The Wooly

We had an evening graduation reception, dinner, and ceremony at the Wooly for ~80 people in April 2015. As the coordinator of the event, I was extremely satisfied with all aspects of the evening. The food (prepared by the Top) was excellent, some of the best «event» food I’ve had; every one of the staff were extremely attentive and friendly; and all of our needs were met.
In addition, working with Audrey prior to the event to make sure all our ducks were in a row was a great experience. Audrey was very detail oriented and always responsive to my (many and frequent) questions and requests. She made sure that everything was just as we wanted it.
Also, their prices are very reasonable, both for food and beverage and for rental of the facilities.
Finally, due to their location (right downtown on the NE corner of Main and University), it’s a convenient location for people to explore downtown before and/​or after your event.
I definitely recommend the Wooly as a great event venue in Gainesville!

Gainesville has a lot of great places that throw events, but the multi-​purpose venues are scarce. Thankfully for your next wedding, rock fest, or just one of the awesome ideas their team cooks up, The Wooly stands ready to roll out the carpet for a good time.
The Venue
Right at the intersection of University Ave and Main St, The Wooly entryway sits right off the street with simple signage and white/​grey paint to accent the spot. Walking in you will find an abundance of space for accommodating 100+ people, a bar straight ahead, and spacious rest rooms that can handle enough traffic for larger events. The interior I would describe as indie formal: lots of patterned white textures, very clean, but fully capable of getting more eclectic with colored lighting or decoration. I have been here for a craft beer/​dinner event, music concerts, and even their own indie Movie Nights so it’s a pretty neapolitan-​flavored place.
There is a full bar available directly in line with the doorway, so whoever is showing up will instantly be encouraged to check that out. They have several taps and generally keep them stocked with solid craft beer, so for the public events this keeps the snobbier suds drinkers more than happy.
The Vibe
All of the events that I have been to have been solid or better when it comes to the key areas: service, professionalism, crowd management, etc. The bar servers were quick and they had the right amount of people handling tabs for the turnout, so even at high-​volume music events you will not be waiting too long for a drink. Depending on what the event theme is, the owners also have the possibility of catering with light snacks so keep that in mind if you are a planner working out an all-​in-​one ordeal.
What I will say is that, regardless of the actual occasion, the space is large enough to feel a little low on energy unless a sizable crowd comes. For some things this is perfectly fine, such as one of their regularly scheduled movie screenings, but come to a music show where ~50 people come and things are less «jumpin’».
Final Thoughts
Parking may be somewhat of a pain considering this is downtown Gainesville, but enough free spots are around to keep the walking minimal. If you are considering planning or attending something here you will definitely find a great, professional resource with: a solid location, an ability to accommodate plenty of people, and a flexible atmosphere for your needs!

I wanted to like this place but the concert sound at Thee Oh Sees show was terrible, muddy and too loud for the size and shape of this venue. I have been to hundreds of shows and rank the sound here at the bottom. I don’t know if it is the acoustics, if they need to to hire a new sound guy or just need a better PA. This could have been a stellar show except for lousy sound. The place overall looked nice but maybe they should stick to weddings and send the shows to The Atlantic. The bands and the customer deserve better.