Vacancy hall is in the basement of the Mercer building. When you go down the stairs there is a restaurant on your left (used to be a coffee shop) and a retail store on your right (door is usually closed which prevents customers from entering IMO). Once you go past these two businesses there is a small foyer where the bathrooms can be accessed then double doors going into Vacancy Hall. Within the Hall there are walls and garage door style doors for 6-7 separate businesses. They're all on the side which creates a central space for events. Since it's a basement the ceilings feel a little low but it's actually quite practical. Exposed tubes, pipes, and ducts give it some ambiance as does the painted mural on the far back wall.
The communal event space can be used to throw parties, concerts, charity events, etc. Most of your equipment will need to be brought in though. They have a few tables, lighting, and garbage cans you can use which is thoughtful. Any audio equipment, seating, and decorations would need to be brought it. The legal capacity is 195 people but the 2 bathrooms available are single use locking doors which wouldn't work for a group that size.
I don't know each of the stores that have rented spaces in the Hall but each location probably deserves it's own Yelp profile so I guess that's a job for another day! read more