Julie and Eros Dahl have been business owners for quite a while, but when their event venue space lease, on Boyette Road in Lithia, was not going to be renewed, the couple started to consider their options.
“I had seen the Palmer House was available the year before we purchased it; my thought was, ‘No way, we aren’t doing that,’” Julie said. “A year later, Eros saw it online and he was like, ‘Why don’t we do this?’ So we did.”
What the couple did was purchase the former Palmer House and turn it into Lithia Acres, a beautiful event venue space in Lithia.
“We fell in love with it when we came out here to look at the property,” Julie said. “It gave us a sense of peace, and then we met Gale and Bob, the former owners. We both felt as if God had his hand in all of this.”
“We started Palmer House in 2002,” Gail said. “Our charming Victorian farmhouse is nested on 8 acres, and we catered to local and out-of-state guests. We were open year-round for visiting relatives; romantic weekends; corporate events; uplifting couples’ retreats; small, elegant weddings; and so much more.” The Palmers retired in 2021.
The Dahls have kept that peaceful feeling the Palmer House was known for, but they have added a few of their own touches. They built a barn that will be used as an event venue and a plumeria nursery as part of their agricultural business.
The brand-new Lithia Acres hosted its ribbon-cutting on January 19 and its grand opening on January 21.
“We have a great team here at Lithia Acres, so that helps to run everything so smoothly,” Julie said. “Marianne is our event manager, and she makes sure we know what is going on at all times and has the property ready. We actually get to enjoy attending some of our events because of our team.”
Even though Lithia Acres has only been open a short time, it has already hosted a wedding and a few other events.
“We are hoping in the spring to have the community come out and work in the plumeria nursery with us,” Julie said. “We are also hoping to do some pop-up vendors events as well because our vendors are amazing and great partners.”
The feedback the Dahls have gotten has been great. “Everyone has said that they feel at peace when they come to Lithia Acres, and we love that because that’s how we feel being at Lithia Acres.”
To learn more about Lithia Acres, visit its website at www.lithiaacres.com or call 813-638-0027. Lithia Acres is located at 2221 Hinton Ranch Rd. in Lithia.
