Wedding venue abruptly closes leaving couples out thousands in deposits

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    ST. LOUIS (KMOV) — The Franklin Room announced it’s closing its doors indefinitely as of July 28, and with it leaving couples without thousands of dollars in deposits.

Maura Weber and Matt Reid said they booked their wedding reception there for March 27, 2021. They received an email last week letting them know about the closure and that they likely would never get their $2,500 deposit back.

“I walked in and I was the first to say this is the place, this is where our reception’s going to be,” Reid said.

The couple was drawn to the venue’s charm, nestled in the historic Soulard neighborhood, and thought it would make their reception memorable. Now, they are scrambling to find a new venue.

“There’s over 40 brides and grooms that have been affected and one of the brides is supposed to get married in four days,” said Weber.

The owner of The Franklin Room, Michele Swaney, said the pandemic hit her business incredibly hard.

“We want everyone to know how horribly we feel for all of our clients. Obviously going forward we are working with local vendors and businesses to do everything we can to see they are well taken care of,” said Swaney.

Swaney said there is no money left to return deposits to customers.

“The deposits are not something we receive, you know, in a lump sum. We receive them over the course of one to two years and, you know, there are no deposits left. This has been a very difficult year for us and the pandemic was basically a nail in the coffin,” said Swaney.

Weber said she and Reid were offered a $225 check, but they want their entire deposit back and are considering taking legal action. They’ve also filed a complaint with the Attorney General.

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