Daily Inspiration: Meet Julie Ballentyne

Today we’d like to introduce you to Julie Ballentyne.

Hi Julie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
My husband started doing Gun Shows at the Big Tin Cotton Gin. The weekend before his show, I came down to look at the place so that I knew where I was going. The first thing I said when I walked in was, “This would be an awesome place for a Wedding Venue.” We became friends with the owner, and I told her how incredible her place was. In September 2018, she offered it to us. We (my son Kevin and I, partners) signed the papers on Wednesday, January 16, 2019, and on Thursday, we had vendors come in to set up for a Craft Market that was happening that weekend. We did the Craft Market in January, February, March, and April. After that, we closed down and did some cleaning and remodeling. We tried to use as much of the original material as possible so that it stayed within the history of the building. We even used some of the Ductwork to plug in 2 air conditioning units in the tunnel so the air came through the floor. It took us until September to finish everything we did which took us to the week before our first wedding. After that, we were off and running. When COVID hit, we shut down for the 2 months that the state was closed, which gave us time to do some more cleaning and finish things that we couldn’t get done before we started the weddings. The weekend the state opened back up, we had a 3-day Gun Show, and then we were off and running with Weddings and other Events. Today, we are lucky enough to do weddings, proms, gun shows, baby showers, bridal showers, graduation parties, and whatever event you can think of. We are very blessed to be able to do what we do in an incredible building.

Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
We are blessed that it has been pretty smooth.

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We are an event center. We cater to each client’s events. We do everything from birth to death and everything in between. We are known for making our clients feel like part of the family we created, and that we are honored to host their event. I am most proud of the staff I have serving alongside my family, who is always there when I need a little help and me. What sets us apart from others is that we truly care about each of our clients and truly love what we are doing.

What are your plans for the future?
Our plans are to continue to do what we are doing and strive to improve. There are no big changes in the future except more of a variety of events.

Contact Info:

• Website: mosoevents.com
• Instagram: bigtincottongin
• Facebook: The Big Tin Cotton Gin and Event Center