Today we’d like to introduce you to Melinda Ritz.
Hi Melinda, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Ive owned Cascades at Parks Mill for about 5 years now. I found the property on line, during the covid lock downs of 2021, was immediately attracted and intrigued, got on a plane within 2 days of finding it and bought it the day I landed in Abingdon. I was in love. It was a little jet lag and a lot of magic. It was a perfect stage set. I had no idea at the time anything about Southwest VA, much less the town of Abingdon, but the mill was like this perfect little island of possibilities, filled with such rare beauty, It did not matter to me at the time the location. Not only did my eyes see beauty, but I heard rushing waters coming from the waterfall. I was going to have my own waterfall and about a mile of rushing creek waters in my own backyard and I had to have it. So, buying Cascades the way I did is the opposite of best recommendations for buying properties. Location is everything when investing in real estate, but I was investing in possibilities. I saw this place and loved the history of it, and I knew my life’s mission was to be the new caretaker of it and see it through. It had what it needed to be a venue, it just needed a good plan. Ive been working on that plan over 5 years time. We have hosted thousands of people from close by and and a few from Las Vegas, which is so weird, because I came out of Vegas to move to Abingdon…I guess I brought them with me.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Its not been easy. First I had to deal with with issues involving the covid lock downs. When I made the purchase, I could not get one consultant over to inspect the property, to make sure it was sound and the mill was stable and I really had no assurances. I just had faith and felt like I could deal with it later, one way or the other. And it turns out as far as property, it needed much more than I originally thought at the beginning and Ive had to deal with prior poor construction and stabilization of the mill, many poor prior installations and repairs along the way which have cash strapped me for future sexy projects. Its all been infrastructure and little funds to do the really fun stuff, like landscaping and events I wish to create. One month after I closed on the deal, my husband became critically ill and I could not leave Vegas and had to postpone the move until he passed later that year. Then I finally was able to make a big move brought all my stuff out and then I got critically ill and had to move back to the West Coast to get well which took 2 1/2 years. So, I had to manage from my hospital bed and Im grateful that those who did the on site work while I was away were really great and got me through. In 2025, while still in recovery, I thought I had the answer by leasing the facility to someone and allowing them to take over the business and do their own weddings at my location. Well, that collapsed two months in when she defaulted the lease and i had to take it back, make all repairs caused by this person, then sold it in December, removed all my assets and then the buyer backed out. I took it back a second time in 4 months time, but this time, I did not have my assets necessary to promote or conduct weddings or make it presentable for sales, so Ive had to start rebuilding all over again. The bad lease caused terrible reviews and I had to completely close down for 6 months, losing all those potential sales, and just recently was able to reopen, redecorate and get on with committing to making this the place and not allowing any more disasters or distractions. Its like starting all over again, but in a poor economy, its 10 times more difficult. Hopefully this new iteration is all for the best, will be more attractive and people will love the new plan which comes out of much pain but will be very beautiful at the end of the day.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Im probably too old to have an event space because part of this deal is not only do you rent out the space, you have to create an unforgettable experience for people and their friends and try to come up with ideas that people will resonate with. And these people in this particular area have a certain preference for things and the way things happen which is not similar to my experience or history, so its been a steep learning curve for me. For them, I might as well been from Yugoslavia or the moon. I dont look like them, walk like them or speak like they do. I come from the wild west. I was born and raised in Las Vegas, married my college sweetheart I met in Vegas in 1983 and worked in Los Angeles starting when I was 22. I got lucky, found myself working as a set decorator first on feature films like Basic Instinct and The Abyss as an assistant on location in the 1980’s and then got back to LA to run my own shows, mostly in sitcoms where I eventually got nominated 7 times for an Emmy and won 3 of them back in the early 2000’s. That infamy, and experience and meeting so many executives, producers, celebrities and the entire Hollywood crowd led to me establishing my own interior design studio, Melinda Ritz Interiors where I was able to really show my talents. I built and designed huge homes for important people, I ate well, I travelled very well, I learned alot and I was a visual artist and people respected what I did. And then I suffered some burn out and wanted. to be in the middle of nothing, nowhere, and wanted to create a different future in nature. I could see the end of the film business coming fast, and I was so right, I got out at the right time. Lock downs were not easy for business, and I could just tell something different needed to be happening. What I realized is that Cascades is like a stage set, Im a creator, and the producer of my own film there. I get to direct and art direct and the mill is the set.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
Short of buckets of money to make improvements, really restore the mill properly including the sluice which fell apart in the storm of 2022 and the big sign which was knocked down by the drunk drivers of 2023, I am always looking for collaborators. I welcome collaborators. People who are creative, and want to use Cascades to create. Meaning, create their own events, caterers, investors, etc. With that hopefully in my lifetime, I can see Cascades to its full potential. I see it as a community gathering place, a place where people can relax and enjoy outside of their homes, and a little.better than their own backyards to celebrate and hang out. A place where I can have speakers come in and people will learn something interesting. Where they can see and be part of beauty and experience wonder. People to come in and see the mill and realize its full potential. Its a club and we can all be part of creating this for ourselves and enjoy what it becomes. That is what I want. I want it to be activated and occupied all week, every weekend and all holidays and evolve as we do with our thoughts and desires and not be limited by funds. Just invest some sweat equity and get your share of the reward.
Pricing:
- see website for general pricing
Contact Info:
