The John O'Daniel Exchange

If you haven't visited our building in a while, you'd be surprised to see how many updates we've made in the last 6 months! One of our favorite refreshes has been to our front porch.

We've updated the concrete and added new tables and chairs to create a fresher, more welcoming vibe! We love seeing our tenants having meetings on the porch and putting it to good use!

Swipe to see the before photo.

Our building is being transformed from the inside out!

In the past few months we've made updates around our building and, and we're excited that our lobby's transformation is almost completed!

Every venue booking includes our lobby, and most of our clients use this space for the catering team and bartender to set up. It can also be used for a photo booth and can hold a welcome table or a gift table, too!

Here are some of our updates:
Hardwood floors instead of carpet
Updated paint
Updated light fixtures
Train mural photo taken by Skylander Media

Thank you to Four over One Design for their help in transforming this space! Swipe to see a before photo of our lobby.

Stay warm out there, Durham!

We'd love to know what you're up to on a chilly day in January...let us know in the comments what you're most looking forward to doing this weekend!

📸: Skylander Media

🍂 Throwback to last year's Thanksgiving when everything looked a bit different

This year we're grateful for
🍃 amazing tenants like World Relief Durham, Jeffrey Lynn Media and more!
🍁 vendor friends who we can call to bounce ideas off.
🍂 clients who postponed their dream wedding or event until 2021 and have had the best attitudes in the midst of an unpredictable year.

Tag someone who you're grateful for in the comments!!

This is what a socially distanced meeting looks like these days...and it sure beats another Zoom meeting!

✅ Masks
✅ 6 ft. apart
✅ Extra hand sanitizer
✅ Joyfully seeing friends in person

📸: Skylander Media

We love being surrounded by other amazing businesses! In this photo you'll find Carpe Diem Cleaning's cars (can you spot the flower car?!), Counter Culture Coffee, and right down the road from us is Seeds Community Garden. Our longtime tenants World Relief Durham and CEF Ministries of North Carolina Durham Area Chapter are a huge part of our community as well.

We're not just a venue, we're a community, and we currently have a few offices available. If you're interested in office space, reach out at [email protected]!

📸: Skylander Media

Our friends from Beyu Caffe, Zweli's, Wonderpuff and Dame's Chicken and Waffles got well-deserved shout outs this week on Best of the Bull!

12 Black-Owned Businesses in Durham every local should know - Best of the Bull Check out the 12 black-owned establishments that have chosen the 919 as home base — and add these destinations to your must-hit local spots.

👨🏽‍💻 Looking for a venue to host your next corporate meeting or party? Our current space holds up to 80 guests, and we still have availability for weekday events and some weekend events until the end of June!

🍂 Later this fall, we'll be able to hold up to 150 guests total! We'll have a partitioned room that will hold 25 seated guests which can be combined with our space that holds up to 125 guests seated.

📅 We're now booking events into 2021, so email [email protected] for more information and a pre-renovation discount today!

🙋🏾‍♀️ Raise your hand if you're a lifelong learner!

We love hosting corporate training sessions in our warm and welcoming industrial space!

Our owner Wendy Clark and her partner Ericka D. James, CEO, Keynote Speaker, Trainer host The Alliance of Christian Business Women sessions in our venue a couple of times per month. After each training these women leave empowered to make changes in their business that will impact their communities for years to come!

Looking for a corporate meeting space for your next training session? Reach out to our venue manager Ellory at [email protected] or at 919-251-6197!

📸: Skylander Media

📅 Goals start with reflection, and that's what WELL dot's workshop in November was all about!

30 women gathered at our venue, brought their calendars and wrote down and talked through what worked, what didn't work and left feeling renewed and ready to take on 2020. 💪

Have you taken time to reflect on 2019 and discover where you'd like to go in 2020? It's not too late! Check out WELL dot's page for amazing products that you can use on your own or in a group setting!

🍂 Our longtime tenant World Relief Durham hosted their church appreciation dinner at our venue last month, and we loved watching this event come together!

🍂 With Thanksgiving right around the corner, we're thinking about all the ways we've been blessed, and we're grateful to have had World Relief in our building for 10 years!

🍂 Which colleagues or clients are you especially grateful for this time of year? Give them a shout out in the comments!

Christmas is just around the corner!! Get ahead of the game and book our venue for your Christmas Party!

We have 1,500 square feet of party space + our lobby for food and drinks!

Bring in any vendors you'd like and make this space your own this Christmas!!

Schedule a Tour with Ellory Shields at 919-251-6197!!!

Who is ready for Uplevel and Rise?? Don't miss out on this amazing opportunity to learn under the amazing Wendy Clark and the wonderful Ericka James!

It is time to Uplevel and Rise with Us! Join us for a time of learning, breakthroughs and inspiration so you can move your business forward at the Uplevel and Rise Conference and make the connectio...

Don't like working out of your house anymore? We have the space for you: https://raleigh.craigslist.org/off/6948059674.html

Looking for Office Space? Here is a gorgeous one in downtown Durham: https://raleigh.craigslist.org/off/6948056801.html

FIRST MONTH FREE RENT!! Dwntwn Office Space for Rent! Light filled office space with eye catching white brick wall. 2 big windows. 212 sq ft. Free access to restrooms and kitchen. Heated and Air Conditioned building. Bigger conference rooms available to

Need an office?? Check out this one: https://raleigh.craigslist.org/off/6948053232.html

FIRST MONTH FREE RENT!! Durham Office Space! Need a space to focus and get stuff done? Suite 211 is perfect for 1-2 people. Quiet and peaceful. Decorate how you want; this one is truly a blank canvas. Free access to restrooms and kitchen....

Check out our Craigslist Office For Rent: https://raleigh.craigslist.org/off/6948050781.html

FIRST MONTH FREE RENT! 380ft2 $975 Furnished Office Space Suite 214 is gorgeously spacious office. Featured brick wall with 1 window. A chalk board wall and a white board wall. Free access to restrooms and kitchen including microwave and refrigerator....

This week's is from our building!

1️⃣ The John O'Daniel Exchange is over 100 years old! Built in 1917 (nope that's not our address on the top of our building 😆), it was originally a hosiery mill and quickly became a knitting mill.

2️⃣ Julian Carr owned this building originally, and he named it after his African American manager, John O'Daniel. John O'Daniel was one of the first African American property owners in Durham, and he later contributed to the building of St. Joseph's.

3️⃣ The John O'Daniel Exchange housed the Farmer's Exchange from 1930 to the mid-80s. Originally the Farmer's Exchange was a coop that was operated exclusively by women. We love it when we give tours to Durham natives who grew up buying fruits and vegetables here!

4️⃣ A few other businesses occupied our building until the late 1990s when a night club moved in...for a week. A mysterious fire burned part of the roof off, and it remained blighted and vacant until our owner, Wendy Clark, found it and renovated it in 2008.

🐂 We love being a part of Durham's history! What's your favorite tidbit of local history you wish everyone around you knew?

For more Durham history, check out The Bulls of Durham's excellent and never boring history of Durham book!

Happy Memorial Day! Let's remember those who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom today and let our veterans and armed service members know how much we appreciate them!

We cannot wait to host our Events & Wedding Open House on Wednesday, May 29th from 6pm to 9pm! Snag your FREE ticket at http://theweddingexchange.eventbrite.com/?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=facebook_page&utm_medium=The%20John%20O%27Daniel%20Exchange or through our . ⠀

If you book your event of 3+ hours, you'll receive an extra half hour for free! If you book your wedding with us, you'll receive an extra free hour for your big day!

Which vendors are you still trying to book for your next event or your wedding?⠀

These amazing vendors will have a booth at our open house.⠀
Caterers: &
Bartender:
Dessert:
Planner:
Photographer:
Florist: & Unique ⁣Weddings and Floral Designs
DJ & Photo Booth:
Officiant:
Transportation:

Image: Assorted Poppies Photo
Graphic: Bashayer Studios

We were stunned to hear the explosion in downtown Durham this morning from our office building. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by this tragic accident! 🙏

Are you looking for a blank canvas for your next event? Our space comes to life with a little decorating. Here are a few popular ways our clients make this space their own.
📸
Photo booth - Usually the photo booth goes against the whiteboard wall or in the back right corner if you want the exposed brick in the photos.
✨
Uplighting - This works all over this room! Uplighting is usually the biggest impact decor with the least amount of investment in our space.
💕
Monogramming - Our projector projects onto the whiteboard wall, and your DJ can usually provide a floor monogram for your wedding or logo for your event.
🎧
DJ - The DJ is usually next to the whiteboard wall or against the brick wall on the right side next to the door.
🎀
Wall decorations - We have several hooks on our walls which are painted so you don't notice them unless you're looking for them! You're more than welcome to use them when hanging banners, monogrammed letters and more.
How would you decorate our space?
Photo by Whitsitt Photo

FIRST MONTH FREE!!!! Rent office space in downtown Durham without the downtown cost. Offices range from $425 -975 a month that include utilities, wifi if you are here 20 hours or less a week, use of two conference rooms, security and video surveillance, and multiple parking options. Call or email to set up a time to view openings.

Downtown Durham Office without the downtown cost. $595 - 221 sqft Includes utilities and internet up to 20 hours a week. Call or email for more details and to schedule a tour.
[email protected]
919-251-6197

Rent an office in downtown Durham with out paying the downtown cost. Furnished office for only $975 a month. Includes utilities and wifi if you are here less than 20 hours a week, Use of two conference rooms, alarm system, and multiple parking options. Call or email us to tour our available offices.