Katie Hinrichs’ phone rang a lot on Monday, April 22.
When the owners of Circle B Weddings and Events unexpectedly closed the venue’s doors via email the previous weekend, there were a number of upset wedding parties worried about hotel bookings at Best Western Plus Isanti, where Hinrich serves as general manager.
“We were one of the first phone calls for a lot of those families,” Hinrichs said. “I talked to a lot of brides and mothers and families those first few days. They were in a stressful situation, so we were glad they called us because we’re here to help.
“We’re in the hospitality business, so we know our job is to find solutions and take care of people. So that’s what we tried to do.”
This local hotel is just one of the local businesses that was impacted by Circle B’s surprising closing. But none of these local businesses expect that impact to be severe enough to cause distress.
Hinrichs said the Best Western Plus Isanti is mostly sold out for the summer, and she is confident the hotel will not be damaged by the closing.
“We have a lot of sold out weekends, and four of those are now open to more bookings,” she said. “But we’re not worried; we’ll fill those rooms.
“We just felt badly for those families. We’re sad that we won’t host them here, but we tried to help them with their needs while trying to help other local businesses.”
Isanti Floral owner Sue Tindal said her shop had only one event that was affected by Circle B’s closing.
“I talked to that bride today, and she said she had found another venue,” Tindal said. “We had an agreement to provide 20 table arrangements for her wedding, and I told her we would do the work on those arrangements for free.
“I know people around here will help where they can.”
Two local caterers — The Kitchen in Cambridge and Granny Mays in Isanti — said they would not suffer any hardship from the closing. Granny Mays still will cater the North 65 Chamber of Commerce Gala and Awards Dinner on May 30; it will move from Circle B to the Braham Event Center.
“I’m impressed with the way the community has rallied around the people affected by this closing,” said Vicky Lefebvre, the owner of The Kitchen. “I would be more than happy to assist in any way I can, and I know a lot of other folks would be happy to do that as well.”
Julie Barnes, the owner of Revival Boutique in Isanti, said her business will continue to provide decor accents such as table decorations, garlands and such.
“I don’t think this will affect our sales in any way I know of,” she said. “I just feel badly for the brides and grooms who have seen this affect their special day.”
Tracy Neifert, who owns Isanti Rental with her husband, Wayne, said their business should remain basically unaffected by the closing.
“We don’t do much there because that venue has a lot of its own stuff,” she said. “But we still feel for the wedding parties and other special events who were affected by that.”
Neifert said she was concerned that the way Circle B closed might have a negative effect on new customers.
“For some items we ask for a down payment,” she explained. “I hope that people aren’t worried that, when we ask for that payment, we’re trying to pull something on them.
“We’re not. We have a customer return policy, and we’re willing to work with customers to make sure we treat them fairly and that they’re satisfied.”
Hinrichs agreed that the city of Isanti and the surrounding area has worked hard to lessen the impact of the closing.
“That Monday was an emotional day, with a lot of phone calls from people in distress,” she said. “We tried to handle those calls with grace and professionalism — and sympathy. We tried to have helpful solutions that would help those families and protect our community as well.
“I am so impressed with how our community came together in support to those affected by such a terrible situation. We hope we can get a chance to host those families here in Isanti for other special occasions.”
To find full story of Circle B Wedding Venue closure, click here.
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