Co-Owner of the Bluemont Bed and Breakfast in Luray, Virginia
The "dream" started over 15 years ago. My husband and I experienced our first B&B stay at the Black Friar Inn, Bar Harbor, Maine. It was run by the Kellys back then. This inn and its hosts set the standard by which we judged every other place we ever stayed over the years.
As we were driving back to Ohio I said something like, "I would really like to run a B&B someday. This was wonderful and I think it is something we could do. We both have the skills we need to do it."
I know my husband never gave it much thought. But the idea never left my mind. As the years went by, and we stayed at more bed and breakfasts, my dream became stronger. I kept telling my husband we really could do this! I knew we could do so much better than some of the places we stayed and would strive to be as good as some of the others.
I began reading everything I could get my hands on, attended B&B seminars, talked with every B&B owner I could, joined as an associate member of a B&B association so I could have contact with owners other than during our stays. Then, when a co-worker of mine started teaching a series of B&B startup seminars, I got involved and even more excited about the possibility.
Soon my husband realized that I was serious and he too began thinking that this was something we really could do. Given that our present home and location would not be suitable for a B&B, we knew it would mean a move and a purchase of another home.
As we traveled over the years, we ruled out some locations and kept others in the back of our mind as potential retirement destinations. We also learned that purchasing a bed and breakfast was going to cost big bucks, so we devised a plan to begin saving for the future.
We've always been planners and never do anything on the spur of the moment. In the case of buying and running a bed and breakfast, I personally think this is the way it has to be.
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NOTE: Since this feature was originally posted, Eleanor and her husband ran the Bluemont Bed and Breakfast for several years before retiring.
