The West Events - Coming November 2019!
July 22, 2019 - Treasure Island residents and local business owners Michele Smith and Laurie Davidson-Smith, along with business partner Paul Ingledue, seek to preserve and renovate the building that locals once knew as the Blue Ribbon Laundry at 13435 Gulf Boulevard into The West Events, an industrial-chic, blank-slate event venue to host social and professional gatherings, corporate and non-profit events, private parties, and wedding receptions.
The West Events, slated to be event-ready in November 2019, will offer three distinct rental spaces under one roof. The Blue Ribbon Room, paying homage to the building’s original name, is the main room and the primary rental space of the venue. The Blue Ribbon Room will showcase its original, exposed brick walls, and restored concrete floors, yet will be enhanced by modern design, ambient sound and lighting elements, and comfortable amenities. The West Bar & Terrace, which is included with the main room rental, will boast an indoor-outdoor bar area with access to the venue’s open courtyard, complete with bamboo privacy and sound barrier fencing, as well as a live-plant wallscape and water feature. The third space, The West Wing, which occupies the space once held by the Sea Captain--the oldest bar on the beach, will be renovated to serve as a more intimate space for smaller gatherings.
Co-owner of The West Events, Laurie Davidson-Smith remarked, “While there are a number of event venues in the Tampa/St. Pete area, we saw a need for a space that offered guests not only convenient access to our amazing white-sand beaches, but also access to one of the longest-standing fixtures of our Old Florida neighborhood roots. We want to celebrate the industrial character of this building and provide guests with the versatility to transform the building’s open floor plan into the venue of their dreams.” Co-owner Michele Smith added, “We recently learned that part of the movie Cocoon was filmed here, too, so, in a way, we’re happy to be a part of the newest metamorphosis.”
Smith, a two-time Olympic gold-medalist, and Davidson-Smith are no strangers to seeing the potential in preserving historic buildings that others deem derelict. In fact, this drive to preserve and revitalize led Smith and Davidson-Smith to purchase The Coral Lee Motel and Apartments on Sunset Beach in 2015, then a ramshackle relic of Old Florida, to become what is now Sunset Inn and Cottages, which currently ranks as TripAdvisor’s #1 hotel in Treasure Island. They took the same approach to invest in the renovation of a former gas station in the Grand Central District, which now houses Urban Brew & BBQ. They are also co-owners of 6 West Beach Cottages, which, just steps away from The West Events site, will provide guests with potential lodging accommodations in conjunction with the use of the event space.
The West Events wants clients to have the freedom to hire the vendors of their choice when it comes to professional event services, such as catering, bartending, floral arranging, and event planning. “We want to establish and build relationships with our local top-notch vendors in order to support each other and our community,” comments Davidson-Smith. “By offering open vendor options to our clients, we are providing vendors with many opportunities to shine in their respective fields. We see our space as one that brings people together to celebrate each other regardless of the occasion.”
The West Events is pre-booking now for events scheduled for November 2019 and beyond. For more information about booking an event at The West Events, please visit thewesteventspace.com.
