The Nest

Very disappointed with this venue. We went to go look at the space for our rehearsal dinner. After signing and contract and paying the deposit we had to email to find out that this venue was double booked and we were out of the luck. The bright side was that they had fired the coordinator we were working with, getting our deposit back and the new coordinator went to find us a potential another venue. Make sure you double check!

BEWARE– we had a horrible experience at this venue. The owner is very hard to communicate with. We booked the venue for a baby shower. I was able to talk to the owner to accept my deposit but after that she was VERY hard to get in touch with. I would call her phone, leave her voicemails, emails and text messages and I would never get a response. It took me and another hostess to Cc her on text and emails before she would respond. She informed me that I could call Her after 6pm on a Friday and guess what!!! No answer and no return call. Finally the week of the event she answers the phone. I informed her the caterer wanted to meet with her about the setup etc. she said no problem give him my contact info but guess what?!? She didn’t answer for the caterer either. Something in my gut told me we should’ve canceled and just lost the deposit but I kinda had high hopes that she would pull through. Upon arrival she was 20 minutes late letting us in the building so this had us pushed for time in decorating. You would think that if she was late, she would allow us the extra 20 minutes but no! The shower was to end at 5pm and around 4:40 pm she was popping her head in out. So pretty much we were pressed to get out and on top of that another party was arriving. Who books events back to back without allotting time in between to gather our stuff take pics etc… We should’ve found another venue. I wouldn’t recommend this venue for anyone. The owner lacks customer service skills and to be honest I don’t think she knows how to run a business

Today was my very first baby shower. A day and time many women dream about having… And due to unorganized scheduling, horrible miscommunications, and poor customer service, my special day was partially ruined. My 5 closest friends hosted my shower and I was ecstatic when I was told about the location. I am a lifelong resident of Homewood and Birmingham, and my husband and I adore the Avondale area. My shower was scheduled for 3−5pm and according to my friends they were told they would have one hour for set up and break down (2pm — 6pm for the entire booking). My friends were told they would be able to set up at 2pm, but were left knocking on the front door and leaving voicemail messages before someone finally opened the door 25 – 30 late. They were told the staff was in the back and just couldn’t hear the knocking… By the time I arrived around 3:15, guests had arrived and I was finally ready to enjoy this special occasion! As the shower went on, guests complained of the venue being too stuffy or warm, and when I went to use the restroom there were no paper towels for our guests to use. The hired caterer even complained to my friends that he had been calling for 2 – 3 days to come look at the space he would be utilizing, and no one every returned his call. As the shower came to a close, random individuals began to enter the venue and one of my friends was told by someone on staff, that our guest needed to go. At approximately 5:18pm my guests, who came from all over the state and Southeast were rushed out of the door. My gifts were hurried out, decorations were taken down by my friends and some of the staff, and there was no willingness on the The Nest’s end to accommodate the original schedule given to my hostesses. I feel cheated out of memories and photo opps that I was unable to get, due to myself, my friends and my guest being ejected from the venue prematurely. One of my friends spoke with Kristen, the owner and tried to gain clarity. After being spoken to in a very short/​sharp manner, the owner finally offered for my friends to not pay the remaining balance left for the venue, and pleaded with her to remain «graceful» after our departure. Which to me is an admission of guilt. None of my friends were rude or disrespectful to anyone at The Nest. My friends worked hard to make this day special for me and my family, and they felt cheated (out of their allotted time) and were extremely embarrassed by the abrupt dismissal. They spent months planning for this special occasion. Never in my life have I been at an event, had outside people come in and gawk at us like we weren’t supposed to be there, and then had the staff of a venue rush us out, so that the outside people could begin setting up for their event. Apparently my best friends’ timely planning and the time slot they were given, was not as important as the bridal shower that took place soon afterwards, overlapping with my baby shower. Saddened, annoyed, frustrated, and extremely disappointed are just a few of my sentiments about The Nest Birmingham. I was SO excited about your venue. It was totally my style and my friends were ecstatic when they found it… Only to be let down by mismanagement and horrible communication. I can say that myself, and most of my guests that were there today will more than likely not be back to support this location. Instead of hugs and smiles from my best friends, during one of the greatest times of my life, I received apologies from them, for something that was completely out of their control. I was really hoping that my first experience with The Nest would have been great, and the first of many events in the future… But it ended up being a major let down… :(
–A Disappointed Mommy-​To-​Be

The Nest is a really fantastic space to attend or plan an event — I’ve done both. The space is large enough for a really big group to mingle, but you can also split the tables up or use them in the center of the room to do a dinner party. The space looks really beautiful, especially with candlelight or some of the strings of lights that I’ve seen people put up for events.
There’s plenty of electrical outlets, wifi and access to a kitchen (including fridge, water, etc.) that makes throwing an event a lot easier. The staff at The Nest is incredibly helpful and accommodating, and it’s so much nicer to have an event when you have help setting up and breaking down and doing things like taking out trash.
The space is located in Avondale right in the center of all the new development — it’s next door to 41^st St. Pub and across from Avondale Brewery.

The Nest is a new event space located in the historic Avondale neighborhood. It is located in the same commercial space row on the opposite end of 41^st Street Pub and Aircraft Sales. In addition, it will become the home of the future location for the Baking Bandits bakery and coffee shop. Check out
to learn more about the delicious baked goods that Baking Bandits sells at various places in Bham.
I love the fact that the Nest has a rustic yet charming vibe that has the potential to host a variety of personal and professional events. It is an all-​inclusive space with a kitchen and plenty of architecture character for any type of event. My first introduction to the space was a holiday party for a local community organization that I am active with in Birmingham. The inviting space has also hosted everything from engagements parties, wedding receptions, workshops, parties, etc. I am excited to see how the space and coming bakery/​coffee shop continues to develop in the Avondale area.