Meet Corlette Duncan | Venue Owner & Community Youth Advocate

We had the good fortune of connecting with Corlette Duncan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Corlette, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Like most people who fall into entrepreneurship, I began by just doing something I love. I love gathering people, family, friends, and loved ones. In the beginning, it wasn’t business, it was just me enjoying what I do. Then it became a lot and expensive to just keep doing it all free or at least without an aim or a mission. So my initial business as an event planner and caterer was formed as more and more people started asking me to do their events and cater for them so that I could stop working for free and be able to use the funds purposefully. This ultimately led to owning D7 Lounge in Stone Mountain, Ga, the event venue my husband and I own today. The same thought process is the foundation and has expanded to not only a means to fund our community and youth missions but also to build generational wealth for our family. I not only do what I love, I also use that to fund ways I love to help in the community.

What should our readers know about your business?
D7 Lounge is not your ordinary event space. Not only does the beautiful indoor and outdoor space speak for itself as “the hidden gem” of Stone Mountain, but the underlying mission speaks even louder. We pride ourselves in being the go-to for small business owners and event planners/hosts as the ultimate collaboration hub. At D7 Lounge we partner with and help small business owners and aspiring business owners expand their reach, network, and clientele base to make more sales and fill events and classes. We do this through collaboration, partnering, and/or custom venue membership opportunities. I love this part of what we do and I am most proud about what it also enables us to do. D7 Lounge and the services we offer here help us to continue our community and youth missions hosting our own charitable events, providing resources and needs, and sponsoring other organizations with common missions for the youth. With the support we receive from our clients and renters, we are able to host our small business markets, youth business markets, community fairs, and back-to-school giveaways. We are even able to sponsor events for youth organizations, offering lower rates to help them save when they are looking for a space to host their charitable events.

This April will mark 3 years for D7 Lounge. There have been great successes and there have been hard seasons too. It has not been easy. It’s been work. There’s been so many lessons along the way. The main thing I would say to someone in the event space industry is to always have an underlying operation for your space. It’s always wise to have something you offer all the time for cash flow rather than just waiting for people to rent your space. I would also say to fellow business owners to always look for ways to expand their network. Success is really about relationships. We have so much to offer each other and it may take one connection with combined efforts to take what you have been working towards for years to turn around into great success in moments. And when you find an event space like ours that is open to partnering and helping you save, get the details and weigh those options cause you never know where it will take you.

At D7 Lounge, we want small business owners and aspiring business owners in our surrounding community and the world to know that they have someone who cares. They have a fellow business owner who wants them to succeed and is willing to help. Using what we have to give a leg up to the next is what we are all about. So think about ways having a venue partner can give your business the boost it needs.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am a native of Georgia, born and raised in metro-Atlanta.

I would say, at this time in my life I am more laid back and chill, more interested in a good chill calm vibe that’s also fun, and good food is a must!
This is a hard question for an introvert who is a former caterer and loves home-cooked meals and quiet serene vibes lol. Since I am a homebody a week is too much to think about all at once.

I would most likely make a whole day of it and take a walk at Stone Mountain Park, grab some lunch to-go from trend urban cafe, and come back to chill, eat, and chat on our deck at D7 lounge. Then go freshen up, maybe watch a movie, and come back to our instructor-led line dance social at D7 Lounge later that night and have fun while we sip, mix, and mingle as we learn the popular line dancing. By the end, I know I will be ready for a good night’s sleep lol.

But there’s so much to do and see in Atlanta. I would have to be led around by my extroverted friends lol. But there is always something for everyone.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would not be where I am today without the love and support of my husband, Nicholas Duncan. Our common missions fuel our business decisions. His ability to really see me, the passion I have for what I do, who we both want to help and the hard work I have put in over the years led to the decision to purchase the event venue. His insight into the real estate industry through his investment business was instrumental in securing the perfect location for the best deal.

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