The newest premier party venue in the Abingtons recently openedits doors in Clarks Summit,and Larry Nicolais Jr. couldn’t be happier. The owner of Constantino’s Event Venue and Catering always had a vision for an upscale, on-site events venue to complement his successful off-premise catering business. Now, his dream is a reality.
“It was a logical step to grow our business,” said Nicolais, a Dunmore native who returned there 10 years ago to open the original Constantino’s after earning a degree in finance from the University of Pittsburgh. The off-premise catering business, which serves customers withina 60-mile radius of Scranton, still houses the company’s kitchen, main office and showroom in Dunmore.
Once the decision to expandwas made, the search began for the perfect venue location. Nicolais stopped looking after finding paradise at 1385 Lackawanna Trail in Clarks Summit, the former Patsel’s Restaurant. “We saw a need fora new on-site venue in the Abingtons. This property has shown excellent potential,” said Nicolais. The owner pointed out the property is conveniently located, only 10 miles from Scranton, 25 miles from Wilkes-Barre and 30-40 miles from Susquehanna. But the real magic happens when guests arrive at an elegant, impeccably decorated facility with a lush garden. Nicolais described it asa place where guests can have a fabulous homemade meal, mingle or hit the dance floor closeto home, but they feel like they are on vacation.
Nicolais bought the property from John and Patricia Atkinsof Waverly in August 2016, and renovations began in October 2016. Opening weekend was April 28-30 of this year with a parish meeting for 250 on Friday, a First Holy Communion party for 75 on Saturday anda christening party for 80 on Sunday. The venue’s first wedding is scheduled for July 15 with indoor dining and dancing following a marriage ceremony in the garden.The venue’s garden,in fact, was the thing that sold Nicolais on the property. “This place has one of the most magnificent gardens in the area,” he said. He pointed to brick walkways where guests can stroll and enjoy colorful rows of annualand perennial flowers, shrubs, trees and even a pond.
He described a “seamless” transition between outdoor and indoor space, a benefit of “an open air setting” combined with the luxury of a contemporary building, updated with new hardwood floors, freshly painted dove gray walls with white trim, new lighting fixtures, dining tables and chairs, comfy lounge seating and a larger bar where guests can mingle. “The main goal for our décor was to create a blank, yet neutral canvas, something pleasant that you walk into, in which every customer could envision their own style and theme,” said Nicolais. He credited the venue’s new look to his wife and chief decorator, Caitlin, who resides with him in Dalton. The couple has another reason to be excited these days, the birth of their “amazing” new baby daughter, Claire.
As part of its interior makeover, Constantino’s Event Venue has a whole new sound system and a customer-client Wi-Fi so guests can easily upload photos while they still at the party. One of the biggest changes was converting a small dining room into “the bridal suite,” which Nicolais called the bride’s “oasis throughout the day.” Featuring make-up tables with lighting and a private rest room, the suite is a place where the bride can rest up, freshen up orbustle her dress, if necessary.
Exterior updates include adding 30 parking spots in the parking lot, expanding the covered area of the patio and “significant landscaping.” Energy-efficient LED lighting is now used throughout the entire property, inside and out. Despite the changes, Nicolais said he wanted to keep a little part of Patsel’s for his guests. Remaining are a mosaic tiled ceiling in the coat room, some art work by Hank Fells, who designed much of Patsel’s’ original décor – and the famous Patsel’s ladies room, with its ornate, pink tile and big floral wallpaper. “There is still the feel of Patsel’s,” he said. He added praise for the Patsel’s owners. “I respect and admire the level of perfection that the Atkinses strived for with their business and the property they sold me,” Nicolais said.
One of the most attractive features of acquiring the Patsel’s building was gaining its large, state-of-the-art kitchen for preparation of Constantino’s variety of homemade food packages, customized and made from scratch. Nicolais also was able to purchase a liquor license for bar packages at Constantino’s Event Venue and at off-site catering jobs.
The facility is available for celebratory events such as weddings, showers, christenings, communions, birthdays and anniversaries. It also can provide a gathering place for funeral luncheons and a relaxed learning environment for corporate retreats. In the future, the venue will host feasts for holidays such as Easter and Mother’s Day.“We are very excited about the future,” Nicolais summarized. –Teri Lyon
