It may seem I have been a little quiet on social media and the blog recently, but we have been working non-stop on something I can finally share publicly! I come up with all sorts of ideas that normally generate into “projects” for my sweet husband. I am so lucky that he is handy, he can build, craft, or engineer almost anything. Oh, and I am so lucky he puts up with me and my never-ending “honey do” list! I think that makes us a great team! ;) Nick normally has to bring my two feet back down to Earth on most ideas, but for whatever reason he got on board with this one. Going into this past winter, I decided I needed a project! The last couple of trips Nick and I have taken we have opted not to stay at traditional hotels. We went through locally owned bed and breakfast homes, AirBnB, and VRBO. Shortly after these positive experiences, we decided we would try to not stay at hotels when we travel if at all possible. We love experiencing new people and things and there is no better way to get a feel for the local culture than staying at a locally owned property. I am thinking this has to be the future of short-term stays and vacation rentals!
We purchased our 1880’s building downtown Jefferson City in 2014. We made minimal repairs and moved in, I was in the middle of busy season. Last year, one of my sweet brides asked if she could get ready at our studio as half of the building was simply being used for storage. Since I didn’t have it set up and nice at the time, I turned her down, but that was the spark of this idea. Our building is truly gorgeous: original woodwork, 12ft ceilings, and huge windows that let in natural light. Who wouldn’t want to get ready there verses a hotel room on their wedding day!?!
The idea was born to create a fully furnished short-term stay suite in downtown Jefferson City. Our guests can rent it out nightly, weekly, and monthly. In February this year, we started demolition on the other half of the building we weren’t using. This project has taken a little longer than expected, but I am so happy with how it has turned out! The interior is officially completed and ready for guests! We are still working on finishing up the landscaping and porch areas outside, but our little old brick craftsman has turned into the gem on our block. (I may be a little partial). The other exciting part is that one of my brides rented it out for her wedding earlier this month. I got to photograph a gorgeous bride and her maids getting ready there! That wedding will be on the blog very soon, can’t wait to show it off more!
A few things that I am proud of….we salvaged as much old wood and pieces as we could! We purchased almost everything locally! All the furniture and most of the decor came from local antique shops. The artwork on the walls (still a few more pieces coming!) are from local artists! The large canvases hanging on the walls are photos from Jefferson City’s downtown area in the 1800’s. Special thanks to the ladies at the historic society for letting me comb through stacks of historic photos and documents. Big thanks to Josh Schubert with Quad County Construction for all the hard-work and final touches!
Please tell all your friends and family coming into the area about our adorable suite for rent, we would love to host them! For booking information please visit our listing here or shoot me a message!
