EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was originally published in the October edition of the North End Community Improvement Collaborative newsletter.

MANSFIELD — Petey Caldwell is a builder by trade but one could call him a visionary as well. He has transformed a former North End factory into a stunning conference room and event center with big plans to develop the rest of the huge building.

Family First Management LLC, one of Petey’s multiple businesses, has been working on The Event Center at 136 W. Sixth Street for about a year before he opened it to the public in 2020.

“As African Americans we don’t have nothing, literally nothing,” Petey said. “We don’t have nobody to back us, nobody to do nothing for us.”

Petey said he has had his eye on the West Sixth Street property for a few years after the factory closed its doors a few years back.

The Event Center has been open for about a year and Petey said business is good.

His event space can be rented for events such as baby showers, wedding receptions, birthday parties, a repast after a funeral and the ideas are unlimited for the use of the space. The hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. The space is also equipped with a full kitchen and hotbox for entertaining.

Petey said the sound system is first class, with huge speakers, video screens and equipment for karaoke, iphone hookup or a DJ.

In addition to the event center, there is an attached game room where there is a foosball table and pool table.

Mobile fireplaces on the wall and chandeliers accent the whole event center space, giving it an elegant feel.

There is ample parking as Petey has had trees and debris cleared out and a concrete lot poured for parking all around his facility.

There is also a conference center, which is a separate entity, where social service clubs or church groups, for example, can have meetings. The conference center space is equipped with technology to support Skype and Zoom type interactions for electronic connections, if needed.

Petey also has big plans for the rest of the building, which are moving towards fruition everyday. He plans to have a full casino in the middle part of the building and has already purchased a few gambling machines for future use.

“We will have (nice) floors,” Petey said. “I’ve got cathedral ceilings and chandeliers. We already got everything. There will be tvs all around the walls, like a real casino. It’s going to be laid out.”

There is also indoor, climate controlled storage for personal and warehouse use for rent, Petey said. The back of the building will be used as a warehouse by his aunt, Sallie Sylvester, who has a wholesale supply business.

Petey also owns other North End businesses, The New Millenium Professional Hand Car Wash on West Fourth Street and the Subway Shop Restaurant and Deli on Bowman Street.

For more information or to rent The Event Center call 419-522-1525 or 419-522-0457.