EP #71 Tables, Chairs, Tears: How a Party Space Became a Lifeline

A local venue with a global truth: when a space is built with purpose, people feel it. We sit down with Megan Stewart of REIGN The Venue to uncover how a daughter’s caregiving mission became a gathering place that’s transparent, flexible, and relentlessly welcoming. From weddings and quinceañeras to baby showers and community events, REIGN streamlines the hard parts—pricing, planning, and logistics—so hosts can actually enjoy their day.

Megan walks us through the heartbeat of the business: clear, upfront packages that fit real budgets, a tour-first approach to tailor the room to the moment, and thoughtful details that remove friction. Think built-in sound with an iPad for playlists, a projector for slideshows, a stage for toasts, and an outdoor area for extra breathing room. Caterers aren’t left guessing, either—REIGN’s retrofitted prep trailer provides the sanitation and staging space so service flows without a full kitchen. Add in a vendor list, decor-driven Platinum options with photo or 360 booths, and you’ve got a venue that adapts to you, not the other way around.

We also tackle the practical questions planners care about most: real parking options near Caroline Street and Princess Anne, flexible tech for those skipping a DJ, and why transparent pricing prevents heartbreak. Megan’s path—supported by the City of Fredericksburg, the Chamber, and the Virginia Black Chamber—doubles as a how-to for entrepreneurs who think their dream might be “too big.” Her passion for PCOS advocacy and weekend Harley rides rounds out a profile of a founder who builds with courage and leads with care.

If you’re planning an event in Fredericksburg or just love stories of community-powered business, this one’s for you. Subscribe for more local brand spotlights, share with a friend who’s venue-hunting, and leave a quick review to help others find the show.

Megan Stewart

REIGN  the Venue

reignthevenue.com

[e-mail]

[phone]

1409 Princess Anne St, Fredericksburg, VA, United States, Virginia

Episode Transcript

Speaker 00 (00:01):
This is the Fredericksburg Neighbors
Podcast, the place where localbusinesses and neighbors come
together.
Here's your host, Dori Stewart.

Speaker 02 (00:12):
Welcome back to another episode of the FXBG
Neighbors Podcast, where weshare the stories of our
favorite local brands.
Joining me today, we have MeganStewart with REIGN the Venue.
Megan, welcome to the podcast.

Speaker 01 (00:32):
Yeah, thank you so much, Dori.
And I mean, I love the lastname.

Speaker 02 (00:36):
Yes, yes.
We've got the Stewart's heretoday representing.
Awesome.
Well, I'm excited to get toknow you and learn about your
business.
So let's start there.
Share with us a little bitabout REIGN the Venue.

Speaker 01 (00:53):
Yeah, absolutely.
So um started REIGN the Venueand what we're going on two
years now.
So last January, not this pastJanuary, but last January, we
opened had the grand opening ofREIGN the Venue.
And REIGN is just a space forum, you know, anybody to host
any sort of event.
Um, we're talking birthdays,we've had a ton of weddings, um,

(01:17):
quinetas, um, we have had babyshowers, all sorts of stuff has
happened here at REIGN.
So we really wanted to make aspace that like anybody can can
you know host an event here.

Speaker 02 (01:32):
I love the flexibility of the space and how
you're able to accommodatemultiple different types of
events.
I love that.
Yeah, absolutely.
Well, congratulations onhitting that two-year milestone.
That's a big deal.
Congratulations.
Thank you.
So tell us about yourbackstory.
I'd love to hear your journeyand what led you to start REIGN

(01:55):
the Venue.

Speaker 01 (01:56):
Yeah, so REIGN actually came about kind of um
not like focused thought, right?
So um my mother actually hasdementia.
And in that, my grandmotheralso had dementia as well, um,
passed away a couple of yearsago.

(02:18):
And my mom's healthcare um kindof like told her that she
wasn't going to be, she wasn'tgoing to qualify for in-home or
out-of-home care because of herpre-existing dementia.
So, with that, like I saw myaunt go through a lot of
struggles when it came down tocaring for my my grandmother

(02:41):
in-home and um a lot ofstruggles and a lot of financial
kind of, you know, put puttingputting her back some steps.
So I really wanted to havesomething that could bring in
some added um finances for usjust to make sure that I can
keep my mother at home um duringher journey with dementia.

(03:03):
Um, REIGN has definitely so Iabsolutely appreciate like the
Fredericksburg community, um,Stafford community, everybody
that has come together to, youknow, host events here because
it's there is a purpose behindum the funds that we we receive.
Like they're going to beingable to care for my mom.

Speaker 02 (03:23):
Wow.
Wow.
Well, I'm really sorry to hearabout your mom and your
grandmom, but uh what startedout as a side hustle has turned
out to be um good for both yourfamily and the community.
So um, yeah.
So uh there's there's good thathas come out of Reign the
Venue.
I love I love that so much.

(03:43):
So let me ask you this.
Do you find that there are anymyths or misconceptions about
either the industry or aboutyour business?

Speaker 01 (03:55):
Yeah, um, so I would say kind of a misconception is
people often come to me andthey're like, How in the world
did you do this?
Like this is so big.
This is so, it's at a levelthat people can't grasp, that
they could do it themselves.
Um I think that like if you putyour mind to it, you most

(04:19):
definitely can.
Um the starting of REIGN, ofcourse, you know, taking the
steps was not easy, but if youuse your community, um, let's
see, City of Fredericksburg,they were a help.
Um, Fredericksburg Chamber wasa help.
Um uh Virginia Chamber, BlackChamber were they were helps.
Like everybody that I reachedout to to get guidance in

(04:43):
starting REIGN was absolutelyamazing.
So um I think that any businessthat you start here in in the
Fredericksburg area, you justneed to know who to reach out to
for assistance.

Speaker 02 (04:55):
Yeah, that's a great lesson and great advice to use
your resources that areavailable to you and reach out
and ask for guidance andassistance.
And there's so many people inthe community that love to help
small businesses.
Yeah, absolutely.
So walk me through a little bitof the process if someone is

(05:18):
looking at renting event space.
I I was doing a little bit ofstalking on your website because
I am in the process of planningan event myself.
And so you it it seems thatit's more than just a space.
So walk me through uh, youknow, someone who might be
interested in renting a spaceand and what all you offer.

Speaker 01 (05:40):
Yeah, absolutely.
So um, of course, like you canfind us on all social media
platforms.
Um, that's normally uhsurprisingly, Instagram is where
we get a lot of our clientsfrom.
So um, somebody from Instagramwill go to the website.
Um, I try and be verytransparent.
Um I don't find it easy whenlike I have to go searching for

(06:04):
information on a business,whether it's their contact
information or their pricing,all of that stuff.
So I try to make things verysimple.
So on our website has all thepricings and packages.
Um, we do request that ifyou've never been to REIGN ,
that you come for a tour.
So somebody could book a tourum on our website.

(06:24):
And we have three um tourhosts, myself, Sharice Payton
and Michelle Reddick are all umtour hosts.
So during a tour, we kind ofalso learn like what kind of
event are you hosting?
Are you looking for um we havethree different packages?
We have the silver package,which is just tables, chairs,
the venue, kind of how um youcan see in the background here,

(06:46):
kind of what you're seeing here.
Um, that's what you get in thesilver package.
Then we have the next packageup, which is the gold package,
which is tables, chairs, venueplus lenons.
Um, and we do black or whitelenens in-house.
Um, and then also a stagebackdrop.
So the stage is over here, andwe've got um a backdrop stand.
And then if we we get oftenthat people are wanting, you

(07:10):
know, they don't want todecorate themselves.
So we do offer our platinumpackage, which is comes with all
the decor.
Um it comes with, you know,tables, chairs, venue, lenons,
charger plates, table runners,table centerpiece, backdrops,
balloons, photo booth.

(07:31):
Um, it's either a photo boothor a 360 photo booth, um, uh
backdrop for the photo booth.
Um comes comes with the, youknow, you don't if you didn't
want to add anything to it, youdon't have to.
Um, we even offer the fact thatyou don't have to have a DJ.
We do, you know, we would lovefor you to have a DJ, but we

(07:54):
understand that DJs can beexpensive.
But as you can see right overhere in the corner, um, we do
have a mixing board and an iPadon the wall that's connected to
the speakers that are in thebuilding that you can play a
Spotify or an Apple um playlist.
We do offer also offer theprojector.
Um, we have a lot of peoplethat create you know slideshows

(08:17):
for their events, and they'reable to project that up on the
screen here.
Um, which you can't see, youknow, behind me is we also have
an outdoor space um heading outback, which can includes a like
a gazebo area, covered area, andthen we just had a new
addition.
So REIGN does not offer akitchen.

(08:39):
Um, we do have a refrigeratorin the back room, but since we
often get caterers that arelike, we need a like a prep
space, you know, a space that wecan wash our hands and prep
food.
Um we do ask that no cookinghappens happens on site, but if
you need a prep, an actual prepspace, um, there is a uh trailer

(09:00):
that we had retrofitted to be aprep space out back in the um
in the patio area as well.
So um just we've really triedto make REIGN very like
accessible for everybody, right?
Like if you came to us andsaid, again, you don't have a
DJ, okay, use the music.
Um if you don't have a caterer,we have a list of caterers on

(09:23):
our website that are very umwilling and able to work here
REIGN .
So we just try to make thingsvery accessible for everybody.

Speaker 02 (09:31):
Amazing, amazing.
Yeah, you offer so much, and Iimagine uh so many people
appreciate that you've got itall taken care of for them
because it can be a lot of workplanning and you've you've
thought of all the details.
I love that.
Thank you.
So um I also appreciate thatyou offer the pricing on your

(09:56):
website.
I love that transparency, andI'm with you on that.
Sometimes you're like searchingeverywhere, and you know, it's
it's it could potentially be awaste of everybody's time if
it's you know out of budget.
So this way people have a goodidea of what to expect.
So I really appreciate that youdo that.

Speaker 01 (10:12):
Thank you.
Yeah.
I I just think about likeespecially brides, right?
They're calling all over, um,all over the place trying to
find a perfect venue to havetheir wedding, and everything's
like they go for a tour and thenthey learn that either dates
not available or that it's wayout of their price range.
Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 02 (10:34):
I love that.
So let me ask you this.
Clearly, you are a very busywoman running your business.
So when you're not working hardon your business, what are you
doing for fun?

Speaker 01 (10:47):
Um, okay, so there's a couple of things.
Well, this may sound like morework, but I also have a
nonprofit um organizationdedicated to polycystic ovarian
syndrome.
And um, in that I love workingon that.
Like that is something that Itruly like like it's my passion,
it's what I want to be doing,and all of that stuff.

(11:07):
So um absolutely love doingthat.
And then just recently, um, Ijoined um the Harley crew.
So I purchased a Harley.
So my family um and I ridemotorcycles.
That is so much fun.

Speaker 02 (11:24):
I love that.
You've got a daredevil streakin you.
Somewhat.
Somewhat.
So, what is something that youwish the listeners knew about
REIGN the Venue?

Speaker 01 (11:41):
Yeah, absolutely.
So we get tons of questions allthe time.
One, um, the number onequestion we get is parking.
Everybody's always asking aboutparking down here.
So um I think that knowing thatwe have options for parking is
important um for people.

(12:01):
So we've got the streetparking, we've got the parking
lot over here in between us andRed Dragon Brewery.
Um, we've got a parking lot on1414 Caroline Street, and we
have a parking lot over acrossthe street at 1406 Princess Ann.
So plenty of parking.
Um, and again, the number onething that I want to make sure

(12:22):
people understand about Reign isthat we are truly accessible.
Like we we prices areaccessible, you know, features
are accessible, parking'saccessible, everything's
accessible.
Um, and we truly want to makethis as easy as possible.
Nice, nice.

Speaker 02 (12:37):
I appreciate that.
So if the listeners areinterested in connecting with
you and want to learn more,where can they find you?

Speaker 01 (12:45):
Absolutely.
So we are on Instagram, whichis you know, Instagram, and then
our um our uh profile isREIGN , and then it's spelled
R-E-I-G-N underscore FXBG.
We are on um we're on Facebook,REIGN the Venue.
Um, also our website isprobably where everybody just

(13:07):
wants to go to see all prices umand all of our features.
So that'swww.reignthevenue.com.

Speaker 02 (13:16):
Amazing.
Megan, thank you so much forjoining me on the podcast today
and sharing REIGN the Venuewith us.
Absolutely.
Thank you so much.

Speaker 01 (13:26):
Thanks.

Speaker 00 (13:27):
Thank you for listening to the Fredericksburg
Neighbors Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to FXBGNeighborsPodcast.com.