Today we’d like to introduce you to Robyn Lytle

Hi Robyn, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?

I graduated college with a Journalism degree, knowing I did not want to actually go into journalism. I bounced between marketing jobs and sales jobs for about 8 years before deciding I wanted to work for myself and start my own business. My wife worked as a wedding photographer at the time, and on the weekends I would work with her as her second shooter. We loved exploring unique properties and buildings all over Chicagoland–the photography work allowed us access to so many awesome Chicago buildings. We decided we would love to own our own venue, and we started working towards that. I started my event planning company, and we started looking for the right property to be home to our business. We knew we wanted to create a space that was unlike any other in the City. We searched for about a year until we found an old auto garage–it was perfect, although it needed massive amounts of work. After about 14 months of construction, we had completed our project. We now have been running The Lytle House for almost 8 years, and we are just completing construction on our newest venue, located outside of the City in Downers Grove, IL. We love the photography and events industry, and we are thrilled we were able to make it our career!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

New construction and purchasing a building is never easy. Finding funding was incredibly difficult–we talked to over 50 banks and lenders until we found someone who really believed in us and trusted our business plan. They are now a solid partner in what we have been able to accomplish and why we have been able to expand into a second location. There were definitely times when we didn’t think we would be able to get this done unless we funded it ourselves in phases–which would have taken years. We are so glad we found the right bank.

As you know, we’re big fans of In The Middle Corp. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?

My business is an event planning business, and I own The Lytle House and The Lytle Auditorium with my wife. Being an event planner and also a venue owner, means that my clients have my attention and are my priority no matter what. My goal is take the stress out of wedding planning and to truly give my clients the help they need so that they can enjoy the planning process and especially enjoy their wedding day. We purposely do not have any employees, because no one cares about your business like the owner does. I only trust myself to take care of them and live up to the high standards I know they expect.

What do you like and dislike about the city?

I love the food, the different cultures, the beach, the street festivals. I love that each neighborhood has its own personality. What I like least….the crime has gotten a bit out of control lately. It’s sad to see all the hatred towards cops who are trying their best to protect this City, but they aren’t supported so criminals are just let back onto the streets.

Pricing:

• Peak Season Pricing is $5k-$7 depending on Fri, Sat or Sun
• Off Season Pricing is $3k-$5k depending on Fri, Sat, Sun
• “Ditch the Courthouse” Ceremony Packages includes officiant and photographer for $2000

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thelytlehouse.com
• Instagram: @thelytlehouse
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-lytle-house-chicago