Mulberry Art Studios — Attraction in Lancaster

Everyone tells us how beautiful our wedding was, and I have to say that most of the credit goes to Mulberry Art Studios. They did above and beyond what we asked for as far as decorations and setting up for the guests. The people who work at MAS are very friendly.

That being said, we do have some fairly major complaints with respect to the customer service at MAS.

First, trying to get a hold of anyone at MAS was very frustrating. The only times anyone got back to us in a timely manner (i.e. within 24-48 hours) was: 1) when we were initially considering to book with MAS, and 2) on the week of our wedding. Most of the time we had to call back several times before we got someone who could answer our questions. Or, they would tell us that someone would call us back, but no one ever would.

Second, there were several times when we set up appointments to meet with a specific person at MAS but they weren't there. They would either give us a proxy who could not actually help us with what we specifically said we needed, or no one was there to help us at all.

Finally, the process of paying for the event itself was very confusing and stressful. When we signed our contract no one properly explained the fee process. We were given one amount in our contract with little to no explanation as to what this amount meant. We found out after the wedding (when they sent us the bill) that the amount on the contract did not include the cost of some services and linens etc. That would have been fine, except that we felt blindsided when we realized we owed them several hundred dollars more than we expected.

Previously, we said they went above and beyond what we asked for. When we met with them, we asked for a certain number of linens. MAS used extra linens to make our wedding beautiful. They did not tell us this would incur additional charges. They also charged us for removing lights that we did not want, rather than telling us that it would cost us to take them away.

We took a very laid back approach to our wedding. All in all, we were very pleased with MAS on the day of our wedding. However, the details leading up to and following the wedding make it hard to give more than a mediocre review.

We do not believe that the problems we experienced with MAS were an attempt to take advantage of us. It seems more likely that the way MAS is run is very disorganized. They are very good at making a beautiful venue. It's the numbers, the schedules and the money that are...

Do not use the Mulberry Party Center, err, sorry, "Mulberry Art Studios" for any event. Here's why...

April Koppenhaver has run this place as a party venue for years and years. She puts as little money into it as she can and charges all the traffic will bear. Your money will be better spent at a place that has things like, real parking, a real, licensed bar (we'll get into in a moment) and can clean their building.

The Lancaster Bureau of Police are regular guests at April unlicensed party palace. She doesn't have or suggest security so when her events are over attended, be they dance parties or drunken weddings, the guests spill onto the street and trouble ensues. She'll lie, it's what April does and say this never happens. But your event is likely the next one the Police will be called in on.

The problems are many and the real crux of the issue is, April's business is something called "Mulberry Real Estate". She' bought these buildings years ago, on the cheap and has slapped paint, in some cases on them and is not renting them as though they are new, updated venues for parties, dances, drunken festivals, concerts, you name it. I know, I lived not fifty feet from April and her antics for thirteen years.

Some of the spaces are visually nice but overall, the building isn't and the way they'll run your event leaves you open to liability and all kinds of troubles.

Since "Mulberry Arts Studio" isn't a bar or a restaurant April can skirt the laws and tell you can bring in whatever you want to eat or drink. But it also means that there are no standards or cleanliness or regulations on the booze to make sure the party stays in control. Your guests will on not thank you when they get food poisoning because of Mulberry Arts Studios lack of standards.

In the end, there are lots of great venues downtown. Avoid the problem you will encounter with April, her oftentimes wacky staff and her crumbling collection of buildings. Rent another venue and you will be much happier. And in not dealing with April, you'll find that promises will be kept and you'll be told the truth and not April's constant stream of BS.

Avoid Mulberry Art Studios. You'll be...

My experience with MAS has been extremely frustrating up to this point. About a month ago, I arranged a tour with the owner. The day of the tour, she called/texted me requesting a rescheduling due to being exhausted from back to back events from the prior evening. Since I’m no stranger to event/wedding coordinating myself, I of course rescheduled for another date/time. Fast forward to the rescheduled date, I receive a call from her asking me to come in at 5:30 instead of 4 due someone else using the space. Once again, I called my daughter in law ( who by the way she kept referring to my niece multiple times even after being corrected) to see if that time would still work. I called her and confirmed. Now, at 4:58pm I texted her to let her know that I will be arriving closer to 6 and she replied “No Problem TY”. I arrived at 5:55, no one at MAS! 😒. I texted her and she said “Ok! Please relax in your car. I will be there shortly. I hit some traffic! TY!”

At this point I ask myself, how are you not already at the venue when we have pushed back the time 30 min even later? But ok, I proceeded to wait at my car. At 6:30pm I call her and she said she is still in traffic and maybe I should go get a nice drink and I’ll get reimbursed or if not maybe come back another day. What? I asked her how far away she was and she stated about 25 minutes. I honestly do not believe AT ALL, not for one second- that she was on her way to the venue especially since there was ZERO noice in the background. ZERO!

Do you want my business or not? Why did I feel like I was chasing after MAS?

It’s a shame because I remember this place and I was really hoping to celebrate in it once again. But there’s no way that I can put all my trust on someone who has already given me this...