Old Family Dollar building to be event center

The former Family Dollar Store just off Main Street in downtown Luverne will soon be known as a special events place.
Mike and Wanda Jarchow of Luverne recently purchased the 11,500-square-foot former retail and grocery store. The couple plans to remodel the building into a community events center.
“We want it to be a space where the customer walks in and says, ‘This is what we want,’” Mike Jarchow said.
Although the building will be designed with hosting wedding receptions in mind, it will be multi-functional to host other events such as company meetings, family gatherings, fundraisers, auctions or other community events.
Opening of the events center is scheduled in 2016.
Jarchow said they are starting with a blank slate inside the former retail store.
“We are getting our feet wet,” he said. “Doing it right the first time.”
Previously the couple operated Big Top Tent Rentals, and the business allowed them to become familiar with hosting large events. This summer they sold the business to Jordan and Stacey Smidt of Larchwood, Iowa.
 The purchase of a permanent building allows the couple to enjoy the preparation of the event without the time-consuming task of traveling to various venues.
Currently the Jarchows are busy preparing plans to remodel the building. They are working with an events planner as well as talking with lighting and sound specialists. They plan for a large lobby area inside the building and are in the process of purchasing the tables, chairs, flatware and the 1,200 dishes for the facility.
“It’s a process that is a little slower than I want it,” he said.
Before the Jarchows purchased the building, they took into account the need for parking.
“Do you have to park in a massive parking lot in front?” he said. “What’s wrong with walking a block?”
Adjacent to the future events center are 36 parking spaces, with 10 additional spaces in front of the building itself. There are also dozens of parking spaces on the streets surrounding the events center, Jarchow pointed out.
Prior to the Jarchows’ purchase, the building had been empty for the past five years when the Family Dollar Store closed. Originally built in 1976 as a grocery store, the building was also home to Luverne True Value.
Memories of the grocery store Les’ Foodland, and later Jubliee Foods, flood Mike Jarchow who worked in the building as a a teenager. Others also remember.
“They ask me if I am going to wear my gold tie and blue apron,” he said.
While the 1983 Luverne High School graduate won’t be digging out his former work attire, he will be rolling up his sleeves in converting the empty building into being useful to the community again.
Rental pricing is something the couple is still deciding.
However, they have already decided the focus of their new business venture.
“We want to do it as nothing more than a good feeling for Luverne,” Jarchow said.