John Serock closed on the historic wedding venue Loch Aerie Mansion on a Tuesday. Their first wedding was that Saturday.
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It was a natural transition for Serock, whose catering company has exclusively worked with the venue since its former owners, Steven and Dana Poirier, purchased the Malvern mansion in 2016 with the intention of giving the property a new life. Serock had come in early in the process, working with the Poiriers as they restored the historic estate and turned it into its latest iteration: A wedding venue.
But Serock had first laid eyes on the more than a century old property in 2006. He had a storefront right up the street and, one day, with the leaves off the trees, the mansion just appeared before him. He thought it would make a “cool” wedding venue.
Now, 20 years after that first sighting, the mansion has become Serock’s first venue of the sort.
“I was starting to get the itch to maybe look into my own venue, and then COVID hit, and I swore I said it’ll be a long time before I ever sign another piece of paper,” he said. “Then as the few years went on, and we started talking with Lock Aerie, I went back and forth … did we need this next step? But when I really broke it down, this is something I felt I needed.”
Serock closed in mid-May, purchasing the property for $3 million and the business for $1 million. They took over the existing book of business, honoring all future weddings. They’re working on filling up the rest of their calendar, aiming for not a single Saturday off, he said.
Under the new ownership, Serock plans on few cosmetic changes — except making more photo-worthy backdrops — but will be focusing on operational tweaks and increasing business from corporate and nonprofit clients midweek.
They’re rolling out “Nonprofit Thursdays,“ where they offer “severely discounted” rates for nonprofits to throw fundraisers during the week.
To appeal more to business leaders, they’re looking into putting a central sound system, so clients don’t have to bring in a separate company.
More generally, they’re looking to add a liquor license — the venue is currently BYOB — with the goal of making things as “easy and turnkey as possible,” for clients, he said.
For weddings, which make up 95% of the business they do, they’ve lowered their off-season pricing immediately, Serock said. Saturdays in the off-season will run $7,000, compared to about $10,000 during the peak in May, June, September, and October. Fridays and Sundays go from $4,500 in off-season to $8,000 and $7,000, respectively.
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The four-story stone mansion has a newly constructed 5,000-square-foot ballroom addition that accommodates around 200 guests. The venue features billiards and dining rooms, a parlor, entry hall and dramatic stairway, suites to get ready, and outdoor spaces.
Serock sees this as a first of other venues to come, hoping to build a portfolio out of multiple properties. He’s not in a rush, and Loch Aerie has served as a good first learning experience, he said.
“You couldn’t ask for a better opportunity, because really, like I said, nothing changed,” he said. “It’s an easier transition, because I already understood where’s the circuit breaker, or ’how’s this work,’ … so that’s a good first step. And even since then, I learned a lot.”
Built in 1865, the estate sat vacant for roughly 12 years. It went to auction in 2016, purchased for $700,000 by a businessman who looked to restore the home and build a hotel next door. But when the deal fell through, according to VISTAToday, the Poiriers — who had been outbid earlier — came out triumphant.
In the years before that, it served as a home or a business space for those “whose occupancies were short lived and rather destructive,” according to the website.
Since first seeing the property in 2006, Serock has heard dozens of stories about it – almost folkloric in its history between historic design and a biker gang – and how it has served as a reference point, a piece of Chester County legacy.
“For me, we’re building these new memories with our couples and families, but I think it’s really important that we’ve been able to also save and maintain this property, especially in the age where everybody wants to just knock down and have the brand, the shiny new toy and whether it’s a house or car,” Serock said. “I think it’s really cool that we’ve had this opportunity to save this house. The Poiriers saved it, but we’re continuing that legacy.”
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