When The Wool Factory opened its doors to the public last July, it brought a new kind of venue to the Charlottesville wedding scene, says sales director Claire Macfarlan. “Charlottesville is very well known for barns and vineyards,” she says, “but we don’t have a lot of industrial spaces.” As a renovated textile mill that dates to 1868, The Wool Factory conjures a less-familiar aspect of local history. “Our aesthetic is very different,” she says. And here’s another bonus: It’s huge. The space can host up to 360 seated guests.
Yet it can be very intimate, too. Macfarlan says that flexibility is one of The Wool Factory’s biggest pros. Its spacious main hall can be divided, plus it has a number of smaller spaces like the future Broadcloth restaurant and the Workshop loft—spots that couples have used for many different purposes, from bridal dressing rooms and kid zones to cocktail hours and after-parties. And it has outdoor spaces like the courtyard (which can host bonfires, if that’s your thing) and the lawn along the banks of Moore’s Creek. As a private event venue, the spot offers in-house catering, and can host anything from a micro wedding for 12 guests to a grand fête for hundreds.
Though it’s really only a stone’s throw from downtown, The Wool Factory and its Woolen Mills neighborhood setting feels a world away from the mall. “It’s a hyper-industrial space dropped in the middle of the woods. It’s an exposed brick backdrop and steel beams, but you can walk right outside and have a running creek behind you,” says Macfarlan. “There’s even a small beach 100 yards from our front door.”
Renovations to the building focused on honoring its history, Macfarlan says. “There’s a lot that we left as it was—the concrete floors, all the original paint, and most of the light fixtures are original and refurbished.” Sun pours in through big original windows onto custom walnut tables and benches designed by The HeartPine Company. Architecturally, “I think the goal was to keep it simple and really highlight what was already here,” Macfarlan adds.
Being tucked away at the east edge of town, the historic building has always been a bit under the radar. “A lot of people didn’t know this space existed,” says Macfarlan, counting herself among them. “I grew up here, and I didn’t know this property existed—this gem, very close to town.”
