Are you cut out to be an innkeeper?

People always tell me I must really be a "people person" to run a B&B.  I think that must be true for most any job that deals with the public. But opening your home to people on an ongoing basis, cooking and cleaning up after guests day in and day out requires a more precise set of skills.


More than anything, a well suited innkeeper must be a homebody. It is a career choice that will keep you reined in most days and nights. This was great for me as I used to plan out my weeks in my former life by running all the errands on one day so I could stay home the other six to clean, cook, garden and just piddle around. My idea of heaven would be to find someone who could be trusted to do all my shopping for me (including clothes...especially clothes!) Since Mike now does most of the grocery shopping and I can buy most everything else on-line, I am half way there.


It helps if you are good at putting people at ease, making them feel welcome in your home and creating a comfortable environment. I knew I was good at this as our house was where all the kids like to come hang out and where my friends loved to come to relax.

You need to be tolerant.  Tolerant of others habits, religion, politics, privacy needs, food issues and questions. If you grew up in a very large dysfunctional family you have been well trained for the life of an innkeeper.

People will ask you every day why you wanted to do this.  On good days I tell the whole story of how the inn came to be and on bad days I say I won it in a poker game.

You will use the older sheets, the older towels, the half used soap and toilet paper for yourself.  Your meals and naps will be interupted on a regular basis by check-ins, phone calls for reservations and guests who need help with everything from directions, reservations or information on how to work the DVD player.

Adaptability and a great live-in handyman are a must. If it is going to break, quit working or start smelling, it will do it when you have a full house. You need to be able to roll with the punches with a big old smile on your face and do the best you can to keep folks comfortable.  If all else fails, you may have to get them a room at the nearest place down the road.

The payoff for me comes in many forms. It can be as simple as the call, "We're home" from guests coming in the front door.  Or, people telling you they were wondering what the cookies would be today as they were driving in. It can be an admission that someone opens our web site when they are having a stressfull day because it helps them relax. I love it when the house starts off on Friday with a bunch of strangers and ends on Suday morning with lots of friends exchanging email addresses and business cards.

But my absolutely favorite story happened a few years after we had been open.  I was in the Common Room visiting with several guests and one of them noticed someone had left their shoes in the entry hall.  She asked me if it didn't bother me having people leaving their stuff all around. No, I said, to the contrary.  I love it when that happens as it lets me know that people really feel at home. 

I'm not sure who overheard or how the word was passed around, but the next morning when I came out to turn on the lights there were 16 pair of shoes all lined up around the entry hall.  To me it was like a standing ovation.

(One of) My Most Embarrassing Moments

In the movie "As Good As It Gets," the character played by Jack Nicholson  is informed that one of his finer qualities is his willingness to humiliate himself.  I can really identify with that sentiment.  Over the years, as hard as I have tried to perfect my role as a gracious and hospitable innkeeper, that pesky quality occasionally escapes to the forefront. Those moments tend to make for great stories and some of you have heard me tell this one before.  It is still my favorite embarrassing moment.

One weekend we had a full house of folks that came as strangers but were now clicking.  It happens occasionally and always makes for a fun time.  The decision was made to gather in the Common Room and watch a movie.  Since no one had ever seen one of our favorite comedies (and a great parody of the old singing cowboy movies), Rustler's Rhapsody, we chose that as a "must see."

Early on in the movie, there is a scene in the saloon where a stranger walks up to the town drunk at the bar and, cigar in hand, asks for a light.  The drunk looks up, smiles and says, "Yeah, my face and your butt."  The stranger looks perplexed and then walks off.  After a moment, the drunk talking out loud to himself says, "Wait a minute...its not a light. Its a match. And it not my face...but your face...and my butt."

Fast forward thirty minutes and I have to come to the office to answer the phone. Just as I am about to re-join the group, one of the guests walks up to the desk and asks if I have a match.  I laugh and say, "Yeah, your face and my butt."

I just get silence and a perplexed look.

I shake my head and ask, "You aren't in there watching the movie, are you?"

Nope.  He just came down looking for matches to light the candles in his room. 

He was a good sport and laughed at my explanation.  I'm just not sure he ever came back.

The life of an Arkansas Innkeeper

At the end of the novel, “The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe,” the author states that if anyone ever figures out what life is all about it will instantly change into something even more bizarre.  I am pretty sure my life proves that theory.  And I sure wish you deep thinkers out there would knock it off!

Some of it may have to do with the place I live.  It's a place that lets school out for a week every November so the kids can go hunting, (some for deer & turkey, and some for road signs & mailboxes.)  A place where the churches put out signs that say “Camouflage Welcome.”   A place where a store sells only fishing bait and donuts (and good ones at that.)  A place where you can reserve tanning bed time , then rent some movies on your way out.  A place where you can rent a tuxedo and a ditch-witch at the same store. A place where, when you forget your purse at the gas station or hamburger stand, they tell you to just bring the money by the next time you are there.  A far cry from life in the big city I had escaped.

It is no wonder I take folks out into the yard to go Toad Scratchin’.

Well, it didn't really start out that way.

Some time back I noticed a toad that came out of his hole to watch me

when I was working close by.  Maybe he is the Neighborhood Watch

Captain, who knows.  After spotting him a couple of times, I decided to

“remodel” his place by adding a slate roof and patio. A few months

later, one of the guests noticed this and asked me about it in front of

some other folks.  When I explained what it was, they all wanted to go

take a look at it. It had started to mist outside so we all grabbed

umbrellas and headed down the hill to Mr. Toad's house.  When he didn't

make an appearance right away, I explained that my leaf raking was what

probably got him curious in the past so maybe we should scratch around

some with our feet to make a similar noise.

So here we stood, a half dozen of us, in the rain, holding umbrellas, looking down at the ground and pawing around with our feet.  And no toad in sight.   Finally, one of the guys looked at me with a wry expression and stated more than asked, “There really isn't a toad, is there.”

There is a town close by named Toad Suck and they have a weekend event

every year called “Toad Suck Daze.” I wonder if we could have a Toad

Scratch Festival?

You also learn a lot of weird stuff being an innkeeper.  I've new insights into everything from embalming to carp fishing. I can now identify Huckleberry bushes and Pygmy Rattlesnakes from ten paces. I know that a glass eye isn't round from seeing one up close and out of the socket. I have recently learned that if you shove some white bread into a copper pipe, it will keep the water from running out while you “sweat it” ,  but then it will  wash out when you are done.  Also, talcum powder in conduit will make feeding the wires through easier.  I know it takes a dead mouse about two days to start smelling inside the house but have yet to ascertain how long it takes a lizard in the duct work.  I just know it takes weeks for it to go away.

I have quit making notes of all the small world stories.  They happen all the time now and I have come to expect them. Everybody knows everybody.  They just don't know it yet!

And people can still surprise me.  One of the dogs was sleeping on the front porch when this elderly, very prim and proper woman was coming up the walk.  Everything about her said she was a quiet and dignified “lady.”  When she got to the top steps, the dog rolled over and stuck all four legs in the air, ready for a good belly rub.  The woman laughed, scratched the dog's stomach and muttered, “Well, aren't you just a little slut puppy!”

I was also tickled by the story about the old man across the road that

was fed up with coyotes getting into his stuff.  He set a trap and finally caught it.  He went down with his rifle to shoot it.  But when he approached the cage,  the coyote rolled over on his back and looked pitiful, so the man let him go.

Maybe showing your belly can bring out the true nature in people.

I am pretty sure I have finally found a life that suits me.  It is just

predictable enough for my Virgo nature to find a comfortable groove and

just weird enough to keep me on my toes.  I have learned to live in the

moment... mainly because there is seldom time to think about tomorrow or yesterday. And, if I keep reminding people how “Zen” I have become, maybe they won't notice that I have actually slipped into senility.

Buying Sheets 101

                                                            


“I want your sheets!”

Well, you can’t have them.  Not because I don’t love you…they just don’t make them anymore.  Most of the American mills (including Fieldcrest/Cannon that made our wonderful Charisma Dot sheets) closed several years ago. The linens we have purchased since then just don’t match up. And beware of the “Charisma” sheets out there now…they are NOT the same.

My major complaints:

            ~ It is hard to find a fitted sheet that actually FITS.  Nieman Marcus carried a great dotted sheet that was very close to our old ones but the bottoms were so large we could never get the bed made tight.  We use the top sheets and pillowcases we purchased, but folded the bottoms and stored them away for emergencies.

We have nice double pillow-top mattresses but they only require about a 13” pocket.  The smallest most places carry now is 15.”  I won’t buy anything that claims, “one size fits all” or is deeper than 15.”  There is a new place online called Cozy Town Linens that has numerous sizes for tops and bottoms (and they are American made).  I just found them and have not had a chance to buy from them yet. I will keep you posted when we do.

            ~ “Wrinkle Free.”  If you want a cotton percale sheet, there is no such thing as wrinkle free. You can either get a polyester/cotton blend that is or stick with 100% pima or Egyptian cotton.  We fold our fitted sheets right out of a hot dryer so they smooth out when folding.  I still iron the tops and Mike irons the pillowcases.  It may sound like trouble but it is one of the reasons our sheets feel so nice.

            ~ Poorly finished edges.  If I am paying a lot for linens that will last for years, I want them to be finished properly. The fitted should have elastic ALL the way around.  I prefer top sheets to be hemmed all the way around but did have one set with well-designed selvage edges that lasted as long at the sheets.  My biggest complaint is with the pillowcases.  First of all, I want both sides and the bottom seamed (not just a piece folded over and sewn down one side).  And, I want the hem sewn AFTER the seam so it folds over the rough edge.  [see photos]

The best:  Both side are seamed and the hem is sewn over the rough edges on both sides.

Not quite as good: Seamed on both sides and hemmed over one side only?

  



Both sides are seamed but the hem is seamed as well.

 Only one side has a seam and the hem is seamed.

~ Confusing thread count/cotton descriptions.  It used to be the higher the thread count, the better the sheet.  That was because the finer (longer, stronger) Egyptian cotton strands took up less room on the loom so there were more of them per inch. America got into the fine cotton business with its version of pima or “Supima” cotton sheets.  So look for those terms (Egyptian cotton or Supima cotton).

Thread count got tricky.  Many suppliers were making poor quality fibers stronger by wrapping two strands together and calling what used to be a 200 thread count sheet a 400 count and charging more. I have heard that this practice is being cracked down on but beware.  If you are getting a 600 thread count set of sheets for under $100, there is probably a reason you will notice only after the first washing.  The old Charisma sheets were 360 thread count Supima cotton (percale). They ran about $200 a set back then and were worth it as I am still using some of them 14 years after we opened.

Most sheets anymore are called “Sateen” but are mainly cotton that has been brushed to make it feel softer.  They never feel crisp to me and have a tendency to pill up.

Flannel sheets are a little different in that they they are supposed to be brushed and are judged by the oz. not the thread count.  Most regular flannel will be 4-5 oz.  But, pay a little more and get the 6-6.5oz.  It is well worth the money.  And they are oh so cozy in the winter (and I use the flat sheets as summer blankets)

Suppliers I always look at:

The Country Store

Linensource

Lands End

Neiman Marcus

(and now) Cozy Town


In conclusion, if you want sheets that feel like ours, get:

1. Pima, Supima or Egyptian cotton
2. Percale, (not Sateen)
3. 350-400 thread count
4. Measure your mattress for correct drop/pocket size
5. Get your spouse to iron them!

How We Found the Perfect Place

Our guests tell us this is the perfect place for a B&B and I have to agree.  But keep in mind we never would have found this little piece of heaven had I gotten what I wanted.  

In the summer of 1992, Asheville, NC was our destination for finding the perfect old home to remodel into a B&B.  Having read that it was a TOP 10 retirement community due to the arts, natural beauty, university presence and great health services, I had set my sights on the Appalachian Mountains.  We made a home base at a B&B in town and spent the next two weeks driving all over the western part of North Carolina looking for a place.  Everything about the area was beautiful: rocks, waterfalls, trees, vistas. 

We found one old home on a hill overlooking Asheville.  It had lots of acreage outside and great old woodwork inside.  It even had an attached apartment for Mom. You could sit on the porch and watch the town come alive at night.

One day we followed a lead to a piece of property with three stone buildings.  The larger was an old private hospital with a perfect two-story residence next to it and a darling chapel on the hill.  Right across the two-lane road was a stream and a little fishing house.  It was ONLY an hour from ANYTHING and would have required more money and staff than we could have ever mustered. But it was oh so perfect.

The more we thought about it, the more we realized that Mike would have to keep his job for the first few years while Mom & I got the business growing.  Asheville, as beautiful as it was, was a two day drive away, making it very difficult for Mike to run over on the weekend to help out.

We next set our sights on Eureka Springs and Branson areas and took off that next winter in search for something that would work.  What we quickly discovered was that both of those areas were already discovered.  Mountain Home and Mountain View sounded promising and we had a look around some other beautiful parts of the state. Near the end of the trip I came down with the flu and remember being holed up in a dive hotel in Harrison watching the Winter Olympics. We decided to get me back to Mom’s place (close to where the inn is) so I could recover and Mike could eat some good food.  When I finally felt good enough to get up, I walked out on the porch with a steaming cup of coffee.  Looking at the mist on the mountain behind us, I remember thinking, “What is wrong with right here?” We were close to Hot Springs, close to Lake Ouachita, close to the National Forest…perfect.  I felt like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.  I had what I wanted all along, I just needed to click my heels together.

Well, almost.  It took another two years of looking for land (folks around here rarely let outsiders know when land it for sale, preferring to keep it among friends and family) and, at that time, everything else was owned by Weyerhaeuser and they never sold timberland.  We finally decided we would have to embark on a new search when the now defunct herb farm next door gave in and offered us ten acres of their 100 acre spread. The herb farm has since sold and moved on and many of you who have been coming for years miss that little gift shop as much as we do.

But thanks to Pat & Kathy, Mountain Thyme got land and we broke ground about  5 ½ years after our search for the perfect place began.


Close friends came and christened our spot with some fine champagne.

The Chamber of Commerce came out for a ribbon cutting with our stand-in bed & breakfast staged with the mountains in the distance.

And our architect gave eveyone a quick overview on where the house would sit. (She had all the trees surveyed and angled the house in so that only one tree had to be cut down.)

We were on our way!

There are lots of perfect litle places out there. I'm glad we had the patience to find ours.  And glad so many  of you come to share it with us.

Creating space for your guests

If you frequently have guests - or are a guest, you know that packing everything one might need for a trip rarely happens (unless you are my best friend, in which case her old station wagon was barely big enough to haul what was required for a weekend away).

Aside from your good food and company, nothing makes a guest feel more welcome than knowing you have tried to take all their needs into consideration. A well supplied guest closet does just that. Make sure it is one of the first things you point out when they are settling in.

Creating your own “Stuff Closet” is easy.

1. First, find the space.  You don’t have to dedicate an entire closet for this. It can be smaller than a breadbox. A linen closet in a common area (hallway or guest bath) is perfect as everyone in the house has access to it.  A drawer or shelf in the guest clothes closet would work, too. Even space under the bed can be utilized.

2. Find a container that fits the space.  An open wicker basket for a hall closet, a plastic tub with a snap-on lid for a humid bath area or an old shoebox with “Guest Stuff” marked on the end and stored above the clothes in the closet also works. You mainly want it easily identifiable, retrievable, and permissible. As a guest, I always seemed to need something after my host had retired for the night. Knowing where to look relieves you from feeling like you are rummaging through private things.

3.What to stock? If you have the room – everything.   Everything we personally use is stocked for our guests: shampoo, conditioner, lotion, soft soap, razors & shaving cream, dental hygiene products, cotton balls & Q-tips, first aide kit, hair dryer, makeup mirror, iron, fingernail polish remover, etc.  When we personally run out of something we get what is left in the “stuff closet” and get a fresh box/bottle for the guests next time we are out.  This insures the aspirin, cold relief medicine, TUMS, etc are rotated for freshness and we always have what we need.  Those little samples the dentist gives you are perfect for this space. 

But also consider things you never use, but often want when traveling.  For some reason, my digestive system seems to come to a standstill or work overtime when I am on the road.  We keep remedies for both and they get used up.  Also recommended – earplugs. Your spouse may be used to your snoring but your guests may not. Or, if two friends are traveling together, they may not be accustomed to each other’s habits when sharing a room.

Whatever you can provide for the comfort of a friend staying under your roof will be appreciated. It can be as simple as a clean set of folded towels laid out on the bed, a fresh flower in a vase on the night stand or a warm smile…anything that says, “I’m glad you are here.”

Why I became an Innkeeper

Many people ask if I always wanted to be an innkeeper and the answer is no...and yes. When I look back over my notebooks of decorating ideas and boxes of recipes and when I think back to childhood dreams of having a big house in the woods where homeless animals could come, and all my training (waitress, janitor, hospital aide, teacher, customer service and a degree in Psychology), it becomes apparent I was headed this direction without knowing it.

The more obvious beginning of the journey came from traveling and staying in B&Bs and thinking, "wouldn't this be fun."

My mom was the first to try a B&B in Jefferson, TX.  She fell in love and began joking about how we should open an inn so she could cook fun breakfasts and I could do what I love - keeping house (very similar to keeping inn). And, as Mike and I drove the back roads of America (without reservations for lodging) I would always encourage him to drive one more mile because I knew that around the next bend in the road, up on a hill, would be the perfect little place.

We never found that place so we decided to build it.   And we always tell people, "when you think you have gone too far just go one more mile. We are around the next bend, up on the hill."

Here is an excerpt from a journal entry I kept from our opening weekend:

      

Well, we are now "official" innkeepers!  We had a full house both Friday

and Saturday nights and all went as well as could be expected

considering the workmen left 2 hours before the first guest arrived and

I forgot to put water glasses in the bathrooms. (I discovered a whole

new level of stress and finally hit what long distance runners call a

"wall"...moved passed it into some kind of blessed numbness) The great

news is I have finally found what I want to be when I grow up.  I love

this job!!  I love helping people and making them comfortable, I love

cleaning, I love serving...I love it.  I have finally found a place to

be a permanent "Mother Hen" and 16 is just about the right number of

chicks.  2/16/98

In the weeks and months to come, I am sure, with your help, I can figure out this blogging thing. My hope is to publish stories on Mondays and tutorials/recipes on Thursdays.  Please feel free to offer advice, criticism or suggestions. I'll welcome your comments and any requests for specific topics.