{"id":74697,"date":"2025-12-31T13:41:11","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T13:41:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/74697\/"},"modified":"2025-12-31T13:41:11","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T13:41:11","slug":"emilys-event-venue-is-a-family-venture-daily-local","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/74697\/","title":{"rendered":"Emily\u2019s Event Venue is a family venture \u2013 Daily Local"},"content":{"rendered":"

Husband and wife team Cecile and Hollis Grimshaw have combined their expertise and passion for historic restoration, real estate, interior decorating and hospitality to open Emily\u2019s Event Venue in Robeson Township.<\/p>\n

The business, which opened at the end of June, is in the former Beckersville Hotel, a historic landmark built in 1826, according to Cecile Grimshaw, who is planning a celebration next year to commemorate the anniversary.<\/p>\n

\"Emily'sEmily\u2019s Event Venue, 3790 Morgantown Road, Robeson Township. (BILL UHRICH\/MEDIANEWS GROUP)<\/p>\n

Able to accommodate up to 100 people, the location is ideal for small weddings, corporate events, conferences, birthday parties and other special occasions, she said. Indoor and outdoor spaces provide versatility and can be refigured to meet the needs of guests.<\/p>\n

While maintaining the historic look of the building, the Grimshaws have made extensive upgrades since purchasing it, including painting, repairs and decorating.<\/p>\n

\u201cHollis is a restoration contractor so we\u2019re able to do everything ourselves,\u201d Grimshaw explained. \u201cI\u2019ve been working on decorating while he handles upgrades and improvements.\u201d<\/p>\n

Interior space is divided into distinctive areas, with a large space on the second floor designated as a suite where brides and bridal parties can prepare for a wedding. A heated, covered deck can accommodate up to 100 people.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe dining room at Emily\u2019s Event Venue, 3790 Morgantown Road, Robeson Township. (BILL UHRICH\/MEDIANEWS GROUP)<\/p>\n

While offering lovely, versatile space, Emily\u2019s Event Venue does not provide food or decorating services.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s up to whoever is renting the space to decorate and arrange for food and drinks,\u201d Grimshaw said. \u201cThey can either use our preferred vendors or whoever they choose.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Varied Past and Ghostly Presence<\/p>\n

Prior to the event space, the building housed Emily\u2019s Restaurant, which was owned and operated for 20 years by Carl DeGrazia before his retirement earlier this year.<\/p>\n

Since its construction, the building, which once was a private residence, also has been known as Richards Hotel, Martha\u2019s Vineyard, The Post Office Inn and Emily\u2019s Pub.<\/p>\n

\"AA photograph of the venue\u2019s namesake is displayed at Emily\u2019s Event Venue, 3790 Morgantown Road, Robeson Township. (BILL UHRICH\/MEDIANEWS GROUP)<\/p>\n

The nod to Emily in the names of the last two establishments refers to a little girl who died while living in the building, Grimshaw explained. The child is said to haunt the building in a good way, manifesting primarily as lights and giggles.<\/p>\n

\u201cHer presence is very friendly,\u201d said Grimshaw, who claims to have witnessed it herself.<\/p>\n

An Evolving Business Model<\/p>\n

While the venue has proved to be popular for parties and other events, the Grimshaw\u2019s business model, with input from family members, continues to evolve.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe entranceway at Emily\u2019s Event Venue, 3790 Morgantown Road, Robeson Township. (BILL UHRICH\/MEDIANEWS GROUP)<\/p>\n

One of couple\u2019s three daughters, Hollie Grimshaw-Williams, who operates a bridal business based in South Jersey, has held several pop-up sales events at Emily\u2019s Events. She also handles social media for the business.<\/p>\n

Another daughter handles the company\u2019s website, while the third, who is an artist, painted murals on the walls enclosing the deck area.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to demonstrate how a family can combine resources and talents to assure a business thrives\u201d Grimshaw said. \u201cEven the grandchildren get involved. We had an open house, and they turned out to be great hosts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking Forward<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, the Grimshaws, who reside in Reading\u2019s Centre Park Historic District, are planning to continue refurbishing the building with new carpeting throughout, a fresh coat of exterior paint, upgraded windows and extensive work on the deck area.<\/p>\n

All the improvements, however, will honor the integrity and history of the old building.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re marketing as a historic venue and we want to keep with that,\u201d Grimshaw explained. \u201cThis venue has a lot of nostalgia, which we think is a good thing. Anyone who appreciates historic charm will love the place.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Emily'sEmily\u2019s Event Venue, 3790 Morgantown Road, Robeson Township. (BILL UHRICH\/MEDIANEWS GROUP)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Husband and wife team Cecile and Hollis Grimshaw have combined their expertise and passion for historic restoration, real…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":74614,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[349,60,182,28,128,130,129,12748,3801],"class_list":["post-74697","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-reading","tag-berks-county","tag-business","tag-local-news","tag-pennsylvania","tag-reading-city","tag-reading-city-headlines","tag-reading-city-news","tag-robeson-township","tag-top-stories-dln"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74697","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74697"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74697\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74614"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74697"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74697"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}