French Way Cleaners building in Highland Park finally gets a tenant. What's planned?
A one-stop-shop for the newly betrothed is coming to Des Moines' Highland Park neighborhood.
The French Way Cleaners & Dyers building, which shuttered in 2018 after 109 years in business, will soon see wedding venue Chandelier take over its central storefront, with its two horn-blowing French heralds on the facade. It's neighbored by Kalon Bridal Studio, which officially opened in April.
In 2022, French Way underwent a $4.3 million renovation to prepare it to house a restaurant and brewery on the lower level and four apartments upstairs. The apartments came, but the brewery did not. The would-be operator, Rob Jackson, confirmed to the Des Moines Register last year that he would be stepping away from the project to focus on his wife's new venture, Moxie Kitchen + Events in the Drake neighborhood.
Now, wedding DJ Josh Law has decided it's time to take the next step in his career.
"I don't want to be moving speakers when I'm 70," said the owner of Des Moine Movers and Shakers. "So I was thinking, 'What's the next move?'"
His vision for the 7,500-square-foot French Way includes a built-in bar, stage and grand chandelier — hence the venue's name. Besides the main hall, Law's venue will offer a separate lobby, patio, catering kitchen and suites for brides and grooms inside French Way's former cold storage vault. Chandelier's main hall can accommodate up to 250 guests.
Renovations are scheduled to wrap up by November.
Law finds his home in Highland Park
Law has been in the entertainment industry for 20 years. Before he moved to Des Moines, he worked as many as 60 events a year in Chicago.
He had hoped to open a wedding venue much earlier in his career. Law enjoyed working in reclaimed warehouses in Chicago — the juxtaposition between iron and brick and wedding decorations created "drama," he said. Unfortunately, renting that kind of space in the Windy City was proving too expensive.
Searching in Des Moines, Law first fell in love with the Ingersoll Dinner Theater. Owner and developer Connor Delaney, though, has said he is opposed to turning the Depression-era movie theater at 3711 Ingersoll Ave. into a wedding venue. Delaney instead steered Law towards the French Way Cleaners in Highland Park, another historic building on his roster that needed a tenant.
"I walked in and I was like, 'Oh, my God, this is gorgeous,'" Law said. "To be associated with weddings and longevity, I thought, 'It's perfect.'"
More than just a wedding venue
Though Law is primarily interested in hosting weddings, he said he's never turned down corporate events. And if Law looks a little familiar, it's because he's DJ'ed at the Ankeny Centennial High School prom for the past couple years.
As Chandelier books up, he said, he will be more than willing to host other kinds of events on weekdays. Some Law is interested in: comedy, variety and burlesque shows, drag brunches and dinner theater performances. Since the lobby space is separate from the main hall, he added, it could be reserved for smaller occasions like gallery showings or classes.
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Rates would be flexible for the less-in-demand nights. Law suggested that smaller groups would only have to cover the cost of staffing the building.
"I think this building belongs to the community, and the community should be using it," he said. "Being an artist myself, I think it's really important to give people a place to do cool stuff."
Chandelier aims to win neighborhood support
The Des Moines Zoning Board of Adjustment recently approved Chandelier to operate as a small entertainment venue selling liquor, wine and beer. It also granted Law the ability to host events between the hours of 8 a.m. and 11 p.m., with clean-up ceasing by midnight.
Some of the would-be venue's neighbors let the board know that they weren't happy about the change. One who lives just a few doors behind French Way on Fifth Avenue, Glenn Davis, wrote to the city that the road in front of his home is currently "kid-friendly." Alcohol sales would bring higher traffic and, potentially, impaired drivers, he wrote.
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Another nearby resident and landlord, Gary Fox, attended the meeting to say that Chandelier would be too loud and busy for the area.
"It seems to me you're putting a Court Avenue situation right down into a residential neighborhood," Fox said, referencing downtown Des Moines' dining and entertainment hub.
Law countered that his experience as a DJ means he is well prepared to ensure that his wedding venue isn't a disturbance. A privacy fence, which will be built on the north edge of the property between French Way and its closest residential neighbors, is part of Chandelier's approved site plan.
"My background is in music," he said. "I'll have people on site who will have access to a (sound) meter."
Some neighbors welcome the new business. William Wheeler, owner of the former Highland Park Hardware and several commercial properties that closely neighbor French Way, wrote to the city that he supports Law's business proposal. Slow Down Coffee owner Drew Kelso also expressed his approval in an email.
Highland Park is in the midst of a renaissance, with local business owners and community groups working to revive the historic business district that sits at the intersection of Sixth and Euclid avenues. It will soon see construction start on a four-story, mixed-use apartment building, the Commons, on the former site of the Highland Apartments, three blocks from the French Way building. The new building will have 100 units in comparison to the previous structure's 12.
The district also is poised to welcome at lease two new cocktail bars. It used to be home to sports bar Highland Park Country Club, which closed in 2021.
Addison Lathers covers growth and development for the Des Moines metro. Reach her at 608-931-1761 or [email protected], and follow her on X at @addisonlathers.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: What does ex-Chicago DJ plan for historic Highland Park building?
