Community Highlights: Meet Courtney Kelly of The Delaware

Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtney Kelly.

Hi Courtney, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I lost my dad unexpectedly while in college – shaking up the plans and directions I had for my life. I decided shortly after to intern with a Kansas City wedding coordinator, which had been a dream of mine but felt very out of my comfort zone.

The experience was so wonderful and guided me and my family to open Delaware. I am so grateful for that internship opportunity and what it taught me about the industry. I shortly after returning to school, changed my BA from Education to Business while we simultaneously renovated what had been an auto shop for nearly 100 years into an industrial, chic event space.

I have learned so much about who I am as a person and leader through the ups and downs of the process and can’t imagine our life any other way!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
While it seemed like the renovation and business opening would be straightforward, it was a much longer process than we anticipated, with many ups and downs.

The building has been in our family for nearly 60 years and has great, historical bones so our heart was to maintain as many of the original features as possible. However, we found ourselves constantly pivoting during the renovation process to adhere to codes and to focus on the new purpose of the building: A wedding and event space.

The needs of event space are very different than a vintage auto shop! We wanted to take our time and think through the future needs of our clients, and we’re so glad that we slowed down the process for this reason.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Delaware?
A vintage auto shop from the 1920s, Delaware is an industrial-chic venue in a community full of rich history and new life. The proprietors’ family, having run the auto shop for nearly fifty years, lived off Delaware Street – a block from President Harry S. Truman’s home.

In 1923, the family began the Independence Bottling Company, known as Polly’s Soda Pop, just west of the Square. Their heart for Independence has passed on with each generation – allowing Delaware to carry on the family tradition in a current way that serves its’ community. After two years of renovations, the historic building re-opened in March-2018 for its’ first wedding in Delaware.

A raw event space – this minimal, clean, and modern venue was created for any type of creative gathering. We count it as an honor to play host our community’s gatherings and special events and are proud of the experience and atmosphere our team has built that welcomes our clients and their loved ones to celebrate.

We are excited to announce the opening of our coffee shop this spring that will be housed in our front lobby + bar area! We hope to create a bridge for our community to connect and grow closer through this new venture.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lesson I’ve learned in our six-year journey (four in operation) is to surrender my control and perfectionism for the expectations I have for the business and direction.

While vision is necessary and such a key element, I’ve learned to trust in the process and that the progress is often slow, small, and organic. I found myself frustrated early on in the renovations, but I’ve shifted my perspective to one of gratitude for the space we have been able to create, the team that supports our little business, and the wonderful clients we have the opportunity to celebrate.

We knew early on that we wanted to offer a coffee experience, so it’s very exciting to see this venture begin to emerge after several years of dreaming and waiting for the right moment.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: thedelawarekc.com
• Instagram: @thedelaware.kc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedelawarekc

Image Credits
Moriah Ruth Photography, Haley James Photography, Beginning and End Photo Beth Solano