A historic East Valley wedding and event venue will re-emerge in a few short weeks with a fresh look and a new name under new ownership.
SoHo63, formerly the Inspirador, will host its first event in late August as a modern, multi-purpose venue for both weddings and corporate events.
SoHo63, 63 E. Boston St., is set to be a vibrant addition to Downtown Chandler with a renewed vision to host much more than just weekend weddings and events. The accommodating venue plans to attract events all week long, including birthday parties, workshops, corporate happy hours, meetings, bachelor/bachelorette parties, baby showers and more.
The 12,000 SF venue was purchased in June by 20-year event industry veteran and local East Valley resident Kate Christensen, CMP, DMCP and her family. Christensen owns three other companies in the events and hospitality industry, the primary business being Katherine Christensen & Associates, Inc. (KCA), a meeting and event management company which has been based in Chandler for 13 years.
In April, the Inspirador abruptly closed when the former owners foreclosed. The Christensen family identified the opportunity to purchase and add the venue to their family of companies.
“While the circumstances are unfortunate, we wanted to save the beautiful facility that has had a very successful history in providing great celebrations for weddings and other social events,” said SoHo63’s Event Curator Megan Schmidt, also the daughter of Kate Christensen.
“We did not want to see it be lost from Downtown Chandler’s historic district. It was important to us to preserve this building for the East Valley, and we are thrilled to be able to do that with SoHo63.”
Schmidt says that it was a priority for the family to maintain the integrity of the hip and historic nature of the building, which was originally built as a hardware store owned by the Stapley family in 1916.
The name, SoHo63, was specifically selected because the word “soho” is associated as a naming convention for things that are new, emerging and repurposed.
With roots deep in the Southeast Valley, the Christensen family is strongly passionate about and committed to the economic development of the local area. They have chosen local vendors to complete the work on the renewed space, and are dedicated to utilizing SoHo63 as a multi-purpose venue in order to bring more business to positively impact the Downtown Chandler area.
“Meeting and event space are at a premium in Chandler, and I’m thrilled to see a company with experience and longevity continue to offer that service in our Downtown,” said Chandler Vice Mayor Jack Sellers. “SoHo63 will be a valuable asset as the area continues to grow and thrive.”
SoHo63 is already working with interested brides and organizations for future events, and is committed to doing whatever they can to work with the contracted brides who were impacted by the Inspirador’s abrupt closure earlier this year.
“We have already worked with and have re-booked one bride who had her contract cancelled previously due to the Inspirador closing its doors,” Schmidt. “We encourage other brides who were previously under contract with the former owner and have not booked their wedding elsewhere to contact us.”
SoHo63 will offer all-inclusive packages for the more “hands-off” bride or organization, and will also allow clients to bring in their own vendors if they enjoy the DIY aspect of creating their event. The venue will feature technological enhancements that make it ideal for corporate meetings and events, such as flat screen TVs, projectors, venue-wide sound system, wireless microphones and more.
For more information visit soho63.com.
