BizBeat: Former LOMO Club revived as The Branch

Sally Ince/ News Tribune
Tables and chairs are covered inside the reception hall of The Branch wedding venue Friday January 11, 2019 in Lohman. The venue, which was previously the LOMO Club, sits on two acres of land and also includes a two bedroom, full bath studio that can be used for wedding party preparation or by the bride and groom.
Sally Ince/ News Tribune Tables and chairs are covered inside the reception hall of The Branch wedding venue Friday January 11, 2019 in Lohman. The venue, which was previously the LOMO Club, sits on two acres of land and also includes a two bedroom, full bath studio that can be used for wedding party preparation or by the bride and groom.

A Jefferson City couple is breathing new life into a Lohman entertainment staple.

Krista Bonnot and her partner, Justin Davis, bought the former home of the LOMO Club at 3007 Main St. in Lohman last fall, re-branding it as wedding and event hall The Branch.

During World War II, the building's stage and orchestra served as a hot spot for soldiers from Fort Leonard Wood to dance and listen to music. Since then, the club has served as home to musicians like Fiddlin' Rick Stokes, who played at the club for 36 years.

The latest iteration of the club's identity as a bar and entertainment venue closed in May. Bonnot and Davis bought the building in September and began an extensive renovation to turn the facility into a wedding venue.

"It was pretty dated," Bonnot said. "It just needed a major face lift."

A new roof was put on the building about 10 years ago, she said, but most parts of the building were last renovated in the 1960s.

Past patrons of the club likely will notice big changes to the restrooms, Bonnot said. Old restrooms in the space felt small and cramped, she said. So the couple ripped the roof off the back of the building and added big restrooms.

The couple also redid the floor and gave the space a deep clean before re-branding it as The Branch.

In all, the building's hall, bar area and a two-bedroom apartment attached to the back of the building total 6,700 square feet.

"Once you go inside, it just keeps on going," Bonnot said.

The space is big enough to hold wedding ceremonies and receptions.

The apartment has a full kitchen, full bathroom, two bedrooms and a living room area. The apartment is being rented as a suite for brides or couples to stay in before and after weddings at the venue.

About 2 acres of land sit outside the building, so Bonnot and Davis want to market it as a place to hold outdoor weddings.

"We're trying to market it as a one-stop shop," Bonnot said. "You can stay here, you can get married here, you can have a reception here."

The Branch formally reopened the space during a New Year's Eve celebration where the band Whiskey Throttle played.

Non-wedding events and music acts will be held in the space, but Bonnot thinks turning the space into a wedding venue will create a more reliably profitable business than its past use as just an entertainment venue.

"It's just not feasible to have it open like that all the time," she said. "You just don't have the people."

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