Rock Falls venue brings affordability and elegance

ROCK FALLS – When Guadalupe “Lupita” Bonnell emigrated to the United States from the Mexican state of Baja California, she brought something with her that was instilled in her growing up in her hometown of Mexicali: the belief that one should not forget where they came from.

Lupita came to northern Illinois not long after meeting her future husband Robert in 1989 in San Diego, where the 20-year Navy veteran was serving at the time. When opportunity knocked 6 years ago, they decided to open the doors to a banquet hall. As they were planning their new business, their thoughts returned to their humble roots. They wanted a place that was high class without the high price.

The Bonnells own Mexicali Rose, a special events venue in Rock Falls where, as the couple likes to say, versatile elegance meets affordability. Beyond the connection to Lupita’s hometown, the business also shares a name with a pair of Hollywood movies, one a 1929 romantic drama starring Barbara Stanwyck and the other a 1939 Gene Autry Western film, the latter of which was one of Bob’s favorites.

The venue can hold up to 160 people, and has a dance floor, chandelier, full bar and kitchen — all to help couples celebrate as they usher in their lives together with friends and family.

Giving families a place where they can come together in a celebration of love takes a family itself.

Lupita and Robert often recruit family to help them arrange, decorate and get things in order for a stress-free reception. Their four sons — Paul, Robert David, Christopher and Victor — helped with designing, landscaping, and installing carpet, and Bob’s daughter Carolina helps with floral designs and decoration for events.

“I like when customers enjoy their time,” Lupita said. “I like when they’re not stressed over anything, because we can do everything for them. They can make their memories.”

The Bonnells work with clients to determine how they’d like things set up and what the venue can offer. The Bonnells can handle the decor, or clients can take care of it themselves if they prefer. The wide open white walls provide plenty of space for couples to add their own touches.

Bob likens it to a blank canvas, he said.

“It’s an unpainted area,” Bob said. “It can be designed by her for whatever she wants to do, or what customers are asking for. It’s basically a blank painting to start, and that makes it unique.”

Mexicali Rose opened in 2019, only to join event venues across the nation in struggling through the coronavirus pandemic the following year. The Bonnells took that challenge as an opportunity to expand and fine tune the plans and ideas they had for their new business.

With help from family, the couple set about working on the building, including remodeling work, installing new ceilings and removing an old walk-in cooler (used by the building’s former owner, Golden Meals). They were determined to be able power through the pandemic and hit the ground running once it was over.

Involving family in the remodeling also strengthened the their resolve and “brought us a lot of memories,” Lupita said.

“Covid was a hard time,” Lupita said. “We didn’t know what we were going to do. We were close to closing this place, but my husband and my children said that they wanted to stick with it. We closed that whole year, decided to remodel and gut it. My son gave me a lot of ideas to make it more contemporary.”

And the Rose isn’t done blossoming yet. The Bonnells are always thinking about ways to make it even better, and they plan to remodel its exterior.

In the three years since welcoming parties once again, satisfied customers’ word of mouth has helped bring more people through their doors, attracted by the flexibility it offers and its reasonable rental fees, Lupita said.

Keeping it affordable is a point of pride for the Bonnells, with their own upbringings in mind. They’ll work with clients to figure out what’s best for their budget.

“We are very reasonably priced,” Lupita said. “We’re working people. We work on their budget and are able to give them something that they can enjoy, and can afford without breaking their banks. Affordability is what they like.”

Consulting with customers will help them determine how far they can stretch their dollar without breaking their budget.

“Her and I grew up meager in our youth,” Bob said. “More her than me, and my dad’s gas station [in Rock Falls] didn’t make a lot of money, so we know what a buck is. We offer something to the working class people that they can afford, and we offer something that is elegant.”

They’re also there to help their customers when something goes wrong and threatens to turn a couple’s big day into a big disaster. On one occasion, a couple’s outdoor ceremony was rained out, but the reception was ready to go at Mexicali Rose. After some quick thinking, the wedding ceremony moved inside and the wedding marched on.

“They came back here, and my wife said we’ll just move the tables, put everything there and they could get married there,” Bob said. “They were very happy. Things like that always come up, and we like to help them out the best we can.”

The Bonnells said they enjoy seeing couple’s faces when they walk through the door for the first time, and hope those same clients will remember the Rose for for other parties, such as birthdays and graduations.

“At the end of the day, when you get a hug and they say, ‘Thank you, Lupita, for everything,’ it’s worth it,” she said. “When they recommend us, it means everything.”

Mexicali Rose is located at 1409 Eighth Ave. in Rock Falls. Showings are done by appointment. Find it on Facebook, go to mexicalirosebanquethall.com, email mexicalirosebanquet@gmail.com or call 815-590-3110 for booking or more information.