Meet Me at Miss Patty's: Destination Stars Hollow

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Meet me at Miss Patty's with Easton Allen. Hi, everyone. Meet me at Miss Patty's. It's Easton Allen. You know, I've been on quite the journey here on I Am All In. I have. talked to luminaries from the world of pop culture. I have explored the seedy underbelly of fashion. And, uh, now my life takes me to a new destination. That's right.

I am now your local gossip expert. I am Miss Patty.

Okay.

I have become Miss Patty. Uh, we're doing this new show here. This is so exciting. It's called meet me at Miss Patty's and we're exploring the and talking to the people that put these incredible Gilmore Girls events together. There are so many awesome, there's conventions, there's meetups, there's, the cast just shows up and does a comedy show.

There's all this great stuff that is Gilmore adjacent, Gilmore related, going on all over these great 50 states and around the world. And we are going to cover it all just for you. I'm going to give you all the information. I'm going to give you all the, I mean, I'm going to read the dates multiple times. Okay. If you didn't catch it the first time, I'm going to say it again. And we're going to interview the people that are putting these things together. These are the true hardest workers of the world of Gilmore.

Okay.

These people are putting their own blood, sweat, and tears into these events so that you can come and meet the cast and do something cool and see a new place. So last week, we went to Connecticut for a weekend in the life. And we're heading to the Midwest this time. There's a really great event going on September 26th and 27th in Brighton, Michigan. It is called Destination Stars Hollow.

And this event is so, so exciting to me because it's... A lot of these places, it's like, we're going to turn our town into Stars Hollow. And that kind of is happening here in Brighton, Michigan, but mostly it's about celebrating the beauty and the joy and the community and the magic of living in a small town. So if you live in a big city or if you grew up in a small town or you've always been curious about what life in a small town is like, this is the place for you. You want to get yourself to Brighton, Michigan, September 26th and 27th. we're going to talk to Kathleen London. Okay. She is the mastermind behind this event. She's put it all together. And I think you're really going to appreciate and admire what she has

to say about the magic of this event. Destination stars hollow. Kathleen is waiting in the waiting room. I can see her digitally banging on the door, begging to be let in. I think they're running out of oxygen in there. So let's bring her in right now. Oh, you know, actually, before we do that, I'm going to play a commercial.

Sorry. Bye.

It's Meet Me at Miss Patty's. My name is Easton Allen. Thanks so much for joining us. I am here with Kathleen London. She is the mastermind. She is the big boss. She is in charge of Destination Stars Hollow, which is going on September 26th and 27th in Brighton, Michigan. I... Oh my... Okay, let me tell you something, Kathleen. I have never been more jealous of everyone. Like, I need to go. I need to be there for this. Because this...

The coolest thing that stood out to me about Destination Stars Hollow is that it seems like 99% of it is just free.

It is.

Free to the people that show up in Brighton, Michigan. Okay, so set the stage for me. You are transforming this town in Michigan into Stars Hollow. And how does that happen? Tell me.

So I probably have to back up the scene for a minute.

Please.

I'm an actual small business owner. And I also grew up in a small town. So I kind of have a lot of Lorelei vibes about me. And the world has been really hard for small business with Amazon and TikTok shop and all this stuff. And four years ago, I was looking in my main street where I had a business. And I thought, how do we get to people and tell them to put their phone down and put their... computers down and step away from their TVs and step into the real life that is Stars Hollow.

Yeah.

And so I realized that we needed to remind people why they use Gilmore Girls as like chicken soup, right?

Yeah.

We needed to remind people. So I hosted an event and I said, if you wanted to visit Stars Hollow, you know, these are archetypical places. things in town. And here's our map, our version of what that is. Because in a funny way, Gilmore Girls copied Small Town. Yeah. And so, you know, I mean, if you look at any small town in the country, they all have weird little fundraisers for a soccer team or a baseball team.

They all have like a weird ice cream social or historic society, like all crazy, obsessed, like power hungry leader. Like there's so many things that happen in small town if you are a small town person. And so what we did, did was we said, if you wanted to, for a minute, explore this idea of being in small town, come to our small town. We don't look anything like Stars Hollow. We have no gazebo. But we have small businesses and we have crazy characters. And we have people who are sitting there every day waiting to meet you 365 days a year. So we said, hey, for this weekend, pretend just for one minute that our small town is your small town. So we did that. And then we did it again with a little more thought. We got

all the stores like more formally involved and said, OK, everybody, let's just do this map. Let's do it for real. And so we did. And 40,000 people showed up. Yeah. Which is insane.

What's the population before that?

7,000. Oh, my God. And pretty much the locals were like, peace out. Like, this is too much. So I can come down 365 days a year, 363 days a year. So what happened was we had this moment and then all these other events were like, hey, we could do that. We could do that too. So we started to see other events transforming from the Comic-Con format and that festival format into this more immersive format that we had established.

So year two or three, excuse me, was really our year to get our feet underneath us and say like, how can we do this for a longer weekend? And we started planning our weekend, but adding a half day of like kind of some VIP activities and another full day of free activities. Everything is free because we want you to shop.

Of course.

So, right. Support local business. These are the people who pay for your kid's hockey team or soccer team or, you know, whatever your kid's fundraiser at the high school. So we started planning and ring-a-ding-ding, Mr. Scott Patterson called us and actually back that up. It was actually Rose Abdu. Okay.

She's a Michigander and she had just been on Scott's podcast and they were like, they brought 40,000 people to a town where, Without us, they hurt. How did they do that? I mean, ask Scott the story. It's on I'm All In. They talk about it. And so they were like, what's going on? So Rose called us. Scott called us. We had chats with them. And we were like, well, this is about small town, but we'd love to have you. Sure. Sure.

So in they came and we immersed them into the town. You don't go away and come back. It's just kind of part of everything. It's a church, which is this beautiful welcoming church. And then another location has this other, it's really beautiful. It's like a coworking space right downtown and they have a gazebo behind their building. It's very pretty.

And so it's Brighton Lighthouse and the First Presbyterian Church just threw open their doors and the actors went in there and signed autographs and met people. And you took selfies with your cell phones because we didn't. We were like, have fun. And they did that. And we sold those tickets out. But yet the town was still free and the activities were still free. And we really wanted people to have a free moment. because the world is really hard right now. And we want people to feel like they can have an experience just like you do in any small town, right? You should be able to walk around.

And if you only spend, you know, $ 25, but it's a really precious item that you got during this weekend, that's what we want for you. So yeah, so that's how this all happened. So we're now on year four and a lot of other towns and events, Comic-Con type people are looking at our format and saying, oh, that's kind of cool. Maybe I can take some of those ideas and copy them. And here we are, right? A lot of small towns are seeing the love and the magic.

I love it. I love it so much. I'm from a small town as well.

Oh, cool. Yeah.

Yeah. And I find that community to be so magic. And it's one of those things where like, yeah, you can make a difference. You can do something to improve the community in a small town like that. And everybody knows everybody and everyone's got each other's backs. It's really a beautiful thing. Do you find that most people that are coming to Destination Stars Hollow, are they people that like, live in a big city and they want to see what a small town is like are they people that grew up in a small town and want to capture that magic like what do you find from I.

Think it's a little of both I think because our event is so genuine and it's focused on your experience overall and And I mean, I love Scott and I loved Rose and I haven't met Sean yet. And I'm excited to meet him. And we have Kelly Bishop coming. So I'm super excited for everyone to be. And but I think I'm most excited to introduce them to small town. Right.

Like a real small town. Yes. A Midwest town. Small town. I don't know where you are. Are you in L.A.

Now?

You're in L.A.? Yes.

And I'm from Northern California. That's where I grew up. Yes. So it's a small town in coastal California. So, you know, different.

Oh, very cool.

So different than the Midwest, though, which is something that I find so interesting. And I would like to experience.

And that's the thing, you know, where, you know, I spent a big part of my career in New York City. And a lot of people from New York and L.A. that I used to work with were like, oh, the flyover states. And if you really think about Warner Brothers and shows like Gilmore Girls or One Tree Hill or Dawson's Creek, you name these shows, right? That have great small towns. What they have in common is they're talking to us in the Midwest. We are their market, right?

So I think what happens is we get people from all over the world because I think they want the genuineness of what we're presenting. And I can't really... I can't really put my finger on it because we're not Comic-Con people. We're not event people. Part of what we did too, you being from a small town, you'll get this.

You know when there's a festival and they put all the tents on the street and it's like hot dog vendors and, I don't know, elephant ear vendors and like a candle maker and a, I don't know, bead bracelet person. I don't know, something. And it's all up and down the street. So there's this tunnel and you're in a bunch of tents. Well, as a small business, I was like, all right, great. All these people are here, but they can't see my store. They're seeing the tents. The people who are popping up for one weekend and I'm here every weekend.

True.

So what we did was we ripped that artifice away and we highlighted the actual brick and mortar businesses. So there's almost nothing on the street other than people and fans and people meeting up with each other and connecting. And that's what's really fun to see because... the fans, I think you mentioned it in another podcast. They're like, you couldn't meet a lovelier group.

Oh, the best. They're the best.

The best. And they're like mother, daughter, grandmother. Right. And then we have girlfriends who've flown in from different areas to meet each other there and spend the weekend just goofing around because it's free. If you want to upgrade and you want to meet an actor or you want to, you know, get a swag box and like a VIP lounge, um, to have your own bathroom and things like that. We set that up, but it is not the core. I mean, that's a lovely, elegant way to make it a little more judged, right? To give yourself that slightly more elegant experience.

But honestly, the festival is free and you can drive in and you can experience everything and you might get a sneak peek at the actors. We try and make that happen. So it really... it's very embedded and immersed in that concept of getting rid of the tents. We don't have all the vendors. We really focus on the businesses, the people, why you're there. And we hide like Easter. I'm, I'm quote, I'm doing air quotes because I know we're Easter eggs all over town that you can stumble upon and find that are like, Oh my gosh, stop it.

That thing, like whatever it is. Right. So it's, in no way, shape or form are we Stars Hollow. Like in no way, shape or form. But then again, Stars Hollow was us. Yes. In essence, right? Stars Hollow, those writers, all were looking at these small towns and being like, oh, that's funny. Let's do that. Oh, that's cool. Let's do that. Right? Yeah.

So those are archetypes that we've just kind of brought back to town and use Stars Hollow as our metaphor for why we should all be friends.

That warms my heart, Kathleen. I love that. I get chills just hearing that. There's so much more to get into with Destination Stars Hollow, but please join me in jogging in place while we play a little bit of a commercial, okay? That's what this is about.

Bye.

Bye. And we're back. It's Meet Me at Miss Patty's. My name is Easton Allen, in case you cannot read your podcast screen right now. I'm talking to Kathleen London. She is the mover and shaker. She's the big cheese. She is the boss of Destination Stars Hollow. So, you know, you're mentioning that the event is free. Again, this is the 26th and 27th of September in Brighton, Michigan. Get your tickets now. But it's mostly free. But Uh, as, as previously mentioned, Sean Gunn involved, an early adopter, uh, our beloved Scott Patterson. And this is so exciting. Kelly Bishop, Emily Gilmore herself. She's going to be there. How did you get Mrs. Gilmore involved? How did that happen?

It was odd, honestly, and not in a bad way. We love Scott. And honestly, we would love to do the Scott show. We would love to bring all of you guys out here and throw you in all our weird businesses and be like, you guys do this and you guys do that. We would love to do a whole Scott thing. We'd love to bring the podcast. We'd love to do that. But you kind of have to offer people differences, right?

Of course.

And we knew there was stuff brewing on Kelly's plate. She'd written the book and we've heard rumors about you know, her meeting up with Amy and Lauren. And of course, like we love them. And, um, and so we just got to be in our bonnet and we, we worked the angle. We just emailed and worked the angle and finally got to the right person. And once we explained our event that we're not like a con, like we're a big, you know what I'm saying? Like we're not that, that we're this like fun little thing. Um, she was in. So, uh, you know, it's really cool. It's really fun. So she's doing a, um, a Q and a.

The third Gilmore Q and a, it looks like it's sold out. Sorry, everybody.

I think if you went all access, we had a few this year because we had Scott and Scott was offering his coffee dates, which was really, I think, cool.

So fun.

And, um, And Sean was too, but then Sean and Scott were doing the meet and greets and then they do like a Q and a. So we thought, well, what if people wanted to do like all the meet and greets and all the Q and a's what if we put it all together in a package and we offered that as kind of your whole weekend pass to all the actory things. So we kind of bundled it.

And then so the only way to get some of those tickets was through this bundle because we I mean, you're going to laugh at us, but our, um, our theater seating seats, 350. Wow.

This is an intimate show. Wow.

It is, but you know what? That's the point.

Exactly.

We're doing multiple. So we probably get to the same amount of people through doing it multiple times, um, instead of one time, but it's super intimate. And the space that Scott and Sean are in is super intimate. And, um, you know, Scott, um, and Sean get taken care of by these lovely church volunteers that, um, from first Presbyterian, who bring them diet Cokes and feed them and, um, you know, help them. So it's, it's really, um, community.

And we would love to do this in any, like we kind of created something that we realized, like we would love to bring, um, To any community. And I think we kind of understand the magic and we understand the way it works. Ironically, we've had a few of the other festivals try and like steal our social media person, which is really funny because it's like my friends. Right. Like, so like, we're not a business. We're like a group of friends that want to save small business.

I love it. I love it so much. Where are you doing? Like, what is the venue for like the Q and a, you said that this venue of 350 seats is.

A church sanctuary sanctuary.

Wow.

I love it.

Yeah.

But it's like amazing. And we had somebody with, here's a fun story. So the first time we did it, we were like, I don't know. We don't want it away from town. So we put it in the church and it was really funny because we heard like from the church that a bunch of people came through and walked up to the volunteers and were like, I haven't been in a church in like 15 years. This has been amazing. You guys have been so welcoming. Thank you for hosting this and bringing us in. Like, I think there was this disconnect of like what church was.

Yeah, yeah.

You know what I mean? And to be in this like really welcoming environment that wasn't proselytizing or talking like they were just welcoming you in as human beings. And this was the venue, right? It just was the venue in this old, it's an older church they've added on and it's this crazy layout, but it is, yeah, it's a church. And then the other venue we have is this coworking space that is a historic home and it's a coworking space and it's a historic home. And so it's in this, kind of outdoor part of this historic home so it's all embedded in town because we don't want you having to get on a bus and go across town to someplace else and then come back like you're in town to be here so be here and

and um that's what we do so it's silly and fun and friends are made Oh yeah. Yeah.

Friends are made, relationships are formed, memories are the last lifetime. And I think about, you know, there's so many cool conventions that happen all over the country and they have their place and everything. But when I think about like experiencing something like this, where you get to hear, you get to talk to the actors and hear from them, it's, you can either be in a conference room at a Radisson Inn, like outside of Chicago, or you could be in a church in Brighton, Michigan. I just think what a great venue for that to happen.

Super fun. And I'll tell you one other really funny thing. We've had two people this year reach out, three actually, men who want to propose on that weekend in town.

Yeah. And we have a jewelry store involved and they're getting involved and people, because year one, before we even had the actors here, somebody did propose just spontaneously and bought the ring at the jewelry store.

And it was like a whole thing. So now it's become this thing. People want to propose, like buy our mill ponds. or I don't know, I don't even like, it's adorable. Adorable.

I love that. And, uh, like if you're, you guys, if you're going to, uh, to, uh, Destination Stars Hollow, which is September 26th and 27th, right in Michigan. Um, it's, I think about like the, local businesses and local community being the core of this event is just so special. And, uh, there's a, so I'm from, I'm from a town in Northern California called Santa Cruz, California.

And, um, Oh, Santa Cruz is beautiful.

I love it with all my heart.

And, um, I, my niece went to UC Santa Cruz.

All right.

Go slugs.

Yeah.

Um, so we, we had an organization there called think local first. And, uh, this, we used to throw this stat around and I loved it and I have it here. It's, When you spend $ 100 at a non-locally owned business, you know the stat, $ 14 stays in the community out of that $ 100 from a non-local business. But if you do it at a local business, it's $ 50. And in many cases more because that business is employing people. They are getting supplies from town. It's just like you're literally investing in your community. So what a better way to do that.

Well, think about you as a kid in Santa Cruz. Your first job is a small business.

Exactly.

So, you know, the Kirk's of the world start in small towns and the Luke's and the Lorelei's. Those are all people who started their journey because someone took a chance and hired them in a small business. Exactly.

Exactly.

It's cool.

It's so cool. And this event is so cool. I'm so grateful you're putting it on. Thanks. I'm going to try to get out there myself. Scott Patterson will be there. Sean Gunn will be there. All your friends, Kelly Bishop will be there. And this is Destination Stars Hollow. I'm going to say it one more time. September 26th and 27th, destinationstarshollow.com to get all the information. Kathleen, you're a delight.

You are a shining star.

You are too. You're a delight. And you tell Scott, we want you to come. He should just throw you on the plane with him, maybe in his luggage.

I'll sneak in his carry-on. I'll be there.

Sneak in his carry-on.

Yeah, I'll get him the Diet Cokes this time. We'll give those church volunteers a break. There you go.

Yeah. For sure.

For sure.

Thank you so much for taking the time, Kathleen. And best of luck.

Thank you for inviting me. Ah, thanks. We hope to see you.

Absolutely. Thank you.

All right. Thanks, Ethan. Okay. Bye-bye.

Bye-bye, Kathleen. Hey, everybody, don't forget, follow us on Instagram at I Am All In Podcast and email us at gilmore at iheartradio.com.

Meet Me at Miss Patty's: Destination Stars Hollow

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