A long-time Milwaukee-area wedding and event planner is planning to purchase and renovate a vacant building in downtown West Allis for an event and meeting space.
Janelle Meyer-Brown, owner of the event and design company Evenement, LLC, has an approved offer to purchase the 12,293-square-foot former Wedding Centre building at 7140-44 W. Greenfield Ave.
She is planning to develop the 7,200-square-foot basement level and the 7,200-square-foot first floor into event space. The 6,000-square-foot second floor will become a combination of event space along with seating for potential business meetings.
The middle of the second and third floors will be cut out to allow for a grand staircase with a large chandelier which would hang down and be visible from all floors.
Meyer-Brown received approval from the City of West Allis to rezone the property this week for a special use. She hopes to purchase the building within 90 days and immediately begin renovations for a summer opening.
“This is my dream,” she said.
Overall, the plan is to give the interior a classic “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” feel, Hollywood glam and old classic elegance in the heart of West Allis, Meyer-Brown said.
Meyer-Brown has spent 25 years as an event planner. She was the general manager and director of catering for Bartolotta Catering at Pier Wisconsin, which she opened in 2005.
She left Bartolotta in 2011 to open her own business. Meyer-Brown and her staff of five part-time employees have been working out of their homes, and renting space in Wauwatosa that they have used as a showroom.
“We’ve been looking for almost four years for a venue,” Meyer-Brown said. “We came close to buying a place in Waukesha, but West Allis is the new up and coming place. We decided to take a risk and go for it.”
