Twenty-three might be Dave Ewell’s lucky number. A Michael Jordan fan, with a serious collection of Air Jordans to prove it, he bought two properties in 2023—one on, and one just off Schuyler County Road 23—then turned them into elegant, yet very different, event venues.

Locally known as Mud Lake Road, County Road 23 is a well-traveled thoroughfare heading west from Watkins Glen, taking drivers between scenic farms as it crests the ridge between Seneca and Keuka Lakes. Two smaller, not-very-deep lakes close to Hammondsport, Waneta (to the north) and Lamoka (to the south), linked to each other by a canal, are home to summer cottages and year-round residents, and much enjoyed by fishermen.

A man of few words but energetic action, Dave saw the undeveloped potential in the properties and their scenic settings. It’s something he’s done many times before, turning homes in New York and Maryland in need of TLC into luxury rental properties, which can be seen on the website he uses to promote them (luxehomeandleisure.com) along with more about the two local venues he has available for weddings, parties, and gatherings.

Two years ago, what is now Venue Noir, at 1187 County Road 23, was an eleven-acre property on the west slope of Sugar Hill with two rustic barns, one with a jerry-rigged outdoor shower, a pond, some fruit trees, and a lot of overgrown brush. Yet Dave, a native New Yorker who also owns a landscaping business in Maryland, saw its potential and began renovating both the property and the barns.

He raised the roof, making the smaller of the two a three-story house with room for up to eight guests. He thoroughly renovated it, adding the plumbing, heating, and well-appointed bathrooms and kitchen previously absent. The outside, like the exterior of the large-ish barn, is a deep black. It boasts a generously-sized patio, private deck, hot tub, fire pit, seating, and barbecue. It can be used for bridal preparations and can accommodate up to eight overnight guests.

Like his other rental properties, it features an open floor plan, white walls, linen and upholstery, art, and a lot of beautifully finished wood to create an atmosphere of casual, rustic luxury. Dave is a design anthologist, choosing furnishings from Facebook Marketplace, which favor spare, clean lines and a modern vibe. He also seems to have a sixth sense for knowing when a venerable building is being gutted or demolished, showing up to buy antique fixtures and architectural gems, often already knowing exactly how he’ll use them. He recently added a black, wrought iron fence to the Venue Noir frontage, deciding when he found it that it would add an additional touch of noir.

Across a small parking area is the larger barn, now refurbished as a two-story event space for up to seventy-five guests. Painted white inside, it’s got unexpectedly elegant touches like antique light fixtures from a now-demolished hotel mixed with new chandeliers locally crafted of woven grapevines. Inside and out are seating areas with spectacular views over the valley to Lamoka Lake a few miles away.

Dave thought a vineyard would be pretty to gaze at and symbolic of the area, so, against all advice, he planted an acre and a half of Marquette grapes, a cold-weather tolerant red hybrid bred in Minnesota, hoping they’d be pretty, even if not productive. They turned out to be both. He’s recently taken possession of his unlikely first vintage, a medium-bodied red created by J.R. Dill he’s calling “Reserve 23.” Future guests will be gifted a bottle with their stay. Dave plans to further develop the property to accommodate more people with glamping facilities. He’s currently collecting vintage Airstream campers to refurbish for this purpose.

The event space has broad patios, one with a pond view, the other with a sweeping valley, vineyard, and lake view, and a legion of Adirondack-style chairs Dave designed and had built. Venue Noir is intended to be a blank canvas for party planners to decorate in their preferred style. Chairs, tables, and tablecloths are provided, as are heaters to extend the season. There is neither kitchen nor plumbing in the event barn, so everything from catering to porta-potties is brought in by outside vendors or provided by those who rent the place.

Planning a wedding for her son Marshall and his fiancée Izabella, Sara Matwiejow found Venue Noir a good choice. “If you’re looking for a quaint spot with a view, then it’s a pretty lovely little spot,” she says.

Marshall and Izabella had a private wedding ceremony last August near the vineyard, then welcomed about 120 guests a little later with hors d’oevres, followed by a catered buffet. Guests sat at tables inside and outside the building—being able to have the outside space made the venue able to accommodate a larger number of people. They put the DJ upstairs, freeing the entire downstairs area for guests. The weather cooperated with a lovely breeze, Sara says, and “It honestly worked out much better than I thought. You can create any sort of atmosphere you want. They allowed us to arrange everything the way we wanted it. People want to have a lovely wedding, but it can be hard to find a place that’s cute and affordable.”

“People love the warm wood of the barn, the cozy lighting, and the open layout. It gives the space a relaxed but elevated feel that works for a lot of different styles,” says Shannon Benjamin, who serves as event manager for both spaces. Available for rent from late April through October, it’s in the price range of $4,000 to $6,000 per event depending on length of stay and the calendar. During the non-wedding season, the house at Venue Noir may be booked via their website, on Airbnb, and on VRBO.

During the time Venue Noir was being rebuilt and refurbished, another opportunity arose, one Dave had been looking at for the decades his parents summered at a cottage on nearby Lamoka Lake. Four miles west, just off County Road 23 at 4015 Waneta Lake Road, Dundee, what is now the Inn at Waneta had been for ages a bar and gathering place. Many local cottagers regularly boated there for an afternoon or evening. When the long-time owners retired, it went through a succession of other owners before Dave decided to buy it. “I knew I wasn’t going to open it as a restaurant,” he says, citing the previously unprofitable ones. What, then?

Needing less work than Venue Noir, the updated Inn at Waneta opened as an event space first. Able to accommodate up to 130 guests year-round for weddings, parties, and meetings, it has a large well-equipped kitchen, a bar, and a main room with sweeping views of Waneta Lake and the surrounding hills (luxehomeandleisure.com/the-inn-at-waneta; like Venue Noir it’s also on Facebook). Dave added his signature touches of comfortable furniture and open spaces, using a floorplan that flows from one room to another, with clusters of seating within the public areas to allow smaller groups of people a chance to converse.

It’s a versatile space. The spacious bar area flows into an even larger dining room. With floor-to-ceiling windows, it’s an elegant room that can also lend itself to more casual occasions. Last year, it was booked for a concert featuring Rochester-born country musician Claudia Hoyser, who performed for a sold-out crowd. Dave says her manager called the Inn “a great listening space.”

Alexis Nowicki had her bridal shower for forty guests at the Inn last June, and enjoyed planning the event with Shannon. “It was simple,” Alexis says. “She made everything easy and got back to us quickly with questions we had. We had family prepare the meals, and we could store stuff and extra food. We did a flower bouquet bar on the back deck [facing the lake], and we had a farmer’s market set up where you got a little basket and could grab fresh fruit. It was nice that we had the kitchen area for prep.”

The inn’s second floor was remodeled into three studio apartments facing the lake, also available via the website, Airbnb, and VRBO. When the facility is booked for a special occasion, like a wedding, the newlyweds and a few other guests can stay over. A handful of vintage Airstream campers parked nearby testify to Dave’s plan to expand accommodations here as well.

Other family members are also in on this endeavor. Dave’s mother, Judy, and sister Nikki recently launched a “general store” in a corner of the inn that once served as kitchen storage. Called Be Well, a play on the Ewell family name, it showcases other family talents like produce from their father’s garden, eclectic treasures Nikki made or discovered in far-flung areas of the world, and Judy’s plush knitted blankets as well as a selection of her baking, including what Nikki describes as “the best cinnamon buns in the world!” The store is open during some special events and as a pop-up during the winter, with expanded hours during warmer weather.

Dave spends a fair amount of time commuting between his Maryland home and landscape business and Upstate New York to visit his family, event venues, and rental properties. Good thing he’s got those Air Jordans to put wings on his feet!