Photo by Deb Gau Christian Kassa served up samples of roasted potato soup to visitors like Bonnie Allen, during an open house event at The Upper Room on Thursday evening. People came to tour the new business in spite of Thursday’s snowstorms.

MARSHALL — Outside, the snow was falling — but a winter storm wasn’t enough to keep Marshall area residents away from an open house at The Upper Room on Thursday evening. The new wedding and events center had been getting lots of phone calls asking if the open house was still going on, venue coordinator Renee Sanders said.

This week, Knochenmus Enterprises announced that The Upper Room, located on the third floor of the Atlantic Hotel and Mercantile building on Main Street, is now open and accepting bookings for weddings and events. On Thursday, local residents got a chance to tour the event space and enjoy refreshments, as part of the Marshall Area Chamber of Commerce’s regular “Business After Hours” event.

“It’s wonderful to be able to share this with the community,” Sanders said.

Sanders said The Upper Room has already hosted several events, including weddings, as a soft opening. The reaction from people as they see the venue for the first time has been positive, she said.

“You hear an audible gasp,” Sanders said.

“It’s absolutely beautiful,” said Bonnie Allen, one of the visitors who came to the open house event.

The Atlantic Hotel and Mercantile building has been under renovation since 2021, when the Knochenmus family acquired it. The Upper Room took shape on the top floor, while the second floor was renovated into new offices for Ralco. A new restaurant, Atlantic Place, is nearing completion on the first floor.

The vision for The Upper Room came from a desire to have the perfect place to host events like weddings, managing partner Mindy Knochenmus said in a news release this week.

“For years I’ve helped many brides, including my daughter, make their wishes come true, using a variety of spaces and we always had to make compromises on what we wanted,” Knochenmus said. “I’ve long dreamed for a specially designed space where you don’t have to make compromises and now, with The Upper Room we finally have that.”

The Upper Room includes a main ballroom and lounge areas with large windows looking out on downtown Marshall. But there are also features like bride and groom suites, guest rooms, and a family room. Clients planning an event like a wedding can book packages at The Upper Room instead of having to book different spaces separately, Knochenmus said.

“It was important to provide a space that is fully prepared with everything you need. We pay attention to the fine details and treat minor things as major things, so you don’t have to,” she said.

Visitors at Thursday’s open house were impressed by the venue.

“It’s very nice,” Laurel Steen said. There aren’t really other places like The Upper Room in Marshall right now, visitors said.

Recently, more than one business has been looking at creating an events destination in Marshall, said Marshall Area Chamber of Commerce President Brad Gruhot. There’s been The Upper Room’s opening, and 5 Family Ranch also plans to build a rustic-style wedding and events center south of Marshall. Developments like the renovations done at EverSpring Inn & Suites this year also add to the range of local options for holding events, Gruhot said.

The turnout at Thursday night’s open house showed the strength of the public’s interest in The Upper Room, Gruhot said.

“People came out in spite of the snowstorm,” he said.

More information on The Upper Room can be found online at www.theupperroommarshall.com.