Today we’d like to introduce you to Keagan Harley.
Keagan, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started my career in retail and eventually worked my way into commercial photography production; doing product and set styling for fortune 500 companies. After five years of working in the marketing photo studio at Academy Sports + Outdoors, I left in 2016 to start my own production company, called KNP. I freelanced for companies like STAGE, Francesca’s, District Magazine, and other local brands.
I met my now business partner, Neb styling for a freelance photo shoot. Neb and our mutual friend Lando owned a creative arts company, called Ronin Art House chemistry, so we took on a lot of projects together. Ronin would do the photography, and I would handle production planning and styling. Ronin Art House had just signed the lease on a beautiful photo studio in the Montrose area. The space was gorgeous! One day a friend of ours asked if they could host a private dinner party at the studio. We said “sure – why not? ”
The event went well, and soon others were asking to use the space for their own events. We soon realized that we couldn’t accommodate large groups at the location. Our neighbors were complaining about the noise, and it was never something we had in writing on our lease. We decided to look for another studio that was more conducive for events.
After a year of looking for the perfect space, we lucked up on the first venue location. The rest is history. We now operate as a full-fledged event venue business, under the new name Rentals at Ronin Art House. Our first venue location has now been open for three years. Our second venue just opened in March of 2019, and now, we manage an Airbnb property as well. Business has been great – we are working on a 3rd venue space – which will be 3x the size of our first location. My business partner Neb and I are actually now engaged and hope to marry in our larger venue once it’s complete in 2020!
All in all, I was able to find success in a field I never thought I would be in.
Has it been a smooth road?
It not being a smooth road is an understatement, to say the least! We’ve had to learn everything through experience, as Neb and I have never worked in the events industry before. Financing, rental contracts, renovations, broaching investors, and competing in a fast-growing industry have all been things we’ve had to learn on the fly. We’ve had some horror stories with events, but those experiences have taught us so much. Overall we’ve had a great experience learning and growing as entrepreneurs.
One of the biggest things we had to learn – and are still learning is how intricate the wedding industry is! It’s a completely new ball game for us. We’re excited about becoming a major player in the Houston wedding industry for 2020. Our max capacity is about to jump from 75 to 200, and we’re ready to overcome the next set of hurdles.
Please tell us more about your artwork, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
What began as a beautiful space for a creative arts agency and has since grown into a chain of Houston’s most unique, boutique event venues. Our all-inclusive spaces as works of art themselves. Modern, bright, and designed for versatility, each location combines a chic feel with industrial flair to provide the ideal space for wedding receptions, rehearsal dinners, business events, pop-ups, workshops, and so much more. We’re the go-to venue for modern brides who don’t want to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a wedding, and rather put that towards a new home.
I manage all bookings, contracts, vendor relations, and social media. My partner Neb handles all the numbers and logistics – taxes, investments (basically all the stuff I don’t want to do) He’s been able to bring in investors to help us renovate both of our venue locations, and sealed the deal on our larger venue for 2020.
So I don’t get too antsy, I still get to use my creative side. I love being able have a hand in how each space is designed. KNP is definitely still around, though I now only take on freelance work for major clients.
I am most proud of the journey. I applied my talents to a completely different industry and was flexible in what I thought success for me looked like. I know a lot of people who think success has to look a certain way – or think that there is a particular way to get there. I would challenge them to be open to change.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Neb and I always joke about the events industry being safe from being replaced by the internet or technology. But the truth is, eventually people will meet up and party in virtual reality – similar to the concept of Ready Player One. It might seem like a stretch now, but I think it will happen sooner than later. Especially because people are always pushing the envelope when it comes to experiences, and how we interact with one another.
Until then, we’ve found our niche.
Contact Info:
- Address: 806 Richey St. Houston, TX 77002
1315 Sterrett St. Houston, TX 77002
1540 Telephone Rd. Houston, TX 77023 - Website: RentalsAtRonin.com
- Phone: 8326770276
- Email: rentals@roninarthouse.com
Image Credit:
Nebyou Bedru, Eric Micheal Ward
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