A former dental office next to Decibel Sound & Drink in downtown Milwaukie is being transformed into a hidden garden event space called Lulu Mae, with room for 15 to 30 guests indoors and a rear courtyard that fits up to 49 people among plants and gravel pathways. The venue is scheduled to host its first private event at the end of October.
The project comes from Sarah Ciobanasiu and Isabeau Pletka, whose families already run Decibel Sound & Drink, the vinyl-and-cocktails bar that opened in 2019. According to OregonLive, Decibel’s owners purchased the neighboring property at 11358 SE 21st Ave. to build Lulu Mae, and the two families now own both buildings at the corner of 21st Avenue and Main Street. The Pletkas had purchased the adjacent building at 11380 SE 21st Ave. in 2019, and the Ciobanasiu and Pletka families bought the Lulu Mae property itself in 2023, per the same report.
Ciobanasiu, who has a background in fine dining and event planning, said Decibel receives frequent inquiries about small events but has never had a dedicated private space to host them. She wants Lulu Mae to remain affordable, particularly for people who bring their own food, and the venue is being designed to accommodate baby showers, bridal showers, birthday parties, private dinners and small community gatherings.
From Dental Chairs to a Garden Retreat
The roughly 900-square-foot building was originally a dental office before it was converted into a private residence after the dentist retired, the outlet reports. Now it’s being outfitted with a small kitchenette, two restrooms and a buffet-and-bar counter, while liquor service will run through Decibel’s own bartending teams, led by bar director Matthew Ciobanasiu…