While the space is fantastic and promotes creativity, we had frustrating issues working with the venue manager and owner, Charity Stratos. Before anyone reads further, I want to express that DeAngelo was very professional and reliable, and should be excluded from this review entirely.
From bid to clean-up, the process was disjointed and highly unprofessional. When scouting the venue, Service bid out at $1500. Then two weeks before the event, Charity sent a statement with an additional $1,000 in fees. It was too late to change our venue, so we had to eat the cost. Being on a tight budget, we wish the full amount had been clearly and honestly represented from the start.
After the event, Charity showed up three hours late to let us in to pick up our decorations and rental items -- after confirming earlier that morning that she would be there. This compromised client meetings and work schedules, the delivery truck business's reputation (they waited for two hours, making them late for pick-ups for other companies), and our ability to return rented items within contract time frames (which slapped us with late fees).
When we thought all was said and done (we stayed to help clean the venue even though we had already paid a cleaning fee), Charity came out with a notice that there would be even more fees next round if we ever hosted again. Not the best timing.
Portland is a small town, and word of mouth goes a long way. It's not with pleasure that I leave a poor review, but when a business isn't honest or being run in a respectable manner, I'm compelled to warn others. I just hope this doesn't happen to someone else. We won't be hosting here ever again. read more