It’s hard to believe we have been open for so long. Thurston House opened it’s doors on September 15, 1992. Unfortunately, the first guests weren’t for a couple weeks. Where were all the people who called during the renovations? It has been a journey for sure! When I first opened it was imperative to have a great brochure and to do a lot of print advertising. The Internet changed everything. I rarely if ever get calls for a brochure to be sent and 90% of reservations come through my Website as well as others I pay to be on. I usually do not talk to the guests besides e-mail until they arrive.

Well, we enjoy over 50% repeat business here and have had guests from 50 states, 21 countries and 3 territories. It has been very interesting to talk to these people and hear their views on life, work, and everything else. Our porch is a magical place where problems are solved and stress disolves away.

As a celebration of this momentous 15 year milestone I broke the bank and ordered my first Cloth & Clay mugs. They are considered the Cadillac of inn mugs. You can go to their website and see where there are inns who have these. Some travel around specifically to these inns to add to their collection…interesting!

Sometimes I wonder what Mr. Thurston would think of what we have accomplished here at his “beautiful orange grove near Maitland Florida”….the words from his Minneapolis obituary.