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Renovations to a former bank building downtown have paved the way for the planned opening of a new event space in the city of Amsterdam.
Crystal Jones plans to open the next location of her existing event planning business on the ground floor of 27-31 Main St.
The plans for Crystal’s Events in the former KeyBank building owned by Cranesville Properties, LLC were easily approved by the Planning Commission last week.
“It sounds great,” Chairwoman Sandy Griffin said.
The board actually greenlit the plans once before in 2022, but the building was undergoing extensive renovations at the time and the prior approval for the event business lapsed before the overall work was complete.
“We just love that we’re finally here,” Jones said.
Crystal’s Events is a venue rental and event planning business for all occasions, including birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, business gatherings and community events.
“We can do it all,” Jones said.
Clients traveling from the area to hold events at her existing location at the ViaPort mall in Rotterdam led Jones to pursue the additional venue in Amsterdam.
“It’s now becoming like the hub station of all the neighboring counties for people to come and do events,” Jones said.
There’s also been a surge in interest to bring people together to mark special occasions following the COVID pandemic, Jones said.
“Now people really know how precious time is and how wonderful it is to celebrate with people that you care [about] and love,” she said.
Although fire officials had yet to issue the maximum occupancy for the roughly 4,000-square-foot space, Jones said Crystal’s Events typically hosts events for up to around 100 guests, mostly scheduled on weekends.
“When I plan it around enough tables and chairs and … enough space for people to dance and celebrate, that’s usually what I like to keep it to,” Jones said.
Beyond contacts from her existing location in Schenectady County, Jones has vetted and established relationships with local caterers, bakers, photographers and DJs who can provide services by referral at the new space in Amsterdam.
It’s a way to support other local businesses and be part of the community while providing quality service to clients, Jones indicated.
Parking will be available in assigned spaces in the lot at the building and nearby at the Riverfront Center Mall, which is also owned by Cranesville Properties. Shuttle service will be provided from the mall to the downtown event space through a contract with a transportation company.
“I did all the contracts and made all the relationships so that, when this time was ready, I could hit the ground running,” Jones said.
Although the ground floor event space is below apartments in the seven-story building, Jones worked closely with the building owners to ensure there was adequate soundproofing to prevent disturbances to tenants from events.
“We even tested it out where you can’t hear any type of, like, DJ music or anything,” Jones said. “We’re not trying to interfere with people’s daily lives.”
Early morning and late night events will be avoided. An attendant and security staffer will be on-hand at all events and will help direct traffic during larger occasions, she noted.
“Most of the time, like you’re going to … see people getting married and see people celebrate life,” Jones said. “So that brings, still, a sense of enjoyment to others, as long as we’re not inconveniencing people.”More Top Stories:
