The following post is based upon an interview with Julie Piehn, who, with her husband Gary, owns and operates the historic Gilcrest Cottages and Motel, in Thornton NH.Well into their middle years, with grown children, Julie and Gary Piehn wanted to enter a new vocation, one that would allow them to work side-by-side. Julie, an educator, and Gary, a victim of corporate mergers and an outstanding craftsman, were not formally trained for what came next. The couple wanted this next phase to immerse them in a situation wherein they could meet people and offer happy outcomes. One possibility: motel ownership. They scoured the coast of Maine for the right property but, even back in 2000, the cost to purchase and refurbish such a lodging would have been in excess of two million dollars. So, they dropped the idea temporarily. It was while driving through northern New England that Gary–who hailed from Illinois–got his first look at the region. He became as smitten as Julie already was. Therefore, in February 2001, they began to look in earnest (their daughter recommended they refocus the search from the sea to the mountains). One day, they sat along the side of Route 3 and spotted a small motel and cottages. Gary was taken with the property, but it was closed at the time; so, they moved on down the road. Soon they began to work with a realtor, who mentioned that a property called the Gilcrest was available. Upon Googling it, they received the surprise of their lives–the Gilcrest was the very property they had been ogling from Route 3. On June 29, 2001, Julie and Gray Piehn became the proud owners of a historic lodging property in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Happy ending, right?
Sort of. Did I mention that the Piehns had no experience in operating a motel and cottages? They had been assured that the previous owners would serve as mentors while they became acclimated to the hospitality business. This never really happened. Add this to an inaccessible laundry room, laundry that didn’t match, and the absence of a number of necessary items of infrastructure, and we’ve got trouble, right here in river city. So, at the ripe age of over-forty, the couple–a couple meaning only two people–began the process of refurbishing and building, learning to operate a business, determining how to meet and serve guests, etc., etc. Julie and Gary soon became adept at stretching their dollars, putting their own wants aside in order to raise this new child–The Gilcrest.
The couple recognizes exactly what they have: a quaint, historic property. They have succeeded by substituting mom-and-pop care (i.e., a clean, safe, friendly, happy environment) for the the laundry list of amenities provided by resort properties. If the couple required evidence of the job they have been doing, it has come in the outpouring of love and support from past guests. Many of these folks arrived at the Piehn’s door to assist in the extensive clean-up that followed Hurricane Irene’s unwanted visit, during 2011. Others flooded their email with words of support. Clearly, these former neophytes must be doing something right.