Lights on Kent for Events — Attraction in New York

I rented LOK for my big day and worked with the owner Marilia for the decor.  It turned out to be okay and I would absolutely NOT come back to LOK, or work with the owner for the reasons I will list below. RENTAL:  is empty white space in a factory neighborhood, price is $3,500 for an evening.  This is an okay price. BUT when you add up all the outside vendors you have to work with, such as catering, staff, and mainly DECOR.. it adds up to be exact same thing as say.. Russo on the Bay. And more and more tedious work.

DECORATION: Biggest Negative of working with Marilia: Last Minute Expensive Quote Before i rented LOK, I requested more information from the owner for decorations, a broad estimate for a party for 100 people. She said she can do any range depending on what we want, 1K up to 10 K, depending on how big we want to go. Long story short I received my décor quote 3 DAYS BEFORE  my night. It was almost 6K..!! Big Surprise.  She mentioned I have to pay with chase zelle WITHIN 3 days to avoid TAX! I explained my frustration and tried to negotiate labor fee which she quoted $2,000. All she said was her rate was non negotiable and her actual fee is $2500. She made up a price list, and we were stuck with it. That long feeling of uncertainty was for a reason.  I received the quote on TUESDAY, had pay 2K on that, day, 2 next and rest on Thursday. I told her that I’m hesitant on making the full to payment before Friday to assure she will do everything she said. Here is her answer and I’m quoting her here “ I WILL NOT GIVE ACCESS TO THE VENUE UNLESS ALL PAYMENTS ARE MADE”… think of this for a minute. As a customer, putting  months of planning and organizing about this night, she is THREATENING ME by not giving access to the venue, a few days before my event. HOW FRUSTRATING! This will not happen if you work with a professional person, or a venue. I should have had all the right to complete the payment until after I see all services.

On the day of my event, we noticed there is a few small pieces she promised, or said along the way that was not delivered. For instance the bulb roses at tables, cake table decor etc.  but at that point I wasn’t going to let small details get into me.

I’m writing this  review to suggest NOT working with LOK and the owner. Who would work with her, if this conversation was upfront and we were told to pay 6K plus tax, plus $ 3,5000 rent? Basically work with an actual venue that has all the services and a professional staff and stay...

Absolutely unprofessional and unethical establishment. I paid a deposit for a Sweet 16, but due to COVID, the event had to be canceled—something completely out of my control. Instead of working with me to reschedule or offer a credit for a future event, they refused to honor the deposit and kept my money without providing any service. It’s beyond disappointing to see a business take advantage of customers during a global crisis. Their lack of integrity and unwillingness to accommodate customers speaks volumes. I would never recommend this place to anyone looking for a trustworthy venue. Stay far away!

Edited after business response:

It’s unfortunate that this establishment is attempting to rewrite history and deflect responsibility instead of simply doing the right thing. Let’s set the record straight.

We paid a deposit for a Sweet 16, but due to COVID, the event had to be canceled—something entirely beyond our control. Like many others affected during that time, we expected a fair resolution. Instead of being met with understanding, we were forced to jump through hoops just to get what was rightfully ours.

The business claims they offered a credit, yet their handling of the situation was anything but accommodating. If honoring credits was truly their policy, it certainly wasn’t upheld in a reasonable manner. Instead of working with us like other reputable venues did during that time, they made the process difficult and adversarial.

They also claim we received our money back, which is completely false—we never got our deposit back. If that were the case, this would not be an issue today. Instead of owning up to their poor customer service, they are now fabricating details to shift the blame.

They also state that we were the "only ones" who handled the situation this way, but perhaps that’s because others didn’t want to waste their time trying to reason with an establishment that prioritizes rigid policies over fairness. A good business does what’s right—not just what benefits them.

Their response only reinforces why I would never recommend this...

I arrived at Lights on Kent on March 8th, to set up for my sister's Sweet 16...or so I thought. When I walked in around 11:45a for a 12:00p set-up time, there was another party being set-up.

I immediately spoke with the employee on duty and let him know that I was there to set up for my sister's Sweet 16, but there is another party here. He showed me the calendar that had the name of the event for the day. I told him, "that is the right name, but this is the wrong party." I asked if they double check to ensure the right party is in the building and he said he assumed it was the right party because that event decorator always works there. He said "this has never happened before."

He reached out to the owners and he let me know, that they would be trying to find another space. So, even though the venue was booked in November and a week prior we did a final walk through, we were out of luck on the space because we did not arrive first. Meanwhile, we asked for an earlier set-up time and was told that 12p was the earliest. Although, it was very clear the party being set-up had already been there for a couple of hours.

Thankfully, the event decorator that was there was able to find us another venue 4.5 hours before the event. I'm giving 2 stars because LOK did refund a decent amount. However, no one should have to go through that time of stress and anxiety before a big event. A milestone event that took months of planning. We had to let the vendors and 80+ guests know 4 hours before start time that the venue was changed. Some guests missed the memo and ended up at LOK and had no idea it was the wrong party. And most importantly, the birthday girl did not have the venue that she truly wanted.

If you decide to book LOK, make sure you check and double check and check again that they did not double...