“People do not realize what they’re missing”: Mike McDermith on Bringing National Talent to Locally-Owned Yellow & Co.
What started as a traveling paint party business has grown into a brick-and-mortar boutique and comedy club, a multifaceted business and staple of Mahomet’s growing Patton district.
Elizabeth VanHoutan and Mike McDermith, who own and operate Yellow & Co., have grown their business by consistently trying new ventures and pivoting as needed. Once they had a physical location supporting the paint parties, retail was a natural progression. From there, they considered a coffee shop and wine bar. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. They leaned into the boutique instead, expanding that space and shrinking the party room.
Then the pair realized they could consider running other types of events.
“We had a stage, we had a sound system, we had tables, chairs, we had a BYOB license—let's try comedy” McDermith said. “We’ve always been comedy fans. So we booked a couple of comedians and it went really well. So let’s try music. The music went well—from that point on, it was like, this is a lot of fun.”
After becoming a full-fledged event space while maintaining the popular boutique, growth required moving. VanHoutan and McDermith worked with Tabeling Development Company to design the entire building at the end of Patton Drive, where they occupy two of three storefronts. With creative input, they were able to improve flow between the boutique and event space, as well as increase square footage overall.
The result is a “unique combination” of businesses that is “unmatched,” according to McDermith. Any jokes about the business pairing aside—like being “the best smelling comedy club” or “the gift shop comedy club”—McDermith says they have “now earned a place in the comedy club universe.”
Yellow & Co.’s event space is intimate, with an expectation that audiences are “here to listen to the artists.” It’s true. In the venue, you can hear that your laugh matters. The performer hears your response. McDermith opened a recent show asking that the tables at front keep their chatter to a minimum; the performer is right there in front of them.
For audiences, this means that performers tell stories and engage with audiences as they perform. Comedians appreciate the attentive—and respectful—audience. (McDermith noted that a “good community” comes to Yellow & Co., with little heckling or negative behavior at shows.)
McDermith emphasized that growth begets growth for his business. There is no coasting in club management, and he is always looking for the next act. A strong audience isn’t just good for one show, he explained, because performers spread the word about positive venue experiences.
“I preach it over and over again,” he said. “If you come to the show, it’s not going to help just the one show. It’s going to help us for future shows. It won’t just help us with this comedian. You’re going to help us book bigger and more accredited artists.”
McDermith also encouraged Mahomet to take pride in our unique array of businesses and explained that supporting a place like Yellow & Co. keeps “dollars here in the community.”
“You want people to be proud of their community. It’s growth on one hand, but it’s also community pride. Someone might talk about where they live, and they could say, ‘there’s nothing to do in our town.’ And you’d be like, you know what? There’s a lot of things to do in our town.”
Learn more about Yellow & Co. at their boutique and event websites. Exterior photos courtesy of Mike McDermith, interior photos courtesy of Nathaniel Underland.
