Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Murphy.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
The wedding and event industry came into my life as a “happy accident”, as Bob Ross would say. I have always been a dreamer and love designing and would frequently help my mom with events and family parties. My mom was head of the PTO at my elementary/middle school for several years, so I began to learn about the planning and behind-the-scenes aspects of events at a young age. My parents were business owners who inspired me to want to be a business owner as well.
I then graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business from Jacksonville University and met my husband on a clay shooting team there. As we went through the process of planning our wedding, my love for weddings and the event industry seemed to dawn on me. I met fantastic vendors during the process, some of which I can now call good friends. Jimmy and I had a true fairytale wedding because of the vendor team who made it happen. The wedding had around 400 guests with an extravagant floral design dreamed up and seeing everything come to life made me realize a passion for event design and planning. My husband and I planned to move to his hometown in Texas, where he had a great job. My ultimate passion is horses, so Texas seemed like a perfect place for us to settle down.
At the same time, my family was in the process of designing an industrial-style building that would become a unique car gallery and classic/rare car dealership in downtown St. Augustine. The building was almost completed at the time of our wedding and life led us to stay in this beautiful historic city where I would start a wedding and event business at this new building. We changed some final details to create a nice venue flow, and the 1900’s inspired architecture of the building drew people in. This building became the home of three businesses: my brother’s car dealership and gallery, an auto racing team’s home shop and of course, a wedding/event venue. The car gallery was named Art ‘n Motion, and the venue was named The Assembly Room.
As this building was close to completion, we discussed the pros and cons that I experienced as a recent bride looking at local venues (or in friend’s weddings) and decided that parking was an important convenience to provide. St. Augustine is historical with small roads, so parking is often extremely limited. This led us to purchase the property next to us that would be used as a parking lot for events and car shows, which then led us to the Old Florida Museum that was connected (by ownership) to the parking lot property. Long story short, the property owner was ready to move, and the museum had a barn on it. We decided to take a leap with the museum property and renovated it into an elegant and rustic barn and garden venue with an old Florida feel. This barn venue was revamped and renamed as The Carriage House. With the ASSEMBLY Room and the Carriage HOUSE under my belt, I founded HOUSE of ASSEMBLY Events as the owner of both venues.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Starting a business is always an exciting and scary thing. I have been extremely blessed with a supportive and inspiring family and path that made starting a business not as scary or challenging as it may be for others. However, this does not mean there have not been obstacles and challenges. Purchasing an already-established business and rebranding was a major challenge. When we purchased the barn venue, we needed to renovate and rebrand to what we envisioned it could be. During this process, I experienced financial, emotional, logistical, and any other business-related challenge that you can think of while trying to rebrand the property’s reputation into a venue that would attract the clientele we wanted. This meant we had to shut down for over two months for the big renovations.
At the same time, I was experiencing and figuring out how to start a business from scratch and everything that involves- small business laws, building a website and marketing strategy, managing two brick and mortar properties, financial priorities, designing packages to sell, etc. while also taking over the barn’s clients from the previous business and having new customers and vendors already attempting to contact me about the new venue. The new venue is also challenging since it is home to two other businesses, so event logistics are a lot more complicated at this location on an everyday basis. Then, as I started to get my mojo- COVID hit. I don’t think I need to hit on those obstacles, but it was a stressful learning experience for sure. Needless to say, being a young business owner has its challenges as well. But these challenges and obstacles only made me grow stronger as a business owner at a faster pace, so I’d say they are all a blessing in disguise.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Doubling as the owner and event director of House of Assembly Events LLC., I aspire to help every client’s unique event vision come to life. I love many aspects of this industry- the design of the venues and the never-ending ideas on how to improve the property and business, event and floral design, meeting people from all over the world who have come to our little old destination-wedding town, building relationships and being a part of special days and moments in people’s lives. Even when we have stressful moments (thanks, COVID), I’m so happy my path took a turn leading to this career. I specialize in weddings but enjoy being a part of all kinds of special events. We have been lucky enough to be the venue host of celebrations of all kinds, fundraising events, business and club events, fashion shows, auctions, photoshoots, etc. and have been featured in big-name commercials and television series. We offer all kinds of wedding and event packages to try to suit all types of events and budgets.
As a business, I strive for us to be recognized as a good balance of professional yet personable. I want clients to feel like they are important and not just a customer. I also aspire to help the wedding industry cheer each other on and help each other as a community through networking and collaborating, rather than be competitive and secretive. This job is challenging and frustrating but so fulfilling and full of fun, love, and beauty. This career compliments my “dreamer” personality in so many ways, and I couldn’t thank Everyone along the way enough for helping me get to where I am and continue to grow.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Have an open mind, but stick to your gut and your vision for your business. Start by putting yourself out there- join social media groups, research other similar businesses, reach out to them and ask questions, visit others in person, go to networking events, etc. Networking and finding a good mentor is like dating. You will find people that are easy for you to communicate with, dream with, learn from and grow with, You will also find some that do not suit your personality or needs, and that’s OK.
I also learned that saying “No” to joining lots of groups or doing cheap/free services to get your business name out there is Necessary. Doing charity work is great sometimes, but don’t let people intimidate you into doing things that don’t help you grow. What has worked well for me is socializing/networking with others and trying to relate to them in ways that we can help each other grow… in other words, collaborating. Maybe they have already been through something that you are struggling with, or vice-versa. I believe that building others up will eventually help you and that being super competitive or secretive in your success will not create a good reputation. Stay true to yourself, don’t be shy, do your research, and never stop dreaming.
Contact Info:
- Email: erin@houseofassemblyevents.com
- Website: https://houseofassemblyevents.com/
- Instagram: @assemblyroomevents @oldtowncarriagehouse
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/staugvenues
- Other: https://www.alignable.com/saint-augustine-fl/house-of-assembly-events
