Dusty Rose Inn opens as newest bed and breakfast

Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Ribbon-cutting ceremonies for the Dusty Rose Inn were held on June 29.

For Jon and Jen Sowers, the new Dusty Rose Inn bed and breakfast has been a true labor of love.

Built in 1904, and originally known as the Mellon House, the two-story home at the corner of N. Third East and E. 8th North streets, has over the years been the residence of some of the more prominent community family names.

But by the end of the 20th century, the home had begun to show its age and started to fall in disrepair.

That's when the Sowers found their dream.

"We had had a dream since about 1995 of running a Victorian Bed and Breakfast," Sower said. After he and his family were stationed at the airbase in 1997, they began looking for just the right facility.

After retiring from the Air Force in 2000, he began teaching and opened a consulting business. His wife works as a nurse.

In 2001, they bought the famous "pink house" and began slowly working on the building to create their dream. Several contractors were called in to help, but the couple did a lot of the work themselves, in their free time.

They tore down some of the trees in the front yard and put in a new lawn. They added sidewalks around the building, rebuilt the porch and installed Victorian filigree on the four gables of the home.

"We spent two years just scraping and painting the outside," Sower said.

They added a rose garden and built a gazebo.

The original plumbing and wiring was replaced, and a new heating and air conditioning system was installed that gives each of the five bedrooms in the facility its own climate control.

"When we first started, we came in and turned on the water and the kitchen ceiling caved in. We had water everywhere.

"It was like 'The Money Pit'," he said, describing all the renovations that they knew would be needed, and the ones they discovered as they worked on the house.

Yet, when it was done, it had been restored to its original splendor.

Inside, there is a true Victorian feel about the inn, from the wallpaper to the woodwork to the antique furniture they carefully acquired to give the facility it's unique "feel."

Yet, that didn't mean they missed out on the more modern amenities, either, adding wireless internet and cable TV for all the rooms.

One of the rooms downstairs was remodeled to be fully handicapped accessible and equipped.

In the end, they produced a facility that drew high praise from the large crowd that attended the inn's open house two weeks ago.

Nor do the Sowers see the inn as just a place for people to stay and eat.

"We want it to be a true event center" for the community, Sower said.

The day after it opened, the inn hosted its first wedding and a number of others have already been booked.

They hope to host art fairs and harvest and spring festivals, and next year the newly manicured lawns will be the site of the first Dusty Rose Inn Easter Egg Hunt for the community.

"We're looking at giving back to the community," Sower said. "We want this to be a place that people feel they can use for their events and activities."

For more information about the inn, or to book a reservation or event, call 580-2460.

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