When we enter the new event space opened a month ago in the old factory at 17:00, the Palanga Bread Factory cocktail bar is not yet open, but the action is already in full swing.
The sound of drilling echoes in the spacious industrial premises, which betrays that the hosts are here, and the head bartender has organized an exam for his colleagues: the bartenders, seated one by one at the tables, have to correctly write down the composition of the cocktails.
A new event space opened a month ago in the premises of an old factory, and the new owners decided to maintain its authenticity. As soon as you enter, the main highlight is the massive green curtains falling from the 16 meter high ceiling.
Greta Skaraitienes / BNS photo/”Palanga bread factory” – a new cultural space in the resort
R. Jonaitytė, who opened this unconventional space with her husband, gets up from the side table, where she and her colleagues are planning future events, and invites us to take a look at the space, which claims to be one of the most fashionable places in Palanga this summer season.
After entering the bar, we go up a few floors to the staircase reminiscent of the times of the old factory – there is a hall rented for private events, where R. Jonaitytė is determined to gather the Palanga community as well.
He was looking for a place to build a community
Rūta Jonaitytė, who returned to Palanga to live with her husband seven years ago, felt that she had made the right decision, but the resort lacked a space where young families might choose and communicate.
“The season is the season, and when winter comes, you want communication, a meeting. And now many families with children return to Palanga to live or even get up, and they ask – where do you stay, where do you meet?”, R. Jonaitytė told how the idea to create a new space in Palanga gradually matured.
Carrying this idea, the woman who organized cultural events and worked with children’s projects in the Palanga Cultural Center began to look for spaces where she might organize various events and bring families together. So, when family friends, who planned to start sports-related activities in the old factory premises, refused this idea, the attention of R. Jonaitytė and her husband, who is developing business projects in Palanga, turned to these premises a couple of years ago.
By the way, this is not R. Jonaitytė’s first business – she and her husband and friends opened a cafe without alcohol ten years ago.
He met Nijole, who managed the factory for 30 years
After becoming interested in the history of the building near the center of Palanga, R. Jonaitytė found out that the Palanga bread factory had been operating in the abandoned factory premises since 1959, and ceased operations in 2002.
“If you try to find information regarding this place, there is none at all.” When we found this place, we didn’t know that there was a bread factory here – we started rummaging to see what was here before. After 2002, when the bread factory closed, the company that took over the premises rented them for storage. That’s how the empty, dilapidated premises stood here”, – R. Jonaitytė recounted the first sight she saw.
However, the sight did not scare the people of Palanga, and the search for information regarding the old Palanga bread factory led to an unexpected acquaintance with Nijole Fultinavičiene, who managed the Palanga bread factory for all 30 years. It turned out that Nijolė is the grandmother of a family friend.
“We just met with Nijole one time and another and started to look deeply into this project – she started to tell us how everything was here, she gave us archives, albums. We turned around and started to do everything from our inner feeling”, said R. Jonaitytė.
Photo by Greta Skaraitien/BNS/”Palanga bread factory” – a new cultural space in the resort
By the way, the bar has a cocktail specially created in honor of Nijolė, where you can also feel the taste of bread.
Eurorepair did not want
Having rented the premises two years ago, R. Jonaitytė and her husband began, as she says, to “heat” them and consider what might happen here. Architects studio Nytt Architects from Palanga and RESH Architects from Vilnius also contributed to the renovation of the factory and the implementation of ideas.
On the first floor, where there was once a flour storage, the couple established a bar, and a few floors above, where various kneading and mixing took place, an event space, where they both organize events and rent the hall for private events.
A wedding and a company event are planned here in autumn. A closed dinner is also planned in this hall – a girl from a restaurant in Copenhagen will come and organize a Lithuanian tasting dinner with surprises.
“We want niche events here. We are measuring this space, we are looking at what it will dictate, what will happen next”, said R. Jonaitytė.
R. Jonaitytė emphasizes that when creating a new space, the main goal was to “not renovate this building – to leave it as much as it is by itself”. Only the floor and windows have been changed.
Photo by Greta Skaraitien/BNS/”Palanga bread factory” – a new cultural space in the resort
“We will not change anything, we wanted to leave such a basis, because our idea is that we like old buildings that have history, aura and life. There are very few such buildings left, especially in Palanga. It was most important for us to maintain the authenticity of the room”, said R. Jonaitytė.
So the curtains weighing 66 kilograms falling from the eight holes in the ceiling of the bar also carry a message. As R. Jonaitytė explained, there was once a flour storage in this place, there were eight cones going all the way to the ceiling, where the flour was stored – the architects, not moving away from this theme, hung the curtains in order to keep the idea of containers.
Photo by Greta Skaraitien/BNS/”Palanga bread factory” – a new cultural space in the resort
By the way, it took two days to hang the curtains, even cranes were used.
Will organize family days
For now, R. Jonaitytė plans to open the bar from Tuesday to Sunday only during the summer season. This season, R. Jonaitytė is nurturing plans to organize family days with breakfast or ice cream cocktails.
“I was very inspired by Berlin – we travel a lot, so I really like the fact that both children and parents participate together, and I liked the idea that everyone can gather in any place. There might be some kind of breakfast – invite the chef, there would be breakfast for the children, interactive activities so that the parents might also sit, draw and color the walls together with the children. Just to offer something that may not be there, or is there, but from a different angle. We want the place to be not only for the evening, but for everything to take place here”, R. Jonaitytė shared her plans.
By the way, there is a huge terrace on the roof – it is not yet open to the public, but R. Jonaitytė is nurturing plans to create a city garden on the roof in the future.
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2024-07-22 02:24:52
