Thirteen years ago we moved to Waynesville, NC to take on what seemed like an insurmountable goal of converting a property that had basically been abandoned and left for dead for the sole purpose of opening and starting a Bed & Breakfast from nothing.
The first time pulling in was like pulling up to the Adams family house and grounds. Ivy covered houses, overgrown, dilapidated exterior and even worse interior. The house was still stuck in the 50’s and 60’s and had never been updated. The initial inspection report was 30 pages. Literally everything that could be wrong with a house needed to be redone and renovated. All the initial work was done by us and mostly me. A list of things too long to include but you name it and it probably needed replacing. So the day we got here I pulled in and put work clothes on and went to work at the casino in Cherokee. Practically every day for the next 2 1/2 years I went out to the casino and came home and worked on the house every day until I dropped.
Finally in June of 2016 we had gotten to a point where we could open with 3 rooms. It was a very difficult first year getting our footing and trying to build a following and reputation. At the time there were 13 B & B’s here in town. If you googled us you couldn’t find us for over a year. Gradually we got our footing and continued to renovate and remodel the house adding another room and starting working on the exterior of the house to include the road in, gardens, deck, stone work, second house and so on. I remained out at the casino for another 2 1/2 years working every day and coming home and continuing the work on the house and property.
At this time we also started renovating what became Rhododendron house and expanding our own living quarters. This has basically continued to be the case to this day. Along the way we started to welcome returning guests and their friends and families and also expanded into catering and weddings on and off the property. Almost from the beginning we started doing dinners and it has turned into one of the cornerstones of what has made the business and Inn so popular. To be able to arrive at a beautiful property in the mountains and relax, have a glass of wine and enjoy a chef-prepared meal in our treehouse dining room as our guests like to refer to it has been monumental. We watched families grow and their kids grow, some of whom are now getting married on the property. We’ve seen and hosted folks from all over the world.
This month we will be celebrating 10 years here in business. It hasn’t always been easy as we have faced numerous difficult days and challenges from Covid to a suffering economy to Hurricane Helene which came close to wiping out the property. It would have been easy at that point to say enough but my guests stepped in and reached out and helped us in so many ways. Since then I have continued to rebuild and bring the property back from the devastation as has our small town. Today there are only 10 B & B’s left and I am the last remaining owner from that day 13 years ago when we arrived.
It has been a blessing to be a part of so many folks’ lives that we now consider a part of The Red Leaf River Inn family. We continue working hard and improving and welcoming new guests to the inn and our Inn family. I have no idea how much longer I will continue to do this but I wanted to take the opportunity to thank everyone who has supported us and come through our doors. I always tell people that we have 2 simple philosophies. Treat everyone with respect and like family and everything else will take care of itself. In the face of difficult times and days of exhaustion we have always put our guests first and went out of our way to create the best experience from a hospitality and culinary standpoint.
Once again thank you to our guests and may God bless you all. Be safe and stay healthy.
Alexander, Nikolas and Victor
The Johnston Family
