Simply Southern Barn changes ownership

Published 11:01 am Monday, January 17, 2022

Though Simply Southern Barn recently changed owners, the business is moving right along under the new leadership of Orenthal and Sheila Terrell Sanders. The husband-and-wife team is lifelong residents of Morgan County, living in Madison. They have two children, Jared and Trinity, and Orenthal is the area fire management officer for the Georgia Forestry Commission, while Sheila has been an administrative assistant at Morgan County High School for 18 years. 

They chose to take over the venue largely because of Sheila’s passion for event planning and coordinating weddings. 

“Sheila loves people and never meets a stranger. Her love for people and serving others allows her to always find ways to make each event memorable and special,” Orenthal said of his wife. 

They purchased the space to fulfill a lifelong dream for his wife.

Sheila attended a wedding at Simply Southern Barn and instantly fell in love with the place.

Fast forward to two years after that wedding and Orenthal and Sheila are now the proud owners of Simply Southern Barn. The Barn mainly hosts celebratory events, with pricing for rental depending on the event type as well as the day of the week.

Customers interested in renting the venue can call 478-288-6140 to schedule a tour and discuss pricing.  

Custom and hand-built by its previous owner, Simply Southern Barn is an 8,000 square foot venue equipped with tables, chairs, a prep kitchen and several other amenities.

“Our venue has a beautiful indoor climate control and outdoor décor to bring elegant and rustic style to any event,” Orenthal said. 

Simply Southern Barn can accommodate up to 350 people.

“The unique thing about Simply Southern Barn that sets us aside from all other venues is that we are committed to working tirelessly to make your event as memorable as possible,” he explained. Hours of work go into running the barn, but it isn’t something that Orenthal and Sheila mind. “It takes a lot of time, but it’s not work to us, because we absolutely love what we do,” Orenthal remarked, before detailing a little of that work. “We are here at our venue five out of seven days a week. We do have staff that helps us to keep it clean, maintain the grounds, and we have a security team that we employ for events.”

Orenthal and Sheila Terrell Sanders said they enjoy running the venue where people can enjoy celebrations.

“We sincerely love to serve others and to be a part of an event that will have you telling your family and friends about the level of excellent service you received,” Orenthal said. “We also want to establish great relationships in Milledgeville by getting involved with nonprofit organizations.”