photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

Chase Westheffer, owner of Venue 1235, is pictured at the event center's 35-foot long concrete bar on April 18, 2022.

I used to think Tuesdays were only good for tacos, but now there’s a new local business that says it’s good for two-stepping as well. Yes, Two-Step Tuesdays are a thing now in Lawrence.

But, no, I don’t have news of a new country bar opening in Lawrence. A bar would be too narrow of a definition for what Chase Westheffer and his family have opened along the Kansas Turnpike in North Lawrence. Instead, they’ve opened a venue; hence the name, Venue 1235.

The new event center at 1235 N. Third St., though, certainly has the vibe of a bar on certain nights. Like this Friday, when the venue will be open to the general public to come see a world champion line dancer who will be teaching all comers the finer points of line dancing and the country two-step. Then, for the next four Tuesdays, the venue will be hosting Two-Step Tuesdays, offering more advanced lessons.

“At the end, we’ll have a party to celebrate,” Westheffer said.

The series is an example of how the new business plans to be multifaceted in bringing events to the area. The venue indeed will do a lot of traditional event business, such as hosting wedding receptions, nonprofit fundraisers, corporate outings and other such functions.

But the approximately 6,000-square-foot building is equipped with a stage and sound system that can host live bands, and the venue plans to host numerous live music shows during the course of the year. It recently hosted a rap concert, and for the last couple of weeks it has hosted a local country band on Thursday nights.

“We don’t really say no to anybody,” Westheffer said. “We like to keep it fresh with all different types of genres. We are trying to do a lot with local bands, though.”

photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

Venue 1235 has a large fenced lawn that the establishment plans to use to host a variety of events, ranging from outdoor weddings to farmers markets.

The site also has an approximately 1-acre fenced lawn that can host events too. Between the indoor and outdoor space, Westheffer said he expected the venue to get into a variety of productions. Recently, the site hosted a car show, for instance, and he expects to do some art shows, flea markets, farmers markets and other types of events.

“It is not just for the 21 and up crowd,” Westheffer said of the company’s strategy.

But the establishment is set up to go in that direction, as well. The venue has a full liquor license and, some would say, a more than full bar. It is about 35 feet long with a concrete top.

“That’s 2,200 pounds of concrete in the top, poured by yours truly,” Westheffer said. “That was a fun day.”

The establishment doesn’t have a full kitchen, but rather has a caterer’s kitchen to accommodate outside food for wedding receptions and other such events. For public events, Westheffer said he likely would use the large parking lot onsite to house some food trucks.

Theoretically, the site, which was originally built by Westheffer’s family to serve as a warehouse in the 1960s, can accommodate about 850 people in a standing-room only environment and about 300 in a seated dinner arrangement, Westheffer said.

Westheffer said he thought the location had a chance to attract some regional events. The venue has high visibility from the Kansas Turnpike, which is also U.S. Interstate 70. If you are having a hard time picturing the location, the site is the first business north of the Kansas Turnpike bridge in North Lawrence.

“We already have people from Kansas City and Topeka telling us they enjoy the easy access,” Westheffer said.

The venue opened late last year but was hosting only a limited number and type of events because of COVID concerns. In the last few weeks, the company has launched its more public events while continuing to host private events on select nights.

The business got started after the Westheffer family lost its previous tenant for the building, an Army surplus store. With the building vacant, a few family friends needed a place to host a wedding reception, and the idea of using the space for events began to percolate. The family — which is a longtime member of the Lawrence business community as the former owner of an agricultural equipment manufacturing business — made the investment to significantly upgrade the building with new restrooms, new interior finishes, a stage and other improvements.

“It has definitely been a full family endeavor,” Westheffer said. “Everybody has pitched in from the Westheffer family. We are excited to make it a more usable space … We think it adds a little different vibe and look in terms of venues in town.”

photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

Venue 1235, located at 1235 N. Third St. in North Lawrence, is pictured on April 18, 2022.