“Davidson needs a bed and breakfast.” That’s what my wife reported after she had come home from dinner with a friend in Davidson. Sue had idly conducted a Google® search for bed and breakfast inns in Davidson while she was waiting for her friend to arrive and found nothing. Bed and breakfast locations were very much on her mind. I had retired from practicing law several years ago and she was contemplating retiring in two years or so from her job at the CHS Behavioral Health Hospital on Davidson-Concord Rd. She wanted us to have a common retirement activity. We had considered bed and breakfast locations in the mountains but I could not get enthusiastic about moving to a distant locality without friends or family to start a venture in which neither of us had any experience.
But Davidson had appeal. First, our local contacts readily confirmed the results of the Google® search—there were no true bed and breakfast inns in the Town of Davidson or even in surrounding area. The Davidson College guest house was usually booked, as was the Davidson Village Inn. People at the College, the Town and in the real estate business all assured us there was strong and unmet demand for a bed and breakfast. Then, we had family support. Taylor Blackwell, the father of my sister-in-law, had been urging me to move to Davidson since I first came to Charlotte in 1982. His daughter-in-laws were active members of the Davidson business community and were enthusiastic about the idea. Then there was the undeniable and genuine charm of the Town itself. That was what drew Sue to whip out her smart phone in the first place. Main Street was vibrant, diverse and fun on that August night, and the college was not even in session.
Family support, existing contacts, a charming town in need of a bed and breakfast and strong support from everyone we met persuaded us to leave the home I built in Charlotte 29 years ago and put down new roots in Davidson.
The final factor was the house we identified. It was perfect, located within walking distance of the center of town on Concord Rd., with five bedrooms, four full bathrooms, a huge, open and inviting common area and plenty of parking. Sue’s artistic eye quickly saw that by putting in a simple set of French doors, we could divide the kitchen, back bedroom, sunroom and great room into a very usable owner’s apartment, leaving the four main bedrooms and the common areas for the guests.
Since we purchased it, Sue has repainted the interior. Our contractor built the French doors and the bookshelves in the library. We have had an enormous commercial gas hot water heater installed. We opened for guests on December 20, 2014 and they have been enjoying our hospitality ever since.
We offer a restful night’s sleep in rooms that are equipped with everything from a King-sized bed to two twin beds, an en suite bathroom with whirlpool bath to a shared bath down the hall. Every room has a dorm refrigerator for storing personal refreshments, a flat-screen television and free WiFi. All guests can enjoy a common living room furnished with antiques, the dining room and a library stocked with serious literature, best-sellers, children’s books, games and puzzles.
In the morning, Sue’s talents as a chef get to shine. She received a degree in Culinary Arts from Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte and pours out her skills into a breakfast menu that includes a gourmet special such as baked eggs over asparagus, home-made granola, eggs any style and breakfast meats that vary from day to day. Each guest receives a menu in the evening and gets to select exactly what he or she wants on the following day.
Our guests come to us for a variety of reasons. Couples come for a romantic weekend getaway. Davidson alumni visit to catch a basketball game. We offer gourmet cooking weekends with personal instruction from Chef Sue. Parents stay while visiting their children at the College or escorting their high schoolers as they check out the College. To our surprise, many guests have been the adult children of parents who no longer have comfortable room at home for their beloved visitors. Business people who are planning to relocate to the area from far away have enjoyed our rooms. We think the inn will be perfect for a girl’s weekend, or a wedding party, where friends could book the entire house and enjoy its common amenities and gardens. The fire pit outback will be a perfect place for friends to gather over wine on a spring evening. There is no limit to the reasons people will want to enjoy a tasty, chef-prepared breakfast and a gracious private home to find sanctuary from the outside world. That’s why we invite everyone to “Relax at Home in Davidson.”
