Shop. Eat. Play.
Romantic Edmond: The Halls Celebrate 35 Years Of Marriage And 25 Years Running The Arcadian Inn
Gary & Martha Hall
Table Of Contents
Vol. 7 January 2015 Issue 1
Publishers/Editorial/ Photography Chris Hultner Sherri Hultner For Commercial Photography Call Chris Hultner @ 405.315.6405 chrish@edmondactive.com
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4. Around Edmond 6. City Buzz 8. Social Edmond 9. Tech 10. MY HOME 12. romantic EDMOND 18. Local Flavor 20. Shop. Eat. Play. 22. life happens View Us @edmondactive
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edmondactive.com 03
AROUND EDMOND I love January, and for 25 years like
I also chose not to make resolutions this
most of you, I’ve always used this cold and
year or rigid changes to my business plans
dreary month to envision what it is I want
outside my 10-year plan, but to just do my
to accomplish during the year. Most years,
best and try as hard as I can to do a good job.
I have made resolutions, and most years I
Last year proved to me that small steps add
have broken them.
up, and that is where I am at personally &
One year, in particular, and one that I am
with Edmond Active for 2015.
most proud of, my husband and I lost 125
In this issue, we are featuring Gary &
pounds together. It turned out with all of
Martha Hall as our Romantic Edmond feature
the new technology that was introduced the
for 2015. This year they are celebrating 35
year prior, that being technologically savvy
years of marriage and 25 years of providing
within our business had caused us to acquire
a romantic getaway for couples, brides &
sedentary habits, even though we were both
grooms, travelers and more, as the owners of
super busy and active outside our office.
the historic Arcadian Inn Bed & Breakfast.
Last year, we had an eye opener of a year
We hope you enjoy their interview, as we
when we had requested a refinance of our
know them personally and have to say they
home loan in September of 2013 and ended
are an amazing couple that Edmond is lucky
up being forced to sell our home. Because
to have! In My Home, we are very excited
of the quick nature of what had occurred, I
to work with Jennifer Smith Hodgens of
was positive we would lose this magazine,
McCaleb Homes and Oklahome! She will
website and social networks. Moreover, my
be sharing some of her expertise along with
fear arose because of how much time I had
a glimpse into some of Edmond’s coolest
to dedicate to research, emailing, and talking
homes! Also in My Home, I give some
on the phone trying to save my home. I
realistic tips and costs into the emerging
had to scale back EdmondActive print and
trend of downsizing! Although ours was
online, and I did everything to make sure our
extreme, you can avoid downsizing shock
social media continued with my cell phone.
if you do a few things every 6 months.
What happened in the last quarter of 2014
In Local Flavor, we provide a guide to
still brings happy tears of joy to my eyes,
Edmond’s booming coffee culture. Over
because after we had become transparent
the last 10 years, Edmond went from having
about our situation everyone in this
5 Starbucks and a Java Dave’s to having
community, both businesses and residents
13 coffee houses, with most being locally
reacted to our business in a way that I had
and independently owned. This means
not expected at all, and all for the good of
more coffee goodness for all areas of the
this magazine, its website and our social
community, and that is always a great thing!
networks. As of today, I understand that I
In addition, don’t forget to check out Shop
am meant to do this, and after having the
Edmond, Social Edmond and City Buzz for
largest engagement we’ve ever had over 6
a head’s up on what’s new.
years, understanding completely that all of you value it. Thanks to all who helped our family and our magazine get through 2014!
Thanks to all of you for reading and I’ll see all of you around Edmond! Sherri
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Looking to be a part of the community conversation? Advertise! Call 315-7325
CITY BUZZ We have lived in Edmond, OK for 10 years, and the lowest we have ever seen gasoline prices was $1.85 per gallon. Despite our excitement for relief of our own budget, we understand that when oil barrel prices go down, some gas and oil companies downsize their workforce. With Saudi Arabia refusing
to alter their production to meet the lack of demand globally, we are seeing alarming price drops at the pump. I remember when oil was $50 per barrel in 2009, gasoline was at $2.00 per gallon. With a few years of gasoline over $3 per gallon, as soon as it hit $2.99 a gallon in July, I started documenting it at our
Instagram account @EdmondActive. From July 2014 to January 2015, regular unleaded has dropped $1.44 per gallon and no ethanol has dropped over $1.60 per gallon. Hopefully this is not an indicator of an energy crisis and we hope that energy companies will not panick and start mass layoffs.
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To those who may be in jeopardy of losing their jobs, hang in there. To those who are ecstatic that they can actually fill up their tanks without worry of having to cut their grocery, utility or children’s monthly budgets, we can understand that, as well. There has to be a happy medium where the first thing to occur isn’t to immediately cut workers when demand falls and a middle eastern producer
refuses to work with the other OPEC producers. T Boone Pickens told Dallas Magazine he believed $90 a barrel would be back within 18 mos or so & the current slump is due to current fracking efforts in the US. Hopefully, other energy solutions are coming soon that are affordable to the masses, because mass layoffs and unaffordable energy costs can’t continue its current ebb & flow.
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SOCIAL EDMOND
Martha Hall, owner of @Arcadia_aarons, posted this Pinterest project on Instagram of her greenery horse head wreath at Aaron’s Gate. Martha wins Pinterest. Hands down.
You all said your peace when we reposted Fuzzy’s Taco’s announcement about opening their Edmond Spring Creek Plaza location in May! 39,300 people were reached, 179 shared, 333 liked this and 45 of you said “YES!!!”
REACTION
Community Poll Have you broken your New Year’s Resolution yet? Yes - 68% No - 32%
FOLLOW THEM @EdmondActive can be found at Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram and has fun each month bringing you what’s happening in Edmond at local events, and what’s new in local shopping, dining and more. @FitcircleUS is Edmond’s newest active lifestyle store located at Covell Rd next to Uptown Grocery and carrying all things Yoga, Ski, Snow & Skateboarding & more! @Beedmond is a great feed found at Facebook & Twitter that highlights this app and all that is useful for local teens in Edmond. Their app helps teens find transportation, medical assistance, college info & more.
* We didn’t make any resolutions for the first time in 25 years, and so far we are moving forward with our set goals. In doing this, we hope to be more flexible if changes arise, as they always do, throughout the new year.
EVENTS
Keep your eye out for new events at EdmondActive.com
As new events become available, you can check our events calendar via desktop, your tablet or via your mobile device any time. As always, by mid January there are new events coming up in Edmond and around the entire metro, and we’ll have them listed for you! Coming this spring is the Downtown Edmond Art Walk, Heard on Hurd, and the opening of the Farmer’s Market.
@CityofEdmond is the official city feed at Twitter and City of Edmond at Facebook, which is were you’ll get city information about street closings, urban forestry and adopt a tree information, their monthly Youtube channel Activity Planner, and more! @SerendipityMarket is a vendor boutique located in Edmond at 918 E Danforth Rd, and can be found at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
@CitizensEdmond is Edmond’s oldest and only independent community bank. You can find them at Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Youtube. This is seriously one fun account to follow as our local bank is always coming up with fun ideas to connect with local business and residents!
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TECH BeEdmond is a local and useful app for the kids of Edmond. It provides information on a variety of topics such as safety, counseling, suicide prevention & abuse, connectivity within the community, help with education links, citi link bus link, ways to volunteer & more. This app is free.
Parents Helping Parents is a local app that is thourough and full of very useful information & resources for parents that are in need of support due to an addicted teen or adult child. This app constantly updates meetings & speaker topics. This app is free.
Who doesn’t love the Thunder?! This is an awesome app that gives content, insight and upcoming events about our OKC Thunder. Our favorite thing about this app is that even if we don’t attend the game or whether we aren’t available to watch live, this app will keep you up to date live while the game is happening. This app is free.
Anyone who shoots photos knows about Photoshop. This app is a very light version of the full computer version, and is an amazing tool for those on the go. You can crop, adjust, filter and more with this app, outside of the Instagram app, for use in other areas of your social sharing of photos. Best of all, it’s free!
I have tried Evernote and I like it for my iPhone for keeping all that I do organized and as a second reminder system. Easily Do Assistant came highly rated by Mashable, so I decided to give it a try. It brings together social media, your calendar, email reminders and contacts in one place and you can set up notifications, as well. It seems to work, however it seems a bit redundant as my phone does exactly the same thing. App is free, with a pro version available for a fee. Timeful came highly recommended, as well by Mashable, and I would say it is just average. It is a calender that reminds you to do particular tasks you list on its to do list. Again, I found this extremely redundant as my phone will do the exact same thing. It’s free at the iTunes store.
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My Home How Far Should You Go?
To say that our Edmond real estate market is hot right now is an understatement. With the national attention our metro area is receiving for employment opportunities and affordable, safe and fun living spaces, it seems like the entire country is doing a double take. New transferees coupled with longer-than-expected record low interest rates has turned our market into a Seller’s market recently. That means the rules have changed on remodeling By Jennifer Smith-Hodgens, of McCaleb requirements for getting your home Homes and Oklahome Home Builders “Show Ready.” Before you start any big remodeling project to prepare your home for sale, always check with a Realtor first. Invite a listing Realtor to come give advice. Find one that has contractors on-hand to help out in the areas that stretch beyond your expertise. Realtors will give an objective opinion on the necessity and design of the remodel. Too many times Craig and I have had to give sellers the “Unfortunately your home is worth more than it will appraise for, and you’ve done TOO good of a job remodeling” talk, and the sellers kick themselves for not having us over before their hard work began. Realtors can pull a market analysis on your area. Since appraisers have to bracket the value of your home with comparables, it doesn’t make financial sense to be the nicest home on the street. Especially if you’re already one of the largest. Other costly mistakes happen when Sellers decide to remodel their home to match their own tastes. It’s best to go neutral to appeal to the largest group of Buyers as possible. Your Realtor can help with this, too. With 15 years of experience in real estate marketing, I walk into a home and immediately envision what type of buyer will likely be attracted to the home. Will it be empty nesters who want low maintenance materials? Will it be a large family who may need an open floorplan or will it be
5 Remodeling Dos and Don’ts for getting your home show-ready
a single professional who prefers a sleek, modern style? Don’t narrow your home to the taste of someone just like you. The new buyer may or may not be looking for the same things you are. Oftentimes, Sellers try to do all the remodels themselves and end up taking so long they hurt the sale of their home by passing up a hot selling season. With interest rates still so low, it’s often a better option to hire a professional (ahem, husbands…) and get the job done right and done right away. The very best thing you can do to your home to get it show ready doesn’t actually cost anything at all – or very little. I always tell my clients “Watch 5 mintues of HGTV and they’ll tell you to de-clutter, de-clutter, de-clutter.” I can often tell clients that before I even step through their front door. The problem is we don’t see our own clutter. I tell them to go visit a model home of homebuilder and see how tranquil and simplified the home feels. That’s your competition. So rent a storage unit and fill it up. Empty your house until it feels bare and then empty it some more. We bought a huge trash trailer a few years ago and offer it to Sellers when their getting their home ready to sell. They always say “Oh I won’t need that” and 9 times out of 10 they fill it up and ask if we can empty it and bring it back. The old saying is true – You never realize how much junk you have until you try to pack it. If and when you do decide to remodel your home, invest money in key areas. Kitchens and master bathrooms sell a home but buyers won’t even step a foot in the door unless it’s got curb appeal. Updating these three areas are your best bet on getting the most bang for your buck. Remember to consult a professional Realtor before you start any remodeling project with plans to get it market ready. In today’s market, less is more so keep it simple.
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The Real Cost of Decluttering & Downsizing By Sherri Hultner When we became empty nesters in 2014 and sold our home, we had the daunting task of thinking we needed to downsize all of our belongings that we had amassed over 24 years to fit an apartment of 710 sq. ft. When July 14, 2014 arrived, we ended up minus two thirds of what we had collected since 1990, minus our two grown sons and their belongings, with just the two of us in a 985 sq. ft. home with our two Labradors, Pongo & Lucky. In the process, we found that less is definitely more and makes for a more productive and stress free life. As Jennifer Smith-Hodgens stated in the related article in this month’s My Home, decluttering is the first step in listing your home. We decluttered in three stages due to our odd realtor situation. In December, after consulting with a selling agent and without knowing the size of our unknown destination, we cleaned out all of our cupboards and cabinets throughout our home (66 cabinets) only to reveal that we had only really needed 1/3 of the storage in our 2,310 sq. ft. home. Once our home was finally painted a neutral tone in January of 2014, and all 66 white cabinets were cleaned, we realized our décor was outdated and we decided to get rid of quite a few dated impersonal items that had just been taking up space on shelving, tables and the mantle. Even if it is common sense, we agreed that we should have done this long ago. Then, we packed up all of the personal items on shelving, tables, the mantle and on the walls. At this point, both of our kids were preparing their rooms & belongings for their move out dates in May, which completely emptied two rooms of four, and one of three bathrooms. The house was becoming obviously bigger than what we actually needed very quickly, and this made it easier to decide whether to toss items or keep them. Once we received the first sales contract on our home, we really started to declutter the garage and our side yard, thinking we would
not have a yard or garage at an apartment. We had College Hunks come out to remove an old spa, our 10-year-old bbq island, and we had them take large items like old pvc, splintered yard tools, old wood and other various items. The cost was about $400 because of the spa and bbq large item removal. This process took 1 hour and they removed everything around our property and in our garage that we couldn’t take to an apartment. We had Junk Boss come out 2 extra times, at a cost of approximately $85 to take large bulky items from inside our home and garage, and then we had Salvation Army come to take away furniture, our lawnmower, weedeater and yard blower, our holiday decor and appliances that wouldn’t fit into 710 sq. ft. and that we kept until 18 hours before we were set to move. Sadly, just after Salvation Army had left our property with the last of our belongings, we were informed that after 53 days, our buyer couldn’t qualify for any lending at all, after being pre approved. We couldn’t help but think, “What have we done?!” Tiny living had not been in our thought process one year prior. We had just finished what we considered extreme downsizing and we were horrified at doing so, as we needed some of the appliances to live. However, it wasn’t the end of the world. When placing our home back on the market 8 days later, we realized this was a blessing in disguise, as our home sold again in 24 hours. We did not end up in a 710 sq. ft. apartment, but did end up downsizing from 2,310 sq. ft. to a 985 sq. ft. home, and we didn’t miss anything during our second escrow except our refrigerator, microwave and lawnmower, to which the community helped us with these things temporarily. After about 5 years, we had not decluttered and the cost for us to remove unneeded items (besides the spa and bbq) was about $550. We made that back and then a bit more, by having two garage sales for items that were in sellable condition. Rule of thumb in decluttering, if it is
dusty and dated or you haven’t used it in 6-12 months, sell, donate or toss it. This rule works in every room of your home and the result, whether or not you are selling your home, is a feeling of peace and not loss. I promise you will not actually need or use what you get rid of. In doing this, when it comes time to put your home on the market, you shouldn’t have to incur disposal expenses that are too great to clean out your homes clutter as we did after 5 years. Then you can spend your time and money painting, updating minor items, cleaning and staging a clean and clutter free home that your buyers will be able to envision their families living in. This happened with our second buyers and they were able to move in and remodel the home to their taste immediately. We were happy to hear from our old neighbors that they kept many of the changes we made in creating a neutral master bath, replacing the old hardware throughout the home and in updating a hall bathroom. The cost of our decluttering & updates to prepare the home for sale that were $550 for junk removal, approx. $200 for neutral interior paint & supplies, $75 for carpet cleaning, $166 for new pulls and knobs for 66 cabinets & 19 drawers, and $500 to update our master bath, which we had done in 2012. We had spent $498 replacing the parts to our Jenn Air grill stovetop during the first sale, to which we found was a bad investment as the second buyers replaced the entire island and cook top. If you can, as Jennifer advises, know what is necessary to upgrade, so that you do not overspend. Most of all, with bi annual or annual decluttering and with little effort, you can enjoy a stress free space until you are ready to list, should you want to or need to sell your home.
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Romantic Edmond: 25 Years of Arcadian Inn
First of all, congratulations on your 35th wedding anniversary, and on your 25th year in business with the Arcadian Inn Bed & Breakfast. Both endeavors take a lot of commitment, love and work. What convinced you to buy the Arcadian Inn building and what was your goal for it at the time you bought it? The answer goes back to when I was 13 and visiting Grandma Swenson in Wessington Springs, South Dakota. She had what I thought was a big old house. Every morning I loved to redecorate it in my mind. One morning I thought to myself, that I would like to have a big old house with lots of people in it. A family in our church had foster children and WW I veterans living with them. As the oldest
child of a widow with four children, it was just a dream. Eight years later, God let me become the wife of my childhood crush, Gary Hall! Gary was building homes in New Mexico and I was the happy little wife. I was devouring Country Homes magazine every month and one day the light bulb came on! I want a Bed and Breakfast! A big old house with lots of people. Well, Gary only saw the Bob Newhart show with his Lazy Boy in the parlor and a ditzy blonde maid. He was having no part in this dream. However, God had other plans... Gary and I always go away for our birthdays but one year we had to go up near Buffalo, NY over his birthday. Gary was bummed that we weren’t going to get our
private time away. So, I called the family we were visiting and asked if they would babysit our 4-year-old son and get me a reservation in one of the old hotels in the area. No chrome and no televisions. There was a Buffalo Bills game in town so no one had room that night. My friend called an Innkeeper she knew at Chautauqua Institute. The Institute is a huge Victorian resort that is only open from Memorial Day to Labor Day with people coming for concerts, politics, theatre etc. Gary’s birthday is in November but the innkeeper agreed to let us have a room for the night. We drove in to a Victorian ghost town; huge Victorian mansions pitch black in the off-season. We came to one house with a light on, the Maple Inn. Linda,
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the innkeeper met us at the door, slipped behind another door and came out with a key. She led us up two flights of stairs as she explained that she was putting us in the guest suite that Paul and Joann Newman use during the summer when their daughter was here studying! As the innkeeper left the room, Gary said, “I didn’t see where they live?” I said, “I think it was behind that door she went into.” We spent the rest of the night, literally, dreaming up our bed and breakfast! That was November of ‘86. Our first search was in Cloudcroft, New Mexico, as we loved living there when we first were married. But, every property we looked at fell through. Meanwhile, the big yellow house in Edmond came on the market in 1988. I had been watching it since 1984 when an investor bought it from the original family and started gutting it. It was making me ill watching him destroy the old home. His plan was to make an office building out of it but that fell through and the house went back on the market. Gutted and looking forlorn we asked to see it. Our realtor thought it was just awful. Gary and I saw all the potential! We visited the City planner to see if we could have a Bed & Breakfast there and were given the go ahead. There was problem though…Gary was not happy about the price, so we walked away from the big yellow house. The next spring, our realtor called and said they had dropped the price in half! Gary had set a price and we made that offer. We closed October 27, 1989. What defining moment made you both want to renovate the building to turn it into a bed & breakfast? In addition,
did you know all of the challenges of renovating a historic building when you started? As we walked through the skeleton of the old home, we could see where each room was, where we could put bathrooms, how the guests could have their own entrance. It was set up perfect for our family to have our own space, too! There was a garage apartment we could rent right away, while we renovated, to help make the mortgage payments. We were pumped! It wasn’t the mountain landscape in New Mexico, but everything else was perfect for my little home-based business. Gary built two new homes in the mountains of New Mexico when we first were married in 1979. The economy tanked and interest rates for vacation homes went up to 19% so we moved back home to Oklahoma City where we knew we could make a living. Gary had been renovating old homes before we married and so we bought another old house and went to work on it to live in. The family says “if it doesn’t have paint or windows, it’s called ‘Martha…Martha…Martha!?” So yes, we were prepared. What would you say was your biggest challenge in the renovation before you had opened the doors? Exhaustion. We both worked outside the home, so it was every night and all weekend working on the home. We would go home to feed the children and come back to work long into the night. The neighbor commented that he was afraid he wasn’t going to have new neighbors because we were working ourselves to death. Our church helped a lot and friends helped with the children. What was your vision and dream for
the home before you had started the actual renovation? Gary and I were still getting into the groove of “I dream it, Gary builds it” but I saw it as a special place to welcome people to stay with us, a warm fuzzy place to visit like Grandma’s house. We wanted it to feel original without all the modern interruptions like TV and telephones. Did you work within a budget, and if so, how did that affect the restoration of the building? On a very tight budget, we hunted antiques, rugs, wallpaper, and fabrics for curtains. Everything about the renovation was centered on doing as much as possible ourselves, and the most economical options. $5 wallpaper at Munger’s paint. Antique cabinets out of a chicken house in Kansas. Loads of $1/yard fabrics to make miles and miles of curtains. The home has 80 windows! What was really neat, when I was looking for armoires for closets, people were just calling and stopping by with armoires they wanted to get rid of. This happened again with sofas and tables, etc. God just seemed to be looking out for us. Being married for only 10 years when you started renovating the building, did this project bring you together or were there moments of renovation stress? We only ask because we know you both personally, and you have an amazingly strong relationship. And, with such a huge undertaking, we only ask because we believe your answer would be inspirational for younger couples who are renovating to know they aren’t alone. We were a young-married couple, with two young sons, but worse, we are both first-borns. We have always been the
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Romantic Edmond
leaders in our families. Our marriage, however, started in a very special way. From the very beginning, I admired Gary and his skill. He was a hero to me, level headed, goal-oriented. Gary wasn’t running around in his teens, goofing off. He was always at work! He bought a brand new red Malibu when he was 16! He bought a house when he was 18. I was so proud of him…until I married him. Gary was/is very strict about how we spend money. Add to that, his work ethic, there is no goofing off. Through the renovation and even more so, as we’ve hosted guests for 25 years, it’s been business first. He’s relentless. I learned to work within his budget and time-frame. Actually, I am proud of the way we handled the financial and time challenges and made a successful business. On the other hand, Gary is proud of my talents and works hard to make my dreams come true.We had a fantastic support system. Gary’s parents were financial partners and helped with everything from insulation to hanging wallpaper, installing outlets and doorknobs to making drapes for 80 windows! Our church was there the whole way and many members of our family and friends helped and supported us. The neighborhood really got behind us and encouraged us. After the building was finally renovated, where did you come up with the themes for each room? As I collected furnishings, wallpaper and fabrics, I could see which room they went in. When we were finished and ready to open, I would be asked, “How does it feel to finally see it finished?” I always saw it finished.First, Gary and I learned that “original old-fashioned” concept
wasn’t going to work. The guys couldn’t sleep in full size beds. So all of the beds were rebuilt to fit queen-size mattresses. Today, most of the rooms have king-size beds. Over the first 10 years, we learned that modern technology was a must. TV’s, phones, DVD players, CD players, fridges, and microwaves were all added. “Themes” came along as the inn matured. We had to learn our market niche, couples getting away alone, and then build on that. Jetted tubs, gas fireplaces, and going to private candlelit breakfasts for each room met the needs of that market. The “Martha dreams it, Gary builds it” took off then as we designed the different “themes” after the romantic vision we saw for each room. We started with the Royal Master Suite, the magnificent 27 yards of Royal purple damask fabric canopy over the tall mahogany bed in 1995. In 1996, it was the Captain’s Quarters because we had been given a beautiful handcrafted tallship that needed a room to display it. The grand magnolia tree behind the Inn was the influence for the Magnolia Suite and its southern plantation charm in 1997. The rest is history. Sometimes we measure how a room is doing and change it up, even renaming it. We know this has been a family affair with your kids and extended family. How has the whole family participated over the years, and what advice would you give to those who are interested in starting a business with their families? As I said, Mom and Dad Hall worked with us from the beginning. When they retired, Mom and Dad moved to Edmond from OKC and started helping full-time at the Inn. They still do the cooking for breakfast. Mom is known for her “to
die for” Vanilla Butter Sauce on Dad’s pumpkin pancakes and waffles. Our son, Mark, was 7 years old and Stephen was two when we started the renovation. Raising children at a Bed & Breakfast is usually discouraged, yet we feel that we did a great job! Not only did we run the Inn, we also home-schooled the boys! Within the first year though, we learned we had to take the boys away regularly and give them our full-attention. All this sounds very wholesome, but we went through the adolescent and teen years at the Inn with the usual challenges. During those sometime turbulent years, the boys often didn’t appreciate the role the Inn played in their lives, guests coming first. Gary and I stood together, supporting and caring for the boys while encouraging them to make good choices. Both sons’ have their own careers now but still help at the Inn when needed. Advice?...work hard, always include the family in your business and then take regular family vacations and show them how you leave work behind. When you go through significant family issues, keep them in the family behind closed doors. My mother died and we had a houseful of guests on one side of the kitchen door and grieving family members gathered on the other side. We always say, “The show must go on. However, behind that kitchen door, we worked just as hard on family. Dinner together every night, working with the boys in their interests, getting family counseling when teen drama came up and staying in church together. Even today, we all meet for church on Sunday nights and then dinner together as family. It’s a special time we guard closely.
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How have you worked together for 25 years and without fighting and or throwing in the towel? Have there been challenges in business that affected your marriage over the 25 years? Gary and I decided a long time ago nothing was big enough to make us lose the love we have for each other. So, if something gets in the way, we back off because we WANT to be together. Saying that, yes we have challenges all the time. Remember we are both firstborns, with each of us equally vying for authority, validation and respect. Gary and I do business differently. It has taken all of the 25 years in this business for us to determine who fits the different roles in running a business. Gary hates answering the phone, I hate showing guests to their rooms. In both instances, we each get nervous! Gary is not comfortable answering and attending to guests on the phone. I’m terrified the guests won’t like their room and can hardly breathe when I take them up. So, I answer the phone (I do it better anyway) and Gary checks guests in (I know he thinks he does that better, too). Challenges to our marriage included credit card debt (my fault because the Inn can always use a new bedspread or new napkins. Yet with Gary’s grace and leadership, we’ve resolved that debt and worked out a way to keep that from happening again. We did that together!), differing opinions on how employees should do their jobs (his fault, lol), exhaustion (his fault, again lol), electric bills (my fault because he wouldn’t burn all these lights all the time…I want the Inn lit up and friendly. He was turning the house down for the night and came up
with almost 200 light bulbs that he turned out!). Gary and I have a rule in our marriage. We don’t make decisions until BOTH of us are in one accord on it. We didn’t buy the Inn until we both felt good about it. We wait quietly until the “answer” comes. If we are in disagreement about an issue such as prices at the Inn, we wait until we are at peace TOGETHER about it or it doesn’t happen.Again, nothing is big enough to give up our love. Does your faith play a role in running the Inn? I thought you would never ask! Yes, Gary and I are followers of Jesus Christ. We know He brought us together. We ask God to lead us daily and to bless our dream. As we went through struggles with the realtors, banks and appraisals, city inspections, we measured our intentions against the WORD of God. We believe that God would be honored if we opened our home up to the public, to share our family that still holds hands in prayer over every dinner. To bless and love people. So we didn’t give up. We pray over our decisions together, we pray for our guests to blessed and feel loved. We trust God to fill our rooms, to keep our properties safe in dangerous weather events. God has blessed us with favor and prosperity. We didn’t know there was a “ministry” of providing employment. At one time, the Arcadian Inn was supporting five families and several college students! God is good! God has had a good time with us too. Early in the 90’s, one Saturday afternoon I had a young woman come to the door and ask for a room. It was unusual to have
an empty room but I did that day. Then she brought her husband in. He reeked of smoke and was covered in tattoos. (This was long before tattoos were common). If HE had come to the door asking for a room I would probably have turned him away knowing he would not be comfortable in my sissy Garden room. However, I had already given her the room. I worried all night about the breakfast we were going to serve. Strawberry Danish French Toast. He would surely want a hardy country breakfast. But all through breakfast he kept carrying on about how good it was. Later, his wife and I were visiting alone and she shared that they held each other all night crying! I immediately gasped, thinking something was wrong with their room. Then she told me they had just been told they would never have children together. They just started driving, and found us and that one empty room! The room had been held for them, to allow the intimacy of grief and to be able to begin healing together. Yeah, God got one over on me. I have many stories like that. Gary and I love being a part of God’s love to our guests. After 35 years of marriage and 25 years of renovating and running the Arcadian Inn, would you do it again? Yes! We have had a good time and we are still having a good time. Gary and I thrive on challenges and obstacles that turn into blessings and victories! We are planning on retirement from parts of the B&B business but not completely out of it or from our guests! We know we have a winning formula for hospitality and we are very proud of the brand we’ve built! We really love our guests, love when they get here and the party of hosting
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Romantic Edmond their getaway begins. It’s too much fun to deliver breakfast each morning. We measure success by the “wows!” we get. What is your all time favorite memory together at the Inn? 25 years is a lot of memories! We loved all the brides and grooms. I came into the front parlor one evening to see one of my brides sitting in the rocker crying! “I need my mom!” she cried. It turns out her groom was running a high fever and she didn’t know what to do. I went to the guest room to look in on him. When I entered the picture, the bride changed from concerned to angry with her groom for ruining their honeymoon. He toughed it out, but I heard he had to be rushed to the hospital after they left. I do know that everything worked out fine, they have twins now! Another late, late evening a bride and groom came to the door for check-in. She was so beautiful. Her gown was a long
was the woman calling me and she didn’t know that HE was also trying to find a room at the same time with us! Coincidentally, they both wanted Remembrances! Wait a minute, it gets better...I showed them to their room and she let out a squeal. The antique vanity in Remembrances at that time was the same vanity she sold to Spivey’s Antiques years before and we bought from Spivey’s Antiques! Yep, God was waiting all day for them to get to THEIR room. We loved hosting “Grandma’s 80th birthday party” when little old ladies played Fruit Basket Upset in the front parlor all night. Or, the night that a husband carried his wife’s bag in and waited while she signed in. He thought she was coming to a meeting at UCO. She asked what the date was and he told her. She asked again. He reminded her again. She asked slowly a third time. I watched as it went all over him what day it was. I
even crawled under the house. The sick howl came and went as Gary and I worried about the guests becoming alarmed. Where could this animal be and what was it?! I decided to go upstairs to hear what the guests might be hearing. All of sudden I heard screeching, scratching, and loud howling from the stairs I had just come up! I ran to the stairway to see Gary running back into the parlor. I ran downstairs as he hollered, “It’s a black cat, a kitten! It’s in the dining room!” Gary had come to see where I went and saw the little black kitten following me up the stairs. When he tried to catch it, a fight ensued! The kitten was wild and was having nothing to do with being caught. It was climbing my lace curtains in the dining room! We closed the doors to other rooms and opened the two exterior doors. With a broom, Gary encouraged Kitty to leave. Kitty spent the next night at the neighbors howling all night. They did eventually catch it.
slinky white dress with a white fur jacket. She also had on white fur earmuffs. He handled all of check-in, stopping to ask her what time she would like breakfast through sign language. Then he picked her up and carried her up the stairs as I showed them to their room. There was the day that a woman was calling about a room for that night. She couldn’t make a reservation yet but she like the sound of Remembrances. This was in the early 90’s so the phone rang off the wall since we didn’t use the internet back then. There was also a man calling about a room for that night. He also like Remembrances and said he would get back with me. When I came home from my son’s baseball game, there was a message from the man that he wanted the room. I prepared for his arrival. When he came through the door, he introduced me to his wife. They had been separated, and were working on reconciliation. SHE
didn’t have to ask. He looked at me and said, “I guess my clothes are in this bag too?” I just chuckled as I took them up to their room to celebrate their anniversary! How about the night that everyone was a “Smith” or another time when it just happened that everyone was from Minnesota! We have so many wonderful memories as a family, too! Raising two little boys in a bed and breakfast resulted in lots of cute stories. One night I woke to an animal howling as if it were sick! We couldn’t find it and it stopped in the early morning hours and I was worried about it bothering guests upstairs! The next evening, I told the boys to get ready for bed while Grandma Edith and I went up to turn the house down for the night. When we came downstairs, there were two little boys in their tighty-whiteys shaking in the front parlor! When they went into our bathroom to brush their teeth the howling started again. We searched everywhere; Gary
We’ve had many special guests too. One evening we were having a “come to Jesus” meeting with our sons in the kitchen about their library fines. All of a sudden, the kitchen door burst open and there was the guest author staying with us. He had a pile of his books, all signed to give the boys. We had to explain to him that right at that moment, BOOKS were not on the boy’s list of favorite gifts. Yes, we’ve spent 25 years of our 35 years of marriage as innkeepers for the Arcadian Inn and Aaron’s Gate Country Getaways. We love it and treasure all of our very special guests, many of whom have become good friends. Gary and I have had a blast working through the challenges and celebrating the victories, awards, and friendships won through the years. As another “Martha” said, “It’s a good thing.” Gary and I just wanted to give God the glory for this “good thing” in our lives.
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Emory Anne Interiors has great Valentine’s Day & Easter Gifts!
Company C offers colorful pillows, throws & accessories to brighten up your spaces! All new arrivals coming soon from the Atlanta and Dallas Markets! HOURS: Mon-Fri 10am-6pm Saturday 10am-5pm 405.753.4466 www.emoryanneinteriors.com
15020 Bristol Park Place, Edmond (on 33rd, between Santa Fe & Kelly)
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LOCAL FLAVOR If you love coffee like I do, then you definitely love a good coffee house. After living in Edmond for 10 years, we have seen the coffee house scene go from 6 Starbucks and a Java Dave’s to 5 Starbucks and 8 independent locally owned coffee houses that offer specialty coffees, teas, beer, wine, and food. We hope you’ll stop in to visit one of the 8 locally owned and independent shops listed, even though we love a great Starbucks drink, they don’t offer the same ambiance as the local & independent shops, and you’ll be keeping your tax dollars completely local. Win Win, the way we see it. Stop in soon and often!
Aspen Coffee Company is located on 15th Street just west of Broadway and is open Mon. – Sat. 6:30 am to 9 pm and Sundays 8 am to 9 pm.
Café Evoke is located on Broadway in Downtown Edmond and has a mobile coffee truck called the Sip Truck. They are open Sunday through Saturday from 7 am to 7 pm. Starbucks has 5 locations in Edmond at 15th & Broadway, on 2nd Street & Bauman, Memorial & Bryant, inside Target on 2nd & Bryant and inside the UCO Nigh Center All About Cha is a Korean franchise started here in Edmond. Their hours are Mon. - Sat. 7 am to 12 midnight. At 33rd & Broadway. Java Dave’s is located in Downtown Edmond on Broadway and is open Mon. – Sat. 7 am to 8 pm.
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Perk Place Café is located on 33rd Street between Kelly & Santa Fe and is open Mon. – Fri. 7 am to 5 pm and Saturdays 7 am to 2 pm. They offer free coffee Mon. – Sat. from 7 – 8 am.
Compass Coffee is located at 150th & Western and is open Mon. – Fri. 6:30 am to 6 pm Sat. 8 am to 5 pm and they have a convenient drive thru.
Cowgirl Coffee is a drive up kiosk on the corner of Broadway & Waterloo and is open Mon. – Fri. 6 am to 2 pm and on Saturdays 7 am to 2 pm.
Coffee Commission is located on Bryant just south of 2nd Street and is open Mon. – Sat. 7 am to 10 pm and Sundays 1 pm to 10 pm
Let Edmond Active help put your business in front of over 25,000 local followers & readers this Spring! Call (405) 315-7325 edmondactive.com 19
Shop.Eat.Play.Edmond.
We specialize in wooden letters from 6” to 4 feet tall, wooden words, growth charts and crosses. We also offer a full line of Greek products for sororities and fraternities. We love custom orders and our motto is “ We don’t do ugly”. We can be found at Paper Arts on 2nd Street and Fretz in Downtown Edmond, Cabin Fever in Kingfisher, And The Funky a Trunk West in Yukon or online at WagsCreations.com! Phone# is 405-206-4325 Email: Susan@wagscreations.com
Emory Anne Interiors is one of the trendiest stores in Edmond, with a fantastic selection of new high end to affordable pieces for your entire home, very unique home accessories, full line of Company C, Lenny & Eva and Waxing Poetic Jewelry, Thibaut fine fabrics, wallpaper and custom furniture. Emory Anne’s also offers fabric by the yard and design services in store. Be sure to stop by to visit this store first when redecorating on any budget. You can find Emory Anne Interiors at 15020 Bristol Blvd, on 33rd between Kelly and Santa Fe Open M-F 10 am to 6 pm and Sat. 10-5 pm. Be sure to follow at Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest for sales & inspiration and online at www.Emoryanneinteriors.com! If you have any questions, you can call the store at 405-753-4466.
Paper Arts is a scrapbook and art boutique that provides top of the line supplies, classes and one-on-one instruction, as well as, ready to buy gifts. We take pride in offering a comfortable space for anybody to come create their heart’s desires. You can visit the store at 632 W. Edmond Road 405-330-2055 https://www.facebook.com/pages/PaperArts/
If you are looking for a cozy place to stay for your special day, whether it be a relaxing weekend, a spring Wedding or another special occassion, visit ArcadianInn.com and reserve your room, as they book quickly at this time of year. The Arcadian Inn Bed and Breakfast is located at 1st and University, across from UCO. To book a reservation, visit www. ArcadianInn.com or call 405-348-6347. Follow for specials at @ArcadianAarons at Facebook, Twitter Instagram & Pinterest!
MILLIES TABLE CATERING & More Millies is the place to go for weekly prepared meals, catering for your wedding or special event and for your Easter meal on April 5th! Millie’s also has new healthy items available for pick up in their Meals to Go freezer! Give Millie’s a call at 330-9156 or visit her website for more information! Located at 1333 W. Danforth Rd in Edmond! For more information, visit her website at www.MilliesTable.com
We offer affordable & stylish accents, restyled furniture, fun jewelry, unique holiday and home decor & gifts and we have an Etsy like atmosphere! Stop in now to see all of the latest decor & gifts and accessories for you and your home. Find Serendipity Market at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest! Our Location: 917 E Danforth Rd, Edmond (Across from Ted’s Cafe Escondido) and you can call us at 405-340-8869
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Shop.Eat.Play.Edmond. Go Local with Citizen’s Bank of Edmond Businesses!
2 Doors Down Furniture Consignment is now accepting select gently used brand name quality furniture and accessories. If you’re looking to make a change in your home, this store is the place to check first as their stock is unique, trendy, and affordable, but you have to check in often as their inventory changes daily. Be sure to stop in to 2 Doors Down, located at 15020 Bristol Park Blvd Ste 400, off 33rd Street, between Kelly & Santa Fe, and take a look around, great owners and great pieces! You can also find them at Facebook & Instagram at 2DoorsDownEdmond or by calling them at 405-254-5175 if you see something you’d like to place on hold! If you’d like to consign your gently used pieces, send your email to twodoorsdown.edmond@ yahoo.com Store hours are M-F 10-6 and Sat. 10-5
Enjoy the country at any one of the 5 cozy Honeymoon cottages at Aaron’s Gate Country Cottages, in Guthrie, just a few minutes north of Edmond. Located on a beautiful wooded 10 acre property, you can relax with the outdoor jacuzzi’s or just relax indoors in front of the fireplace and wake up to a beautiful candlelit breakfast. Visit online at www.Aaronsgate. com to discover the different packages and to reserve your room, or call 405-282-0613.
It’s almost Valentine’s Day and now is a great time to save on something new with Edmond Wine Shop’s Employee Picks! Be sure to follow them at Twitter & Facebook @EdmondWineShop! Located on 15th & Boulevard and open Mon– Sat. from 10 am until 9 pm! You can also call in any order at 405-3413122 for a later pick up.
The Animal Medical Center at I-35 offers comprehensive medical care, annual vaccine packages with heartworm checks, general surgery & dental care, senior pet care, a well stocked pharmacy, nutrition counseling, a large indoor dog and cat boading facility with 2 large outdoor play areas and professional grooming Mon.-Friday by appointment. The vets on staff are Dr. Tomlinson, Dr. Krenek and Dr. Farr. You can find them at Facebook at Animal Medical Center I-35, at Twitter at @ EdmondVet or call 405) 359-6301.
The Healthy Cookies for Nursing Moms! If you are nursing or pregnant, More Milk Cookies can assist in breastfeeding. Currently sold at cupcakes to go go in Edmond and The Changing Table in Oklahoma City, lactation cookies are a delicious way to meet dietary needs while nursing. For shipping or questions, email MoreMilkCookies@yahoo.com or call 405.330.2190. For wholesale and retail opportunities, please email melanyboughman@yahoo. com or call 405.657.4646Cupcakes to go go, 2524 West Edmond Road 405-330-2190 www.MoreMilkCookies.com
Roost Oklahoma is Downtown Edmond’s newest retailer. Designer owned, they offer a little of everything, including furniture, home accessories, jewelry, gifts & custom made items. Be sure to stop by the shop located at 2nd Street just west of the Farmers Market/ Festival Marketplace and Fretz, in the little turquoise building. You can find them online at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @RoostOklahoma.
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LIFE HAPPENS 5 Tips For a Healthier Marriage in 2015
It’s easy to get so busy & preoccupied with
avoid hurt feelings and potential arguments:
daily life, not to mention the holidays, that we
“Did you mean that to sound like I’m
slip into patterns of behavior that can cause
irresponsible?” or “You may not realize it, but
distance & discord between ourselves and the
what you said sounded very critical.”
one we committed to “til death do us part.”
4. Let go of scorekeeping. It’s a myth
The new year is a good time to assess the state
that marriage is always 50-50. Hopefully it
of our marriage and see if we’ve fallen into
averages out somewhere close to that, but
habits that can impede meaningful connection By Belinda Crosier, LPC, LADC, & communication. Edmond Family Counseling 1. Let go of the need to be right. I have a
partners may have different perceptions of
book excerpt that is subtitled “Do you want
days straight, it might be worth mentioning
to be happy or do you want to be right?”
(kindly!), but he or she might have been
There is usually more than one way to view
cleaning up after us even longer & not saying
a situation or to do something, with neither
anything. It’s human nature to remember all
being completely right or wrong. How much
our noble deeds, while forgetting those of
simpler & more pleasant to respond “You
others.
what that even looks like. If we’ve picked up our spouse’s socks from the living room three
might be right,” or simply “Maybe so.” Being
5. Let go of sarcasm and attacking language.
invested in having to be right can turn any
Sad to say, we’re often the least kind to the
discussion into an argument, and what have
people we love most. We’re exposed to so
we really gained?
much sarcasm in our culture, it can become
2. Let go of resentment. Resentment can
our automatic response style, but it can also be
completely erode loving feelings. If we have
very hurtful. Starting sentences with the words
been wronged, we can express our feelings,
“I feel” or “I need” rather than “You never….”
talk about it (using lots of “I language”),
or “You always…” feels less attacking to our
then try to forgive and move on. Forgiveness
partner and can lower defenses, allowing for
doesn’t discount the wrong that was done to
productive communication rather than an
us, but frees us from it having power over our
argument. We all like to feel appreciated;
future happiness.
saying thank-you for even small deeds fosters
3. Let go of negative assumptions. How
a climate of cohesion and mutual respect, a
much happier would we all be if we believed
happy atmosphere in which to spend the
our partner had other motives than an intent
coming year!
to hurt us? Preoccupation, fatigue, differing
For
more
information
about
family
goals……all can cause a partner to say or do
counseling,
something that we perceive as inconsiderate
Counseling
and most of us are quick to assume that was
Downtown Edmond, by visiting online at
the intent, when it well may have been the last
EdmondFamilyCounseling.org or by calling
thing intended. Simply checking it out can
405.341.3554
contact at
1251
Edmond N.
Family
Broadway
in
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