B&B Location, Location, Location!

At a recent family gathering, we ran into a friend that is turning his family home into a Bed & Breakfast.  He was very excited and started telling us all about his Victorian House located in the Historic District of his home town.  He showed us pictures of the home, described the furnishings in great detail, talked about the kitchen remodel, and exuded endless enthusiasm.  Yet, when we asked him about his target market, he went silent.  After thinking for a few moments, he responded "well, there are no other B&B's in the area, the others have closed their doors".  Exactly!

When it comes to owning a B&B, it's not just about The Bed and The Breakfast.  It's a lot about location, location, location.  Bob and I looked at many places before we settled on The Grand Kerr House located in Grand Rapids, Ohio.

 Grand Rapids, Ohio calls itself "The Town For All Seasons" and we like to think of ourselves as "The Place For All Reasons".  There is so much to offer, we have trouble narrowing down our target market.

Local attractions include..

• Boutique shopping within walking distance
• Nearby dining choices including Mexican, Italian, Home Style, Bar & Grill, Fine Cuisine and even a Micro-Brewery
• Hiking trails for nature lovers
• Kayaking and bicycling rentals
• Fishing and bird watching
• Wine tasting
• Golfing
• Wedding Halls
• History - canal rides, trains, a flour mill and an historic main street all built in the 1880's
• Within driving distance - The Toledo Zoo, The Toledo Art Museum and The Hollywood Casino
• Village sponsored events 
• Spring Fling on Mother's Day Weekend
• July Rally Day
• August Village Garage Sale
• October Apple Butter Festival
• November Christmas Open House
• December Light Up The Night

We also inherited the Goodwill and Reputation of the original Kerr House - an elite 5-Star Spa & Health Retreat owned by Laurie Hostetler for almost 40 years.  Not an easy act to follow but, in her spirit, we offer Spa Days for house guests who can choose from a variety of services -

• Yoga classes
• Massage (relaxation, deep tissue, couples)
• Facial
• Body Scrub & Wrap
• Reflexology
• Harmonics
• Vibrational Raindrops
• Reflexolo-Chi 
• Aromatherapy

Like we said, it's sometimes hard to determine what to focus on.  We would like to think we can do it all but spreading your butter  too thin over many slices of toast may not be as good as a thick slab of butter on one or two pieces of toast.  You don't need to be-all-to-all to be successful; it just helps to have something to offer that differentiates you and makes you the destination of choice.  If you need help finding your niche, you can work with your local Chamber of Commerce (and join the group!), talk to other Small Business and B&B Owners (we love to chat!) and identify your own passions for the area (your enthusiasm may be all you need to make you stand out).

So look before you leap and others will most certainly follow!