Sudden Sale Of Beaver Co. Inn Sends Bride Scrambling To Find New Reception Hall
INDUSTRY (KDKA) -- A Beaver County woman was all set to have her wedding and reception at a venue in Industry, but then the bottom fell out of her plans when the facility was suddenly sold.
The new owner of The Willows Inn says he is not legally responsible for any previous bookings at the venue.
"I started calling places. I was just thinking fire halls at that point," said bride-to-be Julie Miller. "The first place I called was Brady's Run Lodge, but they were booked. They also have a Four Seasons place now. They're also booked."
Miller, 21, reserved the Willows Inn nearly a year ago for her upcoming wedding in September.
Now, just three months from her nuptials, she found out through Facebook that the facility has changed hands and she was out of luck.
"One of their waitresses posted on Facebook that on Wednesday was their last car cruise and that they were closing," said Miller.
It all happened last week. The former owner of the banquet facility, Bob DiMaggio, sold it to Beaver County developer, Chuck Betters, earlier this month for half a million dollars.
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Although Betters is would not appear on camera, he did tell KDKA that he was unaware of any contracts of any upcoming events, and it was not stipulated in the closing that any existed.
Meantime, he is gutting the Willows Inn, and says it will take at least eight months to complete. The name of the venue remains the same.
Miller says the previous owner did refund her deposit of $500. KDKA's Brenda Waters called him Wednesday, but he said he had no comment.
Miller and her fiancé are high school sweethearts.
"I said, 'Well, maybe this is telling us something that we don't know,' but I think that God will provide," said Miller.
As for the wedding and the reception, it's back on track.
"The wedding is at Grace Lutheran Church in Rochester and the reception is supposed to be at St. Frances Cabrini right now," Miller said.
