Vol. 1: The Mackreth Prologue
I believe a party is the peak of living.
I was raised in a world where exciting things – big or small – were accompanied by a celebration with a curated guest list, the “party food” that only really showed up for parties, and a clean house!
Mackreth (n.) MACK-reth. A name British in origin. The name of a one-of-a-kind venue in Raleigh, NC.
The Mackreth is an extension of that worldview built in my childhood – hospitality, sets of china, cozy corners meant for laughter, a giant dining room table, inviting furniture, bold colors, a peaceful respite, core memories stamped in the mind.
The beginning of it all.
In 2021, coming out of COVID, the hospitality industry was trying to recover. As a result, prices for the back room at restaurants, meeting spaces, and wedding venues increased on average of 30% to 40%. As the event planner for my brother and sister-in-law, I kept looking for a particular space – a space that felt like home, was big enough to seat all the bridesmaids at one table, and had all the glassware, flatware, and bonus points if it had china. I wanted to borrow some sweet lady’s house. That’s what I really wanted. I had visions of the bridal party scattered across the house in pockets of cozy seating, simple yet elegant décor, china that didn’t match, but somehow belonged together.
I wanted something that didn’t exist.
Fast forward.
The wedding passed – everything was wonderfully magical, and the wedding was the stuff of dreams – but I couldn’t get this vision of a house out of my head. In fact – the vision was growing.
What if there was a house anyone could rent to throw all types of parties? Not a wedding venue, but a house that was just slightly bigger than your own and intuitively designed for a celebration – for YOUR celebration.
I went deeper.
And the house could be a blank canvas for curated experiences – the foundation for memories that last lifetimes. I want to encourage people to experience the joy of their lives. I want people to have a space that not only allows them…but also makes it easy for them to celebrate the milestones of their lives.
The Mackreth was born.
