Bell Event Studio
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 9 months AGO
Christine Villareal-Ontiveros (right) and Nina Garza arrange flowers at Bell Event Studio on April 4. The facility was still in the process of being remodeled, to be ready in time for events April 8 and 9.
JOEL MARTIN/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
A table decked out in wedding white at Bell Event Studio. The new business works to provide stress-free event options for clients.
A decorated table with a spring theme at Bell Event Studio. The venue offers an array of decorations and centerpieces, co-owner Christine Villareal-Ontiveros said.
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | April 14, 2022 1:20 AM
MOSES LAKE — Some people really love to plan parties. And some people, well, really don’t. The ladies at Bell Event Studio aim to take the stress off the latter group.
“We want to be a one-stop-shop,” said Christine Villareal-Ontiveros, co-owner of the business, located at 108 W. Third Ave. in Moses Lake. “We decided to offer … a party venue that also offered full decorating and staff services such as cleaning, security, and waitstaff.”
In other words, she explained, Bell Event Studio will go beyond just renting the venue. Villareal-Ontiveros envisions a place where people planning weddings, birthday parties, baby showers and other festive events can turn the stressful parts over to someone else.
In other words, patrons can just come in and say, “I want a party,” and the staff will do the rest.
“I think weddings are fun, because they're the ones that are usually going to have a dance and it's more festive,” said Villareal-Ontiveros. “But then, baby showers are fun, because they're pretty relaxed. We like decorating for all events. And we get just as excited as the customer because we enjoy putting the party together. It's not stressful for us ... Which is why we decided this would be a good idea. Because it's something that we actually like to do.”
Bell Event Studio is owned by Villareal-Ontiveros and her cousin Dyanis Hernandez-Bello. The name is in honor of Villareal-Ontiveros’ mother, Belkys Villareal, who passed away four years ago, she said. Hernandez-Bello is one of those people with a talent for decorating and party planning, Villareal-Ontiveros said, while she handles the administrative end of things. She also owns a hair salon, she said, so she’s well suited to that aspect of the business. The events center opened to the public April 15-16 with a popup selfie museum, where visitors can pose for photos with a variety of backdrops.
Bell Event Studio is based in a downtown Moses Lake building that can accommodate 130 people sitting down to a meal or 200 for a dance. The venue has lights, decorations and speakers, as well as accessories like a fog machine and karaoke system. They can also arrange parties off-site, she added, at the client’s home or church.
In addition to that, Villareal-Onitveros said, Bell Event Studio can subcontract catering, wait service, lighting and decorations, live music or a deejay, wedding cakes, photographers and a bar, either no-host or open.
“If you want to just do something simple, we charge hourly based on the number of guests,” Villareal-Ontiveros said.
The business also does bundle deals.
“If we decorate and do other services, your rental fee gets lower. So we do hourly rent, based on number of guests, because that's gonna determine how many tables we have to pull out for the facility itself. All rentals include three tables, chairs and table cross, and then you can just kind of add on: centerpieces, backdrops, a bartender or security - or whatever.”
It’s a good arrangement all around, Villareal-Ontiveros said, because the venue can give leads to other small business owners, Bell Event Center can host a better event and the client can sit back and enjoy the party.
“Like if a decorator were to say, ‘Hey, I found a party. Can I come decorate it?’ I win, because I got the rent for the party. And they win because they make money off the decor. Everybody's happy, because they get the best. Same with the deejay. ‘Hey, somebody wants to have a party. We don't know where to go, Can I do it there? Or vice versa, ‘Hey, I have the party, but I don't have the deejay. Let's work together.’ It's a win-win for everyone.”
Joel Martin may be reached at jmartin@columbiabasinherald.com.
ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Chess tournament sharpens wits in Ephrata
Annual strategic competition set for February 1
EPHRATA — A hundred young players will go head-to-head – and brain-to-brain – at the Waypoint Foundation Scholastic Chess Tournament in Ephrata Feb. 1. This is the 18th year the tournament has been held at Parkway Elementary School. said Troy Pugh, who created and manages the tournament with his brother Roger Pugh. This year, Pugh said, the foundation has added online registration for the first time. There were 89 players registered Tuesday morning, he said, which is the fastest it’s ever filled up. “Usually, we don’t get to 89 until the week of the event,” he said.
Royal City honors retiring public works director
ROYAL CITY — The City of Royal City said goodbye to longtime Public Works Director John Lasen with a small retirement party Friday at City Hall. “For years and years, it seemed like Royal City was the same forever and ever,” Royal City Mayor Michael Christensen said at the celebration. “But in these last 10 years in particular, we've seen some considerable change, and John has been a significant part of that, helping see the vision and oversee some of the big projects that we've done.”
Lavender donation honors late food bank director
MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Food Bank received a different kind of donation Thursday. Joe Downs, owner of Lavender Ranch near Quincy, donated 70 bundles of lavender to Community Services of Moses Lake in memory of Peny Archer, the food bank’s director who passed away earlier this month. Each bundle has a photo of Archer on it.