How We Got Here
In my first blog, I’ll start by flashing back to 1995. I want to give you a glimpse into what Jordi and I experienced in the process of opening a bed and breakfast . After finding the perfect house, we discovered that the zoning regulations did not allow bed and breakfasts in the Shaw Neighborhood. Well, we bought the house anyway!
In order to obtain a license, we were required by St. Louis City to petition and obtain approval from over 60% of registered voters residing within a designated 360º circumference around 4171 Magnolia Avenue.
This was a daunting task! At the time, the majority of the houses were rental property, which means that people moved in and out frequently. Every time we reached the number of signatures we needed, we went downtown for approval, only to find that half of the names weren’t legitimate any more, because those people had moved out of the neighborhood. But we pressed on. Almost a year later we had an adequate amount of signatures. We were finally approved by the City Council and were finally approved to open Casa Magnolia Bed & Breakfast.
The next few years we worked full time while renovating the house on the side. It needed air conditioning, new electric, new plumbing, pool repairs, new walls, floors, you name it. We just kept plugging away. In May 2005, we opened our doors! It’s been an absolutely awesome experience—I can’t imagine doing anything else!
It’s been a rough year, yet we are bound and determined to keep Casa Magnolia open for many years to come. I know you are all as anxious as we are to have our freedom back. We know many people are still afraid to travel, so we are patiently awaiting the light at the end of this long, dark tunnel. It will be such a joy to have guests at Casa Magnolia again. It’s lonely! We miss all of our repeat guests and are looking forward to seeing you as well as meeting new guests in 2021. Keep the faith! This too shall pass!
