Q&A with Strong Roots Event Space: bringing in the outdoors

MONROE — Mr. and Mrs. Kelly Poupard want to bring the outdoors to weddings, graduation parties, and more. Strong Roots Event Space recently opened after three years of work trying to make it a reality. The Monroe News got to talk with the Poupards about their new business and how they hope to use it for the Monroe community.

Editor's Note: As Mr. and Mrs. Poupard share the same first name spelled identically they shall be referred to as Mr. and Mrs. throughout the article.

When did the space officially open?

Mr: It was September of 2023 we got township approval. We couldn’t open until we had the final approval from them. We started marketing and advertising in October of ’23.

(And you had the construction done before or after?)

Mr: So we worked with the township through several permits and several planning processes, but it ended in September, so we worked with them a lot in 2023 for all the different permits and zoning stuff.

(So you’ve been open how long?)

Mrs: Since this season, essentially. This is our first season running, since the first weekend of May.

How’s business been?

Mrs: It’s been good so far. We surpassed our goals for our first year, so we set goals for ourselves and did better than anticipated so we’re really happy about that.

Mr: And it seems like each time we’re learning, we’re growing, and we’re getting good feedback and we’re trying to make changes to do the best we can.

What was the process of coming to the area and making an event space?

Mr: So it was really a team decision, a team effort, and I think the big thing was… I owned a tent rental business, Poupard Tent Rental, for a long time now, since high school. And this was really our next step to create some freedom for us and to really bring the whole wedding and the whole event space for Monroe County and what we thought we could offer.

Mrs: (Mr.) has been a Monroe native his whole life. I’m been here for the past 10 years, but that’s kind of why. So, we were already here, prior to coming up with this idea and we saw how beautiful our property was and wanted to share it with others.

Mr: And we felt like there’s a huge need in this area. We travelled out of the state for our wedding and we wanted to create a space that we could have that outdoor feel and have all the amenities and things that make us different, but still be in our hometown. We feel like there aren’t a lot of spaces like this. We wanted to create that space for other people.

What do you feel is unique about your spot compared to others in the area?

Mr: We feel like we bring a little bit of the agricultural side, a little more of the outdoor setting than some other places. But there’s some beautiful event spaces, some new ones popping up that we’re sharing resources and sharing resources (to) as we’re booked.

Where did the whole idea come from?

Mr: I’ve been setting up tents for 20 years, I’ve set up tens of thousands of tents typically smaller in scale than this, but that was our next step of… You know, we’re hauling these tens of thousands of pounds worth of equipment to other people’s houses, why can’t we do it here and let them come to us? It becomes a little bit easier from the logistical side of setup and things of that nature. That was kind of where our mind was; we really want to create some freedom for our family and be able to be home more.

How do you set up expectations for an endeavor like this?

Mr: I think research and past knowledge are the two most important factors. We research all the venues around us, we’ve done many tours, and (we’re) learning how those operate, learning how much they’re booked, how much they’re not booked, so we can understand the need there is. If every venue around you is booked, then that probably means there’s probably room for more. If all of them are open availability that means we may have some struggles there.

Mrs: And even, like… we’re of the age when a lot of people, a lot of our friends, are getting married, so they’re a telltale sign as well. They’re like, “Oh, I really wanted to be here in Monroe, but I’ve got to travel an hour because I couldn’t just find what I wanted.” So even hearing those stories and meeting with those couples we can tell there’s an opportunity for that here.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Q&A with Strong Roots Event Space: bringing in the outdoors