July 2, 2024 • 16 mins
Welcome to our latest episode featuring Sharon Manor, a unique bed and breakfast in Abbeville, South Carolina. This former 1920s schoolhouse has been transformed into a cozy inn by the Chupp family.
This episode offers insights for history enthusiasts, small-town charm seekers, and those interested in renovation projects. We also share useful tips for aspiring B&B owners.
Join us to learn about the journey of Sharon Manor, from its days as a schoolhouse to its current status as a welcoming inn. You'll hear about the challenges and rewards of preserving a piece of local history while creating a comfortable retreat for visitors.
Listen now and discover how an old school became a beloved bed and breakfast in the heart of South Carolina.
If you enjoyed this episode, hit that subscribe button to catch more stories about hidden gems and travel inspirations!
Audio, Video, and BTS: Melanie Lech Multimedia
Special Thanks to: The Old 96 District
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Everyone has a story to tell.
We connect and relate to oneanother when we share our
stories.
My name is Amelia Old and I amyour host of Voices of
Inspiration.
Join me as I share stories offriends, family and strangers
from my everyday life andtravels.
We will laugh, possibly cry orwalk away, feeling connected
more than ever to those aroundyou and ready to be the change
(00:24):
our world needs.
Everyone has a story to tell.
What's yours?
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Welcome to Voices of Inspiration.
I'm your host, amelia Auld, andtoday we are in Abbeville,
south Carolina, with Ms BenitaChupp at Sharon Manor.
Thank you so much for having metoday.
I'm so excited to learn alittle bit more about your story
.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Well, thank you for coming.
I'm excited to share togetherand talk and share some of our
story with you.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
So let's just jump right into it.
Can you just start off bysharing how you decided to
purchase and renovate thishistoric building?
Speaker 3 (01:07):
Well, it was not really something that we planned
to do or had a dream of doing,other than it came up on an
auction and my husband came outwith someone else to look at it
and thought it looked like aninteresting place.
He was like, are you crazy, whywould you buy a place like that
?
Came home and told my daughterand I about it and we were like,
why are we not looking at it?
Well, let us at least go seewhat it looks like.
(01:29):
So he said, well, go look.
So we did, and in coming out wejust saw so many possibilities
here.
I'm not a risk taker.
I am not one to jump intosomething that looks scary.
Normally this never felt like arisk.
For some reason.
It felt like it would just beexciting, and so we decided we
would put a bid in.
(01:49):
It was an online auction, andso we kind of came up with a
figure that we figured was goingto be way low.
We just didn't figure we wouldget it.
So we put that bid in andstopped there and it was in our
laps.
Wow.
So we had a few momentsafterwards like what are we
doing?
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Why do we do this yeah?
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Our faith is very much a part of us, and so we
felt like God gave it to us fora reason, and so we kept pushing
on doors and decided, if it'snot supposed to be for us,
something would stop us frommoving into it.
And one of those things was tosell our other house that we
were at, and we had peoplecoming asking us to look at it.
Asking us to said they heardwe're going to sell it, can they
(02:28):
come look at it?
So within just a few months wehad sold that and from there
then we started into this andfinished it.
It was nearly at the finishedstage when we got it, and so it
was a lot of cleaning and justat the finishing part of
renovations.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
So you can you tell us a little bit about what it
was before?
Speaker 3 (02:48):
It was an old school and so it was school from the
early 1920s until the early1980s, and we don't have the
exact dates, but we are prettysure we're at the 100-year mark
of the building.
And so after it closed in the80s, they just used it for a
community center, localgatherings, I think they would
have events or fundraiser typethings here, and then it was
(03:10):
just closed, I think for quite afew years, because people tell
us that it was very run down.
When the other owners got it,they had it for about 10 years,
I think, and did majorrenovations in it, did an
excellent job with what they didhere, just in the lighting, the
windows, put all new windows ina lot of the hard work they did
(03:33):
for us.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Are there any interesting stories that you've
later learned about the historyof the schoolhouse that you've
learned now that you think isjust pretty neat?
Speaker 3 (03:45):
It's just there's a lot of stories.
A lot of people come back thathave gone to school here and
love to tell us.
It seems like each one thatcomes, each room is a different
place.
This was first grade for them,but this might be sixth grade
for somebody else.
And so, and one thing, thelittle room right off the side
of the door there they're alwayslike that was the principal's
office, spent a lot of timethere, but yeah, and it didn't
(04:09):
have any running water when itwas first school back.
They of course had outhousesand things like that, and so, as
it progressed, then they addedthe you know, the restrooms in
for the boys and for the girls.
And yeah, it's very interestingtoo how it is like people like,
oh, your electric bill isprobably huge, but because of
the way it's built, with thetall ceilings, it's actually not
hard to heat and cool.
So we've been amazed at howefficient it actually is.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Was having a bed and breakfast something you always
had dreamed of, or if it justkind of happened?
Speaker 3 (04:37):
It did kind of happen and since we're in it I have
just, in the last year or so,realized it was a dream of mine
as a little girl that I did notrealize was actually there.
I remember going to a home withmy parents that she was doing
some sort of a bed and breakfast, and I was just very young.
I've asked my mom who it wasand she doesn't remember it, but
(04:57):
I remember then thinking howcool that was that they were
doing some sort of a bed andbreakfast.
And I remember talking with mombefore too that you know it'd
just be fun to do a hotel orhave something like that.
We love to have people in andout of our home.
Hospitality has always beensomething that we love.
We had lived away from here fora while and the situation we
were in then we had a lot ofpeople in and out just because
(05:20):
of the situation, and so when wemoved back to South Carolina I
was like nobody stops in anymore.
I really miss that.
Until we had this again.
Then it felt like I was back toa spot where I love to have
people in and out of my home.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
So how has your family gotten involved in the
various aspects of runningSheeran Manor?
Speaker 3 (05:40):
They all seem to have a part of it.
One thing that we were a littlebit hesitant when we started
with the bed and breakfast wasto have people in and out of our
home all the time, because forthe children it's like that's
not fun to have people in yourhouse all the time, but it's
large enough that people cancome and go and you don't even
know they're here often.
My daughter my one daughter, mysecond daughter loves to cook,
(06:03):
so she often helps me with someof the breakfast type things.
And then my oldest daughter,who's married and lives close by
, loves to decorate and so shehas done a lot of my decorating.
She loves.
I just some of the rooms.
I'll say go for it.
Here's our budget, take it away.
And the Amelia room especially,she has done an amazing.
That was our most recentrenovation.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
Which is beautiful because I've stayed there and
it's a great name.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Yeah, it was so cool to have you stay there, knowing
that is your name too.
But yeah, so she's veryinvolved in that.
And then our sons do a lot ofsome of the outside work.
Our married son that livesclose by loves to garden and so
he's often helping with them thegarden and the things outside.
And then our youngest son, whois home right now.
He's been my right-hand manthis year with yard work and all
(06:52):
of that he's been.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
so they all kind of have a part of it.
That's really great thateveryone has kind of jumped in
to help and to be a part of it.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Yeah, it's been really fun, and that was part of
it too.
When we first bought it itwasn't like I had young children
to where it was hard, and sothey all helped with the
painting and the cleaning andthe getting it ready to move
into it, and so it was just afun family project to work on
together.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
What is your favorite part about hosting guests here?
Speaker 3 (07:21):
My favorite part would probably be just meeting
people.
I love to meet people.
I love to hear their storieswhere they're from, about their
families.
That's probably, yeah, justmeeting people and getting to
know people.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
So how do you balance running a family business with
family life?
I know you just recently got achance to go away for a little
bit, but that doesn't happenoften.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
Yeah, it has been a challenge.
Especially we're always ones wedon't plan a vacation a year
out.
Normally we just love lastminute quick go.
So that's been a little bit ofa challenge to learn to plan a
little bit more.
My daughter both of mydaughters have been available.
If we do are gone, if it's justDavid and I or something,
they're very willing to helpwith things here.
(08:07):
But yeah, that has been achallenge.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
So what advice would you give to someone else wanting
to start a bed and breakfast?
Speaker 3 (08:19):
What advice?
Not sure, because for us it wasjust kind of it just happened.
If you love people, if you loveserving, it's an excellent spot
to do it.
And just to, we love to go offour cell, like you asked about
how we do that, we love to gooff, and some of the night, you
know, we love unique places, welove culture, we love to
(08:43):
experience culture when we go,and so we try to give that to
people when they come is treatthem like we would want to be
treated with good hospitality,good food, good coffee, that
sort of thing, a clean room.
So, as far as advice, just dothings like you would want done
if you're going to go away.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
And you mentioned the coffee, and your husband has
now started his own coffeebusiness.
Can you tell us a little bitabout?
Speaker 3 (09:12):
that.
Yeah, he actually was doingthat before we lived here, when
my sister opened the coffee shophere in town.
She had opened Main StreetCoffee Shop and when she did
that he was like, well, I shouldroast for you because we love
good coffee and at that time itwas hard to find good coffee in
the area.
So he started.
He went for some lessons andtraining to do it and so that's
(09:34):
when he actually started.
It was when she opened thecoffee shop.
So he's been doing it for about15 years now.
But it's been a fun addition tohave with the bed and breakfast
because each room has a smallpack of coffee in it when they
come and share that with them.
So it's a side business for him.
But most weeks he ends up beingup Monday, tuesday, wednesday.
(09:54):
He's often up by 430 or 5 toroast before he goes to his full
time business.
Wow.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
That's a full time side, it is.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
Yeah, it's getting more that way.
More and more people areenjoying his coffee and want to
stop in here and buy coffee too,which is fine if they do.
That, that's great.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
How has Sharon Manor impacted your family's life and
your relationship within thecommunity?
Speaker 3 (10:23):
It has opened up the doors as far as the community.
It has opened up doors a lot toget to know the community.
It's been a very good thing tobe involved in the Abbeville
Chamber and so some of thatwe've been involved with it,
also with a lot of the community.
People have gone to school here,and so it's fun for them to
come back and to come back totheir school and see it being
preserved for something likethis, and so it's fun for them
(10:44):
to come back and to come back totheir school and see it being
preserved for something likethis, and so that has been a
privilege really and an honor tobe able to do that, for the
community to have this as theirschool in order to still enjoy
it.
We also have some reunions.
We have some school reunionsand things that people come and
as far as affecting our family,it has been really good because
(11:07):
it feels like it has given usall something to work together
as a family.
Family is very important to us,and so we Sundays they're
pretty much always home forSunday lunch together and we're
looking at well, the girls havethe bees out the back now, and
then we have the chickens andwe're looking at doing more of
that sort of a thing, thefarming and the kind of
(11:28):
sustaining ourselves right heretogether.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
So what do you love most about living in abbyville?
Speaker 3 (11:35):
well, I've lived here all my life.
I was born here.
The small community probably iswhat I would love the most
knowing people.
At one point you could go totown and pretty much everybody
you'd pass, you'd at least knowwho they are.
It's not quite that way anymore, but even just going to the
grocery store is kind of asocial outing, because you kind
of plan to meet somebody thatyou know and chat with them.
(11:58):
We love the coffee shop.
Refuel is also open now too, soboth of those spots are just
fun spots to meet people.
Yeah, small community isprobably one of my favorite
things about Abbeville would be.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
It's funny that you say that, because growing up it
was very similar for me, and soas an adult I would tell my own
children well, you know, you'vegot to make sure you look nice
when you go out, because younever know who you might see,
and they're like there's loadsof people in our community we
probably won't run into anybodyand I'm like no, but you just
(12:33):
don't know, because I was soused to seeing everybody when
you go out.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
Yeah, that's how it is here too.
You just know so many people,and our sons both played
football, and so that's anotherpart of the community that we
love is just that you feel likea big family.
It feels like small-town family.
Everybody kind of knowseverything about each other, but
that's not always bad.
Everybody kind of knowseverything about each other, but
(12:58):
that's always not always bad.
It's going to be a good thingtoo, because I feel like in a
small community, um, when thereis a tragedy or something
happens, everybody has theirback, and I feel like it's a
very caring community.
It feels like it's you know,they take care of each other
Well what are some of yourfavorite local spots here?
I mentioned two of them.
At coffee shop shop of course,my cousins actually own that now
and then Refuel is just thenewest one in town and I've been
(13:22):
there several times.
She's doing an amazing job withthat.
She's got a good breakfast andsome lunches and things that are
really good Village Grill,indigenous, off the Hook all of
those are good and the close oneup here, country Diner.
I often refer that to mycustomers too, my guests that
want just a good meat and threetype place.
That's a good spot.
(13:42):
There's definitely some greatoptions.
It is.
We've got a lot of good placesto eat in Abbeville.
For as small as we are, it isreally some good spots to enjoy.
I definitely agree.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
How does the history of Abbeville inspire and
integrate into Sharon Manor'sambiance and hospitality?
Speaker 3 (14:02):
I would say the community together, coming
together and just being able topreserve this for the community
would be a lot of it, like weenjoy it and we kind of forget
it's our home.
But it's really special forpeople to come back and and to
stay and to see we have a lot ofguests come back that have gone
to school here, and so that's alot of fun.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
I'm sure that must be special for them.
They probably never thoughtthey would come back to this
building and especially stay init as you now have it, and I'm
sure that's a differentexperience for them and I often
tell the story.
Speaker 3 (14:37):
I may have told you, when you were here last time I
had a guest that stayed.
It was when we first werestarting with bed and breakfast,
thinking maybe this would besomething we could do.
I was apprehensive about it,not sure how it would go the
next morning.
I just asked her.
I said so, how was your night?
And she said, oh, she didn'thardly sleep.
And I was immediately like, oh,you know what was wrong?
And she said, oh, is nothingwrong.
(14:58):
She said I was staying in myfirst grade room and I could
hardly sleep.
And so that, and she was in herseventies, I think.
And so that was the first timethat we really realized how much
it would mean to the people tocome back and to experience
their school as a guest room.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
Absolutely so.
If someone wanted to book astay here or an event here, how
would they find you online?
We?
Speaker 3 (15:20):
are on Facebook and Instagram, sharon Manor, and
then we have a website,sharonmanorcom, and that's a
good place.
You can book directly on there,but I find a lot of people
still like to call and just bookit that way.
So either way is fine.
Our phone numbers are on thewebsite and online People can
(15:41):
find it that way.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
And I will make sure to link to all of that in the
notes of the episode.
That would be awesome, and Ihave one more question for you.
Do you have a favorite quote orany words of wisdom that you
would like to leave behind?
Speaker 3 (15:56):
A favorite quote or words of wisdom.
I try to live off the model oftreating others like I want to
be treated, and especially withwhere it talks in the Bible
about do unto others as youwould have them do unto you.
My family, my grandparents, myparents have always treated
others with respect and withkindness, and that is what I
(16:18):
want to do for others,especially in the guest rooms
and having people come in andout, I want to provide them what
I would expect when I would begoing somewhere, and just to
treat them with kindness.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
I think that's important, thank you.
Thank you so much for sharing alittle bit of your story with
me.
I really appreciate it and I'mso excited to be back here.
It's good to have you.
Thank you so much for sharing alittle bit of your story with
me.
I really appreciate it and I'mso excited to be back here.
Speaker 3 (16:40):
It's good to have you .
Thank you for coming.
Thank you.
Everyone has a story to tell.
We connect and relate to oneanother when we share our
stories.
My name is Amelia Old and I amyour host of Voices of
Inspiration.
Join me as I share stories offriends, family and strangers
from my everyday life andtravels.
We will laugh, possibly cry orwalk away, feeling connected
more than ever to those aroundyou and ready to be the change
(00:24):
our world needs.
Everyone has a story to tell.
What's yours?
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Welcome to Voices of Inspiration.
I'm your host, amelia Auld, andtoday we are in Abbeville,
south Carolina, with Ms BenitaChupp at Sharon Manor.
Thank you so much for having metoday.
I'm so excited to learn alittle bit more about your story
.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Well, thank you for coming.
I'm excited to share togetherand talk and share some of our
story with you.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
So let's just jump right into it.
Can you just start off bysharing how you decided to
purchase and renovate thishistoric building?
Speaker 3 (01:07):
Well, it was not really something that we planned
to do or had a dream of doing,other than it came up on an
auction and my husband came outwith someone else to look at it
and thought it looked like aninteresting place.
He was like, are you crazy, whywould you buy a place like that
?
Came home and told my daughterand I about it and we were like,
why are we not looking at it?
Well, let us at least go seewhat it looks like.
(01:29):
So he said, well, go look.
So we did, and in coming out wejust saw so many possibilities
here.
I'm not a risk taker.
I am not one to jump intosomething that looks scary.
Normally this never felt like arisk.
For some reason.
It felt like it would just beexciting, and so we decided we
would put a bid in.
(01:49):
It was an online auction, andso we kind of came up with a
figure that we figured was goingto be way low.
We just didn't figure we wouldget it.
So we put that bid in andstopped there and it was in our
laps.
Wow.
So we had a few momentsafterwards like what are we
doing?
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Why do we do this yeah?
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Our faith is very much a part of us, and so we
felt like God gave it to us fora reason, and so we kept pushing
on doors and decided, if it'snot supposed to be for us,
something would stop us frommoving into it.
And one of those things was tosell our other house that we
were at, and we had peoplecoming asking us to look at it.
Asking us to said they heardwe're going to sell it, can they
(02:28):
come look at it?
So within just a few months wehad sold that and from there
then we started into this andfinished it.
It was nearly at the finishedstage when we got it, and so it
was a lot of cleaning and justat the finishing part of
renovations.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
So you can you tell us a little bit about what it
was before?
Speaker 3 (02:48):
It was an old school and so it was school from the
early 1920s until the early1980s, and we don't have the
exact dates, but we are prettysure we're at the 100-year mark
of the building.
And so after it closed in the80s, they just used it for a
community center, localgatherings, I think they would
have events or fundraiser typethings here, and then it was
(03:10):
just closed, I think for quite afew years, because people tell
us that it was very run down.
When the other owners got it,they had it for about 10 years,
I think, and did majorrenovations in it, did an
excellent job with what they didhere, just in the lighting, the
windows, put all new windows ina lot of the hard work they did
(03:33):
for us.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Are there any interesting stories that you've
later learned about the historyof the schoolhouse that you've
learned now that you think isjust pretty neat?
Speaker 3 (03:45):
It's just there's a lot of stories.
A lot of people come back thathave gone to school here and
love to tell us.
It seems like each one thatcomes, each room is a different
place.
This was first grade for them,but this might be sixth grade
for somebody else.
And so, and one thing, thelittle room right off the side
of the door there they're alwayslike that was the principal's
office, spent a lot of timethere, but yeah, and it didn't
(04:09):
have any running water when itwas first school back.
They of course had outhousesand things like that, and so, as
it progressed, then they addedthe you know, the restrooms in
for the boys and for the girls.
And yeah, it's very interestingtoo how it is like people like,
oh, your electric bill isprobably huge, but because of
the way it's built, with thetall ceilings, it's actually not
hard to heat and cool.
So we've been amazed at howefficient it actually is.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Was having a bed and breakfast something you always
had dreamed of, or if it justkind of happened?
Speaker 3 (04:37):
It did kind of happen and since we're in it I have
just, in the last year or so,realized it was a dream of mine
as a little girl that I did notrealize was actually there.
I remember going to a home withmy parents that she was doing
some sort of a bed and breakfast, and I was just very young.
I've asked my mom who it wasand she doesn't remember it, but
(04:57):
I remember then thinking howcool that was that they were
doing some sort of a bed andbreakfast.
And I remember talking with mombefore too that you know it'd
just be fun to do a hotel orhave something like that.
We love to have people in andout of our home.
Hospitality has always beensomething that we love.
We had lived away from here fora while and the situation we
were in then we had a lot ofpeople in and out just because
(05:20):
of the situation, and so when wemoved back to South Carolina I
was like nobody stops in anymore.
I really miss that.
Until we had this again.
Then it felt like I was back toa spot where I love to have
people in and out of my home.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
So how has your family gotten involved in the
various aspects of runningSheeran Manor?
Speaker 3 (05:40):
They all seem to have a part of it.
One thing that we were a littlebit hesitant when we started
with the bed and breakfast wasto have people in and out of our
home all the time, because forthe children it's like that's
not fun to have people in yourhouse all the time, but it's
large enough that people cancome and go and you don't even
know they're here often.
My daughter my one daughter, mysecond daughter loves to cook,
(06:03):
so she often helps me with someof the breakfast type things.
And then my oldest daughter,who's married and lives close by
, loves to decorate and so shehas done a lot of my decorating.
She loves.
I just some of the rooms.
I'll say go for it.
Here's our budget, take it away.
And the Amelia room especially,she has done an amazing.
That was our most recentrenovation.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
Which is beautiful because I've stayed there and
it's a great name.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Yeah, it was so cool to have you stay there, knowing
that is your name too.
But yeah, so she's veryinvolved in that.
And then our sons do a lot ofsome of the outside work.
Our married son that livesclose by loves to garden and so
he's often helping with them thegarden and the things outside.
And then our youngest son, whois home right now.
He's been my right-hand manthis year with yard work and all
(06:52):
of that he's been.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
so they all kind of have a part of it.
That's really great thateveryone has kind of jumped in
to help and to be a part of it.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Yeah, it's been really fun, and that was part of
it too.
When we first bought it itwasn't like I had young children
to where it was hard, and sothey all helped with the
painting and the cleaning andthe getting it ready to move
into it, and so it was just afun family project to work on
together.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
What is your favorite part about hosting guests here?
Speaker 3 (07:21):
My favorite part would probably be just meeting
people.
I love to meet people.
I love to hear their storieswhere they're from, about their
families.
That's probably, yeah, justmeeting people and getting to
know people.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
So how do you balance running a family business with
family life?
I know you just recently got achance to go away for a little
bit, but that doesn't happenoften.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
Yeah, it has been a challenge.
Especially we're always ones wedon't plan a vacation a year
out.
Normally we just love lastminute quick go.
So that's been a little bit ofa challenge to learn to plan a
little bit more.
My daughter both of mydaughters have been available.
If we do are gone, if it's justDavid and I or something,
they're very willing to helpwith things here.
(08:07):
But yeah, that has been achallenge.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
So what advice would you give to someone else wanting
to start a bed and breakfast?
Speaker 3 (08:19):
What advice?
Not sure, because for us it wasjust kind of it just happened.
If you love people, if you loveserving, it's an excellent spot
to do it.
And just to, we love to go offour cell, like you asked about
how we do that, we love to gooff, and some of the night, you
know, we love unique places, welove culture, we love to
(08:43):
experience culture when we go,and so we try to give that to
people when they come is treatthem like we would want to be
treated with good hospitality,good food, good coffee, that
sort of thing, a clean room.
So, as far as advice, just dothings like you would want done
if you're going to go away.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
And you mentioned the coffee, and your husband has
now started his own coffeebusiness.
Can you tell us a little bitabout?
Speaker 3 (09:12):
that.
Yeah, he actually was doingthat before we lived here, when
my sister opened the coffee shophere in town.
She had opened Main StreetCoffee Shop and when she did
that he was like, well, I shouldroast for you because we love
good coffee and at that time itwas hard to find good coffee in
the area.
So he started.
He went for some lessons andtraining to do it and so that's
(09:34):
when he actually started.
It was when she opened thecoffee shop.
So he's been doing it for about15 years now.
But it's been a fun addition tohave with the bed and breakfast
because each room has a smallpack of coffee in it when they
come and share that with them.
So it's a side business for him.
But most weeks he ends up beingup Monday, tuesday, wednesday.
(09:54):
He's often up by 430 or 5 toroast before he goes to his full
time business.
Wow.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
That's a full time side, it is.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
Yeah, it's getting more that way.
More and more people areenjoying his coffee and want to
stop in here and buy coffee too,which is fine if they do.
That, that's great.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
How has Sharon Manor impacted your family's life and
your relationship within thecommunity?
Speaker 3 (10:23):
It has opened up the doors as far as the community.
It has opened up doors a lot toget to know the community.
It's been a very good thing tobe involved in the Abbeville
Chamber and so some of thatwe've been involved with it,
also with a lot of the community.
People have gone to school here,and so it's fun for them to
come back and to come back totheir school and see it being
preserved for something likethis, and so it's fun for them
(10:44):
to come back and to come back totheir school and see it being
preserved for something likethis, and so that has been a
privilege really and an honor tobe able to do that, for the
community to have this as theirschool in order to still enjoy
it.
We also have some reunions.
We have some school reunionsand things that people come and
as far as affecting our family,it has been really good because
(11:07):
it feels like it has given usall something to work together
as a family.
Family is very important to us,and so we Sundays they're
pretty much always home forSunday lunch together and we're
looking at well, the girls havethe bees out the back now, and
then we have the chickens andwe're looking at doing more of
that sort of a thing, thefarming and the kind of
(11:28):
sustaining ourselves right heretogether.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
So what do you love most about living in abbyville?
Speaker 3 (11:35):
well, I've lived here all my life.
I was born here.
The small community probably iswhat I would love the most
knowing people.
At one point you could go totown and pretty much everybody
you'd pass, you'd at least knowwho they are.
It's not quite that way anymore, but even just going to the
grocery store is kind of asocial outing, because you kind
of plan to meet somebody thatyou know and chat with them.
(11:58):
We love the coffee shop.
Refuel is also open now too, soboth of those spots are just
fun spots to meet people.
Yeah, small community isprobably one of my favorite
things about Abbeville would be.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
It's funny that you say that, because growing up it
was very similar for me, and soas an adult I would tell my own
children well, you know, you'vegot to make sure you look nice
when you go out, because younever know who you might see,
and they're like there's loadsof people in our community we
probably won't run into anybodyand I'm like no, but you just
(12:33):
don't know, because I was soused to seeing everybody when
you go out.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
Yeah, that's how it is here too.
You just know so many people,and our sons both played
football, and so that's anotherpart of the community that we
love is just that you feel likea big family.
It feels like small-town family.
Everybody kind of knowseverything about each other, but
that's not always bad.
Everybody kind of knowseverything about each other, but
(12:58):
that's always not always bad.
It's going to be a good thingtoo, because I feel like in a
small community, um, when thereis a tragedy or something
happens, everybody has theirback, and I feel like it's a
very caring community.
It feels like it's you know,they take care of each other
Well what are some of yourfavorite local spots here?
I mentioned two of them.
At coffee shop shop of course,my cousins actually own that now
and then Refuel is just thenewest one in town and I've been
(13:22):
there several times.
She's doing an amazing job withthat.
She's got a good breakfast andsome lunches and things that are
really good Village Grill,indigenous, off the Hook all of
those are good and the close oneup here, country Diner.
I often refer that to mycustomers too, my guests that
want just a good meat and threetype place.
That's a good spot.
(13:42):
There's definitely some greatoptions.
It is.
We've got a lot of good placesto eat in Abbeville.
For as small as we are, it isreally some good spots to enjoy.
I definitely agree.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
How does the history of Abbeville inspire and
integrate into Sharon Manor'sambiance and hospitality?
Speaker 3 (14:02):
I would say the community together, coming
together and just being able topreserve this for the community
would be a lot of it, like weenjoy it and we kind of forget
it's our home.
But it's really special forpeople to come back and and to
stay and to see we have a lot ofguests come back that have gone
to school here, and so that's alot of fun.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
I'm sure that must be special for them.
They probably never thoughtthey would come back to this
building and especially stay init as you now have it, and I'm
sure that's a differentexperience for them and I often
tell the story.
Speaker 3 (14:37):
I may have told you, when you were here last time I
had a guest that stayed.
It was when we first werestarting with bed and breakfast,
thinking maybe this would besomething we could do.
I was apprehensive about it,not sure how it would go the
next morning.
I just asked her.
I said so, how was your night?
And she said, oh, she didn'thardly sleep.
And I was immediately like, oh,you know what was wrong?
And she said, oh, is nothingwrong.
(14:58):
She said I was staying in myfirst grade room and I could
hardly sleep.
And so that, and she was in herseventies, I think.
And so that was the first timethat we really realized how much
it would mean to the people tocome back and to experience
their school as a guest room.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
Absolutely so.
If someone wanted to book astay here or an event here, how
would they find you online?
We?
Speaker 3 (15:20):
are on Facebook and Instagram, sharon Manor, and
then we have a website,sharonmanorcom, and that's a
good place.
You can book directly on there,but I find a lot of people
still like to call and just bookit that way.
So either way is fine.
Our phone numbers are on thewebsite and online People can
(15:41):
find it that way.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
And I will make sure to link to all of that in the
notes of the episode.
That would be awesome, and Ihave one more question for you.
Do you have a favorite quote orany words of wisdom that you
would like to leave behind?
Speaker 3 (15:56):
A favorite quote or words of wisdom.
I try to live off the model oftreating others like I want to
be treated, and especially withwhere it talks in the Bible
about do unto others as youwould have them do unto you.
My family, my grandparents, myparents have always treated
others with respect and withkindness, and that is what I
(16:18):
want to do for others,especially in the guest rooms
and having people come in andout, I want to provide them what
I would expect when I would begoing somewhere, and just to
treat them with kindness.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
I think that's important, thank you.
Thank you so much for sharing alittle bit of your story with
me.
I really appreciate it and I'mso excited to be back here.
It's good to have you.
Thank you so much for sharing alittle bit of your story with
me.
I really appreciate it and I'mso excited to be back here.
Speaker 3 (16:40):
It's good to have you .
Thank you for coming.
Thank you.
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