nearly 6 months later we closed on our project.

Kesha , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

The Burrow Warehouse is a creative blank canvas venue meaning we want to take your vision and bring it to life. We want each event to look unique in style and set up. For as long as I can remember I have been creative and been a master Macgyver. For years I have designed trade show booths and if you know anything about those, they are small and the crates you pack everything are even smaller. You have to creatively think of ways to stand, hang and maximize your space in a very short set-up window.

The creative side of me is natural. From designing to drawing and every event big or small is exciting. I love textures and the little details that set your event apart from the next. I’m most proud that some of my drawings have been sold by Pottery Barn.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Hire a few people like you but hire others that think different and process things in a completely different way. Having team members of all calibers and styles help determine different styles, verbiage used on flyers, ads or even websites but also keeps your team well rounded.

Maintaining high morale happens when you pay your team well, love on them and listen to them. Every person contributes to the success of your business and making sure they see and feel this will only add to the success.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

I definitely think that social media and images sell me as a designer and the venue. Anytime a great photographer can capture my design sells us and validates our talent and space.. Trying to get clients to “imagine” things you are describing or past install/set-ups can be challenging especially if they’re not visual. Having real set-ups and styled shoots allow your potential clients to see your talent, visual ideas and builds trust and excitement. WIN! WIN!

Contact Info:

• Website: burrowwarehouse.com
• Instagram: burrowwarehouse
• Facebook: Facebook.com/burrowwarehouse

Image Credits
Photos- VW- Birds on Wire Navy Pilots – bride and bridal party- Ivory & Lace Dress – Photographt by Malley Victoria Brick wall couple kissing – Love + Legacy Studios