The Stella offers a different alternative for event hosting

The Stella is a new and older place in Downtown Jackson.

The building itself was built in 1869 at what is now the corner of Church and College streets.

For the past few years, it was the home of LD2 Consignment Shop, but the owners of that shop decided to move, leaving the space vacant.

Julie Holt, who serves on the Jackson City Council, is a realtor in town. Being friends with the former owners of the building, she quietly let investor friends know of an opportunity in Downtown Jackson.

“I talked to a few local people, but I also talked to a few non-local people who are in other areas and have been in the business of flipping buildings and making new businesses out of them in other cities for years,” Holt said. “A lot of my friends think Jackson is a prime place to do that kind of flipping, so I had a few who were interested in it.”

One group was interested in it to the point that a deal was about to close, before an investor pulled out less than a week before scheduled closing.

“That left another friend of mine, Nina Lampley, in a bind because she was the only investor in the group still wanting to do something with it,” Holt said. “So I told her I would go in with her on it.”

Lampley named the building “The Stella” after her grandmother who’d recently died.

The transformation for the building has been fairly drastic.

The color scheme for LD2 was mostly brown. The new ownership group darkened the room to provide more adaptability for and event space.

“It’s darker in color, but there are more ways to brighten the environment,” Holt said. “There are chandeliers and different lighting systems, so if you want a bright event in there, that’s possible.”

The layout of the room has changed as well with new bars being assembled and points of sale areas from LD2 being taken out.

“This is definitely a different space with an old 1920s speakeasy feel to it, and I think that’s what Jackson needs,” Holt said. “There are a lot of similarities in the event spaces we already have.

“There are a number of barns and community centers and things like that, and there’s nothing wrong with them. But if you’re looking for something different, I think the Stella offers that for an event.”

Brandon Shields, brandon@jacksonpost.news