Classic Event Center in Cedar Rapids offers affordable space with lots of parking

When Cale Henderson saw the empty building space in the Town and Country shopping center in southeast Cedar Rapids, he knew right away that it would make a great event rental space.

“I knew there was something fun we could do with this much square footage,” he said.

“We came up with the idea to be able to service large gatherings without breaking the bank. We want to offer people a less expensive option.”

Henderson believes this is one element that sets Classic Event Center apart in the market. The amount of parking is another attractive feature.

“It’s so great that this is right in town and offers a ton of parking which can be unique for this industry,” he said.

Classic Event Center opened in August.

“We built this to be pretty modular,” Henderson said. “Our focus is going to be weddings and large gatherings and things like that, but we have also done a couple of smaller things with music.

“And we have booked some birthday parties and business meetings and things like that.”

The space holds up to 500 people and also offers a bridal suite and a bar.

Clients renting the space are able to work with any caterer they want or even bring in their own food.

Henderson is working on developing a virtual tour of the space for those interested in rentals to preview.

Henderson has spent 20 years working in the food-and-beverage and hospitality industry locally and is excited about how this new venture connects him with people and their special days.

“We just really want to give people the opportunity to create more memories, once-in-a-lifetime memories” Henderson said. “Our slogan is that we are in the memory-making business.”

One of their first events, he recalled, was for a friend’s wedding.

So far Henderson has been working with family and friends to handle the events that have been booked in the space.

“I think at the end of the day, we just wanted to be able to provide Cedar Rapids something that was affordable in the industry,” Henderson said.

“Our mission is to give everybody the option to have an all in experience for their special day or special event.”

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