Above Main

Brett Hall and Dana Vanautreve stand behind the snack bar at Above Main, a new gathering place for teens and twentysomethings. Above Main, which boasts of its great sound system and genuine movie theater popcorn machine, will expand its hours after its grand opening on May 9. (BCR photo/Barb Kromphardt)

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PRINCETON — Area teens and 20-somethings looking for a place to hang out should try looking up.

“Up” as in Above Main, a new hang-out located above Johnson’s Carpet Shoppe, at 1033 N. Main St.

Above Main, which has had limited hours since February, was created thanks to the generosity of Dana and Jeff VanAutreve, owners of the building and Johnson Carpet.

The VanAutreves moved into the former Princeton Furniture building about four years ago. The main floor was just right for their business, but the upstairs, with no elevator, was a different matter.

"We always had a lot of square footage just sitting here, unusable,” Dana VanAutreve said.

The couple tried finding a use for the space, including an indoor carpet race track for kids, but nothing worked out quite right until they talked with someone at a local church about starting a youth group outreach.

That didn’t work out either, but the conversation brought the couple and Brett Hall together, and that turned out to be the perfect match.

“I’ve been involved in ministry and had a heart for kids for a number of decades,” Hall said.
Hall attended the community worship service at the fairgrounds last year, and spoke with some of the ministers about who didn’t attend the service.

“The 20-somethings just weren’t there,” he said.

Above Main is the group’s solution to the problem.

“We asked what can we do to provide something worthwhile to reach out to that age group, and this was born,” Hall said.

The VanAutreves agreed to provide the facility at no cost.

“Jeff and I have always had a heart to want to have something for kids and teens to be able to turn to ... somewhere to give them some direction and friendship in a Christian manner,” Dana said.

Since February, Above Main is open every Wednesday and Saturday night.

“Buc Grey and Young Life use the facility on Wednesdays,” Hall said. “They usually close down in the summer, but it’s been working so well that he’s going to keep Wednesday nights going all summer now, to give the kids a place to hang out.”

Saturday nights offer a Christian but non-denominational agenda for post-high school young adults. From 8 p.m. until midnight, young adults are entertained by Christian music and clean feature films. They can choose activities ranging from pool, air hockey and ping pong to chess, darts and board games, to just hanging out and talking.

“We really just want it to be a place, if you don’t want to sit in a bar, you’ve got something else to do,” Hall said.

Hall said he and the other adults at Above Main are there to serve the young people’s needs.

“With high school kids, there’s some mentoring,” he said. “With the older kids, it’s just a matter of you’re welcome to come and sit. If you want to talk, we’ll talk; if you just want to hang out, we’ll hang out.

Things have gone so well at Above Main that it’s time to expand, and a grand opening will be held May 9. After that, Above Main will be open on Friday nights, which will offer the same amenities but without the specific Christian agenda. There will also be a young couples Bible study offered on Thursdays, and Sundays will be open for use by local churches.

Hall is also looking further into the future. Above Main has begun booking some live entertainment, which will begin in June, and Hall would like to offer a full schedule of events eventually.

“We want a place where, no matter what your beliefs, you can come in and find a decent place just to hang out,” he said. “You won’t have to put up with drunks; there won’t be any fights; and the stuff will be clean that you want to watch.”

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