The Vault

A venue downtown, that's a bit run down, but it works for the right type of event. I've only been here for music. The Be Louder Group hosts shows here, primarily for electronic music. It's easy to get to but there's not really any parking in the area. I know a lot of people that get their cars broken into on the weekends, so I suggest ubering if you can. Once inside the building it looks old. Word on the street is this was an old bank back in the 1920s. There's tile everywhere, the walls could use a paint job, and the bathroom was a wreck. But like I said in the beginning, it fits for the right event, and a rave is just one of them. When you reach the ballroom, you'll find the old vault tucked under a grand staircase. It doesn't really have any of the old vault features but it is what it is. I will say that the lighting is pretty good, and the giant windows are cool. When I've been there they projected the DJs name on the wall, like I see many do for weddings.There's a big chandelier hanging right in the middle with tapestries pulling away from it. It's rather beautiful. I'm interested in seeing this place set up in the daytime or for a wedding but who knows if that would ever happen. If they cleaned up the place a bit I can see it being really lovely.

My husband and I attended my cousins' wedding vow renewal at The Vault. Overall, the place was beautiful, and it was an honor to visit such a historical building, but I did have a few issues. First, I was trying to find parking despite it being on a Sunday. My husband had to drive around the place a few times once we found out where it was. And then finding a restroom inside was very interesting... there was one bathroom that had one one toilet! The bar was inside the vault, and it was a traffic jam going on and out just to grab a drink or an appetizer. Since the area was so small, the entire party had to leave the room so that the room could be changed from ceremony to dining. I was in awe of the staircase because it was so beautiful, especially when the couple came down with firework streamers. I was happy to see my family enjoy such an event.

We rented out this venue for a 250 person event and it fell incredibly below expectations. The door attendant was a complete as complete jerk. Made everyone line up and wait outside for over 30 minutes despite the fact that we rented out the venue. The bar was understaffed and people had to crowd in lines as there was only one server working at each bar. The place itself was a good environment. However, there were weird rooms where things were just shoved in a corner.

The space was absolutely beautiful. With that said, I would never, over my dead body, have my wedding there because the owner was a complete dick. Bentley Austin insulted and judged what town my family comes from asking why we would ever decide for our wedding to be in downtown Columbus, calling it a large demographic difference. He explained every little thing previous weddings (brides, Mothers, etc.) have done in the past that he felt was wrong and he personally disliked. Not exactly what I wanted to hear (and not exactly professional or courteous). He insulted my mother by rolling his eyes at her when she was reviewing prices. He was overall a huge waste of our time. Will never ever think of having our special day there. The best part is the Irish pub next door. Definitely go there and tip your server! And worst part, you have to work with Bentley the entire preparation of your wedding.. there is NO escape.DO NOT GO THERE!**As an edit, I specifically made a Yelp account to review this space. Take that as you will.

My husband and I recently hosted our wedding reception at the vault. It was perfect. Working with Blayke and the manager went very smoothly. They helped to accommodate all of our needs. We hosted nearly 200 guests and the venue was just the right size. The bar, which was in the vault itself, was a hot spot during our time there. The bartenders were not stingy with the alcohol and very nice. I recommend Laura with boardwalk catering as well. We received many complements on her food. She was also very easy to work with.We would definitely recommend the vault for anyone looking to host a wedding.

BEAUTIFUL BUILDING, BUT TERRIBLE SERVICE.Recently, I got engaged and have been visiting multiple venues for my wedding next year in July 2017. I am an active member in the blogging community and I always refrain to write poor reviews about small businesses (especially those local to Columbus), but I do not want someone to experience the same service or disrespect that my Mom and I received.I worked with Blayke Austin who was very responsive through e-mail and confirmed a 1 p.m. appointment time for my venue walk through. If you look online the character of the building is beautiful. I'm looking for a non-traditional wedding space and this venue was at the top of my list. The history of the building was that is was an old bank that was renovated and re-purposed. It had all the qualities of character that I was looking into for a venue, but not the level of service I expected.My mother, best friend (bridesmaid), and I were excited to meet with the wedding planner along with getting a tour of the building. Unfortunately, Event Coordinator, Blake had her 2:00 p.m. appointment show up an hour early. She asked if we wanted to do a group tour, but we really wanted a personal tour to have one-on-one time with the event coordinator especially if we're talking numbers and budget. That's personal information and I wouldn't feel comfortable discussing that in a group setting, plus she should be focused on one bride and not multiple brides. Once we informed her we didn't want a group tour and that we scheduled an appointment because we wanted the personal experience, she then told the other group that we didn't want a group tour and that she's sorry about it. It would have been more professional to say, I have a 1:00 p.m. scheduled, but please feel free to look around. I appreciate your eagerness and you'll get your personal tour at 2:00 p.m., but instead she made us look like the bad guys for saying no. TOP 10 REASONS NOT TO BOOK WITH THE VAULT:1) SMELLS: The day of our tour it smelled like beer (from a college party the night before). Why wouldn't you clean up your facility to accommodate bridal tours the next day? The beer drenched the carpets. The party was held on a Friday so if I had a wedding booked on a Saturday, how do I know it wouldn't smell poorly the next day?2) SERVICE: The service was UNPROFESSIONAL. She wasn't rude, she was just very oblivious to what came out of her mouth.3) TRASH TALK: Blayke talked badly about her clients. She mentioned a bride that wanted to come in at midnight to drop off her flowers and she said, "No, you'll have to come in at 10 a.m. when I'm back in the office." She then went on to say that she was asking too much and trash talking about a previously client who spent thousands on her venue.4) POOR ASSUMPTIONS: While we were reviewing the alcohol packages she informed me that I should do the house package instead of the premium or ultimate package and said, "This will get the job done". She also said the package was filled with options that most people wouldn't know the name of? Why would you recommend a low quality alcohol option when you don't even know my budget?5) TRANSITION: Poor ceremony to reception transition. I have a guest count of 150 people and I informed her that I would want all my guests to go upstairs for the cocktail hour as the room is being transitioned to the reception space she then told me it wouldn't be ideal because most people want to be in the Vault. I will let everyone know right now, it does not look like 150 people could fit in that vault + I don't want people looking at the room being transitioned. It just seems tacky to me.6) NOT ACCOMODATING: When I was asking her about where the tables would be from the reception she said that they would be in the ceremony space. I then informed her that I wouldn't want my guests to see the reception décor, but she said we could pay for PVC pipes and get fabric to cover it up. Tacky.7) MANAGEMENT: The wedding coordinator is the daughter of the owner and he was not only unprofessional just like his daughter, but he told my Mom that we were the first group of people to turn down a group tour and that he wouldn't want us as a client anyway.8) UNPREPARED: She did not provide me a business card before or after I met with her and told me she ran out of business cards. When I left the venue there was a table of bridal information outside the door and you wouldn't believe what I saw, a stack of business cards.9) NO FOLLOW-UP: I visited another venue that day and received immediate follow-up about my visit. It's been beyond 48 hours and have not received any follow-up from Blayke.10) LACK OF SECURITY: The venue is within a building that has access to multiple entrances and back-ways with doors that can be opened up to the alley. She informed me that I would have to be conscience of my stuff because if the door is propped open for any reason people could come right in from the street.

I love repurposed buildings. Transforming The Vault into an event venue was an incredible idea. However, lots of updates are desperately needed. I recently attended a wedding at this venue. The acoustics are terrible (we were seated at the back of the room and couldn't understand the DJ at the front of the room). The upstairs ladies room was dark, dirty, and needs a makeover. The temperature regulation and ventilation in the venue was horrendous-it was incredibly hot and when asked about adjusting the room temp, we were told that the heat would be turned off. Again, great potential...but lots of work is needed and attention to detail is severely lacking.

The owner and his staff are astoundingly unprofessional. Trust me, if he relied on repeat business, he would be out of business. Let me tell you about my wedding day:On my day, the coordinator/manager on duty had none of my event details correct. 1. We paid $200 extra to have the venue and bar for a sixth hour. But as I got my wedding gown on, the coordinator/manager on duty interrupted me to say that he couldn't figure this out per our contract, and he would close our bar during dinner, which was unplanned. 2. He made us move part of our decor during the reception due to it being a "fire hazard," even though we had a floor plan mapped out and approved with the owner, Bentley Austin, during our final walk-through. This piece of decor was a background for our ceremony that we spent several hundred dollars to build, and it was destroyed in this process. It was thrown in a dirty storage hallway and is completely ruined. 3. This person was also supposed to assist me and my bridesmaids from the "bridal lounge" to the elevator downstairs prior to the ceremony; but instead of showing up, a bridesmaid had to enter the ceremony area to go find him and ask him to unlock the elevator for us. When asked if he could close the venue door after the bridesmaids and open it for the bride's processional, he reaction was an eye roll and "That's not my job." He couldn't be bothered to open the door for the bride. 4. He was extremely unprofessional and rude throughout the evening and at the end of the night told us to get our things and "get out" because there was another event the next day. Even though we had previous permission to store our decor in the office until the next day or so. In the end, we did store our belongings there, but they had to be thrown in trash bags and boxes quickly in a haphazard way. 5. Then, when we arrived 2 days later to get our things, we were attacked by the owner's partner who said "I hope you're here to clean the room that you trashed." What kind of way is that to communicate with a customer? I explained that of course, we were there to get our belongings, but the level of cleanliness was not my problem, especially when parts of the venue we paid for and used weren't even in a presentable fashion for our wedding. There were missing ceiling tiles in the ladies room and water leaking on the floor the entire night. The bridal lounge is absolutely disgusting and in desperate need of a remodel. The icing on the cake was when I found out from a bridesmaid who decorated for me before the wedding that Bentley had 2 other couples come into the venue to get married, while we had paid for use of the space, and that they used my decor and background for photos. I can't believe he conveniently left this out of any conversation. In short, this is a man who has a great historic building, but has not invested in any remodeling or upkeep, and obviously cares little about the experience the customers have. He has completely ignored my feedback, even despite the fact that he overcharged my credit card for the bar invoice and owes me money. So if you're looking for a venue that has professional, courteous staff and clean well-kept rooms on site, this is not the place for you. You'll get the "I'm so flexible, I help my brides with whatever they need" speech, but when it counts, you'll be thinking "you get what you pay for."

The last review of this place is from well over a year ago and they refer to it as a strip club. I'm not sure Mr. John Q is yelping about the right place...The Vault is a large, high-ceilinged banquet hall with a large former bank vault (hence the name) featured at the back end and a balcony. It's pretty in its way, but from reading a pamphlet they had out during our BikeColumbus Twilight Ride after party, the place is just way too expensive for what it is.

AMAZING downtown Columbus venue! My Husbad and I were searching a lot for affordable venues in Columbus and we really felt a lot of downtown was overpriced. We stumbled upon the Vault from The Knot Planning App and fell in LOVE with it. We had a big bridal party and had enough getting ready space. Kitchen space was big enough food vendor could work with it. Actual venue got so many compliments from our guests as the Vault theme also carries over to Residence Inn hotel across the street. I can't say enough about Bentley, he is wonderful! He took care of all my calls, took care of ordering the booze package, & made sure we had great bartenders on deck for our day! Everyone had such a fun time. The big entrance down the big stairs was worth the hype too. We had so much fun showing off the bridal party in that way. The best part is it's so pretty by itself, we didn't need much decor to compliment the tables. Being downtown, we also got to take our bridal party down to all the spots we love when it came time for photos. It's perfectly near what you want for downtown Columbus. Huge thanks to Bentley and his team for making our day unforgettable:) -Josh and Emily