New Springfield business thriving, already booked through December

Sheila Lash Rice shows off one of the rooms in “The L”, a small banquet facility on South Yellow Springs Street. BILL LACKEY/STAFF

Sheila Lash Rice shows off one of the rooms in “The L”, a small banquet facility on South Yellow Springs Street. BILL LACKEY/STAFF

The L, a newly opened event space in Springfield, is already so successful that it is almost booked until December.

“I do still have a couple dates open here and there though,” Owner Sheila Lash Rice said. “But it’s spotty.”

Located at 1530 S. Yellow Springs St., the business was originally suppose to be a hair salon.

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“I originally bought the business with the intent to turn it into a hair salon,” owner, Lash Rice said. “But while we were in the process of fixing it up, I figured we could start to rent it out for extra money.”

That’s when the business started to take off, Lash Rice said.

“I just kept having people interested in doing events and that’s when I realized I had something,” Lash Rice said. “The support from the community has been amazing.”

Lash Rice describes the business as, “a small event center for small events like baby showers, family gatherings, church events and meetings.”

The event space is divided into individual rooms that contain their own restrooms and kitchens.

The event space is available for rent on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and offers everything an event could need.

“We have square tables, round tables, linens, everything,” Lash Rice said.

Lash Rice said one of the reasons she believes that The L has taken off is because of the affordable prices.

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“We want everything to be affordable,” Lash Rice said. “We offer everything they want for no more than $200.”

Cheryl DeGroat Dover, Minority Business Development Coordinator for the City of Springfield, said she believes The L is the start of a revitalization on Yellow Springs Street.

“When I was growing up that area had all kinds of business and was a beautiful area,” DeGroat Dover said. “Back in the 60s that area used to be popular. I have a lot of good memories for that area. I’m hopeful this is the start of more businesses coming back.”

Lash Rice said she is continuously shocked about the support she has received.

“It has just been unbelievable,” Lash Rice said.

And as for the name, Lash Rice said she gets asked about it all the time.

“People always assume the L stands for Lash, and I guess it kinda does,” she said. “It stands for a lot of things. Laughter, love, lord, so many beautiful things come from the letter L.”

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