NEWARK – She loves providing experiences and memories.
“I was very active as a child,” Taylor Penn said. “I’m the oldest of three kids, and we were all in a ton of sports. I played basketball and soccer from the time I could walk through my junior year in high school. I was constantly with friends and teammates, at practices, games, etc. I don’t have too many memories of being home and bored.
“My first job was as a server at a pizza shop,” she said. “Once I started working, I loved the independence and freedom it gave me. I chose not to do sports in my senior year, so I could work more. From the time I was hired at 15 through today, I’ve been in the service industry, and it is, no doubt, the place for me. I absolutely love working with people. So as a kid, did I dream about doing events? Not really. But once it was in my head as a teenager, it’s never left.”
Today, Penn is founder and CEO of N. 4th Penn House – an event venue designed for life’s most meaningful moments, as its website says.
“I do everything from selling and giving tours of the space to helping plan events (as much or as little as each client wants) to being on site for set up, execution, tear down and cleaning,” she said.
Penn grew up in Zanesville, graduated from Zanesville High School in 2012, then Ohio State University in 2016 with a degree in hospitality management with a focus on events.
“After I graduated college, I moved to Spain for two years to teach English as a second language,” she said. “So I decided to put my real career on hold for a few years and move abroad. When I moved back to Columbus in 2018, I worked at the convention center, which was way too big for me, then to a super tiny planning and design company, which ended up being too small for me, before finally landing where I have been for the past 4½ years, at Together and Co. I’m an event producer/designer, and they’re a full-service catering company. On average, I do between 200 and 250 events every year and work with each client to coordinate all the logistics from diagrams, menus, timelines, vendors to off-site building logistics.”
Taylor Penn and her husband, Will, purchased the building for N 4th Penn House in November 2024. They hosted their first event on New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31, 2025.
“We had been looking off and on for a few years, but nothing seemed right,” Taylor said. “I knew from my current role that there was a gap in the industry for smaller events and smaller venues. That’s the group of people I want to cater to – the small events, the intimate weddings that still want the high-end feel but at a price point that makes sense for these types of events. I knew the look I was going for was the industrial exposed brick, and when I saw the space, which was basically a blank slate, I felt we could bring it to life. Add on the community and revitalization of downtown Newark, and I knew we found a gem.”
Her husband, Will Penn, feels his wife’s role was essential.
“Taylor’s efforts went far beyond being physically present on site,” he said. “While she was pregnant and prioritizing our family, she remained fully engaged mentally and emotionally in the business. She gave me the freedom and trust to move the project forward. That support, perspective and leadership behind the scenes allowed me to stay focused with construction efforts. Her role was essential, and I’m deeply grateful for the way she showed up for both our family and the business.”
Taylor responded: “I do it because I love working with people, and I love providing experiences and memories. In my opinion, those things make a far greater impact on our lives than material or tangible items. Events are a celebration of some of life’s biggest moments, and I want to provide a space where those moments feel personal, intimate and unforgettable. Knowing I get to be a small part of those memories, ensuring a smooth and great experience, is what drives me.”
Aces of Trades is a weekly series focusing on people and their jobs – whether they’re unusual jobs, fun jobs or people who take ordinary jobs and make them extraordinary. If you have a suggestion for a future profile, let us know at advocate@newarkadvocate.com.
This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Taylor Penn brings intimate event space to Newark | Aces of Trades
Reporting by Drew Bracken, Special to Newark Advocate / Newark Advocate
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
