We are the Verplank family and the new owners of the Orchard House Bed and Breakfast.

We have approximately two months of inn keeping under our belts…one of the first questions our guests ask is “Why”? The second question is usually “How did you find this place?”, followed by “How do you like it so far?” More on that later, but let’s start with the “why”.

We have traveled to a variety of bed and breakfasts throughout our almost 30 year marriage. We always enjoyed the more personal and charming atmospheres, and met some interesting people along the way. Often we would leave a venue excitedly saying “wouldn’t that be a fun job”, and “we could definitely do that!!”

Fast forward to both our kids going off to college (the same one, no less!), and suddenly we found ourselves alone in a big house with two cats and tons of empty rooms. Mike had an opportunity to take a severance package after a 30 year career with the same company, and I left my sales and marketing job…the moon and the stars were starting to align and we were both ready for a change.

We started talking more seriously about owning a B and B. We concluded that our combined skill sets and strengths would make a formidable team. The conversations started to switch from “Wouldn’t that be fun?”, to “Where and how do we begin?”

Next up: the answer to question number two!