​Putting the love back into old Rasen building

Co-owner of the former Jossals, Jo Parsons has transformed the interior of the building in Queen Street into a showcase for her new wedding and events business. Having worked in hospitality for most of her working life, Jo said she wasn’t ready to retire and so has taken on a franchise with Ambience Venue Styling.

She said: “We [Jossals] did a lot of outside catering events and I always enjoyed doing the finishing touches and chatting to the customers to make sure their event was what they wanted.

"As I still needed to eek out a living, I felt this was something I could really do well, but it would have been a lot to go out on my own. However, have the backing of this national company as an independent venue stylist is the best of both worlds.”

The world of weddings is fast changing and Jo says that being part of the franchise means she can keep up with trends, having access to a vast warehouse of accessories.

She added: “I just love it – being able to talk to couples about their big day. They are buying into a service and buying into me. It is great to work with them as a team and help take the stress out of it all to give them their dream wedding.

“Another really important thing at the moment is being eco-friendly and reusing items – and that is exactly what happens, everything can be reused and repurposed, whether that is from the individual ceremony to the reception or between events."

Jo hopes to expand the service she can offer by working with other suppliers, as well as looking at developing the stationery and signage side with Ambience’s exclusive range. She also hopes to get into the corporate event world

However, what makes the business even more special for Jo herself is the fact she is doing it all out of a building that has a lot of memories for her. She said: “We don’t want another empty building in town. Buildings need to be kept alive, so it is lovely to be able to still use our building here. Currently, it is all by appointment only, but I am planning to open a couple of days a week going forward.”